‘NOT TO DEFEND SNL’

MAGA-Friendly Host Drops New Details About ‘SNL’ Controversy

Shane Gillis broke his silence on the onslaught of criticism over his “women dress like w***res” joke.

Shane Gillis is addressing the controversy over his joke about women’s gym attire for the first time.

In a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Gillis said that Saturday Night Live did not “approve” his monologue, which has drawn backlash from SNL alums, celebrities, and some of the public. “Not to defend SNL, they don’t approve it,” he said. “They could shut it down” if they wanted to, he added, but they didn’t.

The comedian said he told the crew of his monologue ahead of the show, “‘It’s not great, but I don’t say anything bad... The whole time—I was like, ‘Fellas, I’m giving you a solid C-minus of a monologue, but I promise there’s no controversy. I’m calling myself fat, for f---ing 10 minutes.”

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Gillis turned out to be wrong when the episode aired, after he said during his opening monologue, “I haven’t been to the gym in so long I didn’t know women just dress like wh---s now? I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe it.”

Backlash was swift, as Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy posted a video on Instagram in which he called Gillis a “misogynist” and called out SNL for airing it. “Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores, misogynists. There’s a difference there,” he said.

SNL alums Cecily Strong and Ego Nowdim mocked the comments on Instagram. SNL U.K. called the comedian a “stupid f---ing c---.”

Others called out SNL boss Lorne Michaels directly for allowing the joke on air—particularly as Gillis’ episode coincided with the height of media coverage on the alleged gang rape at Cornell University.

As Rogan complained that the outcry was because “Everyone’s just looking to get upset,” Gillis acknowledged, “I think it obviously had a lot to do with the climate.”

Gillis, who was fired from the show before his planned 2019 debut as a cast member for using slurs and other offensive language on his podcast, was hosting the show for the third time since his Oct. 10 exit. He said he handled social media differently this time. “The first time I got fired, I kept social media, and in my head I was like, ‘That guy talked s--t,’” he recalled, referring to online commentary. “This one, I just deleted everything immediately.”

He also joked about retribution for any of his critics currently touring. Gillis broke a Guinness World Record for most tickets sold for a comedy show by a solo comedian in July, as his stand-up career took off after his SNL firing. “I’m going to go on tour, and I’m going to find out whoever was talking s--t and whatever venue they’re playing, I will bump them,” he said. “But I’m not going to do that… My agent was joking around suggesting that.”

Rogan insisted that the harsh criticism was uncalled for. “It’s just a fun thing to say, and it’s funny. That’s it,” Rogan said.

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Eboni Boykin-PattersonEntertainment Reporter

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