Shane Gillis's SNL monologue draws backlash as controversial jokes about women branded misogynistic by fans

A number of social media users complained about Shane Gillis's material in his monologue hosting Saturday Night Live, with some dubbing his humor misogynistic.

The 38-year-old comedian hit nerves with a joke with his observations about women's activewear, saying, 'I haven't been to the gym in so long I didn't know women just dress like w****s now?'

The joke caused some guests in the crowd to gasp, while scattered laughs were also heard.

He continued, 'Look, I'm sorry, there's no other way to describe [it]. Have you seen it? I've seen it. You've seen the shorts? 

'They're those neon, like, artificial vape-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don't look! You’re not allowed to look.'

Gillis wrapped up the joke in saying, 'For real, don't look, because they are filming - I'm in the background of ten TikToks right now!'

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Gillis for additional comment.

On X, a number of users reacted to the joke, with one longtime viewer calling it 'offensive garbage' that was 'promoting rape culture and misogyny.'

The user added, 'I’ve been watching since I was 9 years old but I’m not watching this s***.'

Another commenter said, 'DISGUSTING MAN you got there calling women w****s on live TV... never have him in that show again.'

One user said, 'Just heard Shane Gillis say women at the gym dress like w****s now…. WTF? Who thinks that’s a funny line? F***ing gross. #SNL.'

A user said the timing of Gillis's hosting reflected poorly with allegations of a sexual assault at Cornell University in the headlines.

'Really snl women dress like w****s?' the user said. 'And you let that happen so soon after the Cornell? Language like this is very problematic especially at a time like this it’s not one bit funny.

'Shane is not funny. You’ve given him enough chances. Your misogyny is showing and it’s not even slightly amusing.'

Another user said, 'I don't know what turns my stomach more, the fact that Shane Gillis was on Saturday Night Live tonight and said women at the gym "dress like w****s" or that there was people in that audience who found his disgusting bit of so-called humor funny. #SNL.' 

Other social media users panned Gillis for the overall performance on the NBC variety show on Saturday.

'I am a big Shane Gillis fan…but this wasn’t great,' one user said, while another described the entertainer as 'a cloned Louis CK from Temu.'

A commenter called Gillis 'one of the least funny people pretending to be a comedian,' calling his performance on the show 'awful' and 'unwatchable.'

Said one user, 'Even if I was racist and sexist, I don’t think I would find this funny.'

Gillis apologized over a shock F-bomb drop that left both the cast as well as the live audience stunned. 

He accidentally let out the curse word during a Dr. Seuss sketch with Mikey Day and Andrew Dismukes. 

And at the end of the show, Gillis gave a shout out to music guest Rosalia before adding, 'And sorry about earlier. Thank you guys very much. I had a good time.'

In the skit, Gillis had played the son of Cat in the Hat (Day) who was questioning Sam I Am (Dismukes) about why he was pressuring his father to eat green eggs and ham. 

'Hey, what the hell is wrong with you? My dad said he doesn't like green eggs and ham. Drop it. Walk away,' the comedian said. 

Gillis then continued, 'Bro, it's a non-starter. He said he doesn't f***ing,' before immediately pausing and throwing his hands into the air. 

'Jeez!' he called out as some audience members let out small gasps over the slip. 

Gillis sent a look towards Dismukes as the crowd began laughing over the moment, and Dismukes placed an encouraging hand on the actor's back to continue. 

After shaking his head with a breathy laugh, Gillis continued the sketch with, 'He said I don't like green eggs and ham.' 

Day later called back to the F-bomb slip in the skit as he said, 'Zachary's the one who's going. I want you out of this house. You're a loser, and you said a bad word!' 

'Yes, I did,' Gillis replied as he humorously went along with Day's ad-lib. 

While the expletive was not censored during the initial live broadcast, the word was muted later on when the sketch was shared to SNL's X account. 

According to FCC guidelines, it is 'a violation of federal law to air obscene programming at any time.' 

It is also 'a violation of federal law to broadcast indecent or profane programming during certain hours.' A TV network or station could possibly face fines or penalties for not following the guidelines. 

Other celebrities have let the F-bomb slip during their appearance on the sketch comedy series over the years, including Paul Shaffer, Jenny Slate, Kristen Stewart and Sam Rockwell. 

Gillis kicked off the show with a seven-minute opening monologue. 

At one point, the star said, 'I'll tell you [the] thing that I'm really bothered by is I've balded directly into an Adolf Hitler haircut.'

While some audience members let out gasps of surprise at the joke, others let out laughs. 

'And it's not good,' he continued. 'Because I give a lot of speeches and the front falls down a lot, and there's no way to adjust it without looking exactly like [Hitler]. 

'It's the only way. I'm not going to do that,' Gillis said while pretending to brush his hair to the side. 

'That's gay. That's it: You're either gay or you're Hitler, and isn't that where we're at as a country?'   

The opening monologue also included Gillis recalling a failed hiking experience and how he also uses Joe Rogan's sauna, which got a few cackles from the audience. 

Gillis has previously hosted Saturday Night Live back in 2024 and 2025, after he was fired from the show in 2019. 

The comedian had been cut from the series after past videos emerged that showed him making racist and homophobic comments. 

At the time, SNL released a statement condemning his 'offensive, hurtful and unacceptable' remarks while also apologizing for their 'vetting process.' 

Gillis also spoke out and said it 'feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements,' but expressed that he 'respected the decision they made.' 

He addressed being let go from SNL when he hosted for the first time in 2024.

'Most of you probably have no idea who I am,' he said during his monologue at the time, while adding, 'I was actually – I was fired from this show. Awhile ago. But, you know. Don't look that up, please.

'If you don't know who I am, please don't Google that. It's fine. Don't even worry about it.' 

SNL creator Lorne Michaels later said that he had been forced to let Gillis go during an interview with the Wall Street Journal. 

'That was very strong from the people in charge,' Michaels said. 'And obviously I was not on that side, but I understood it.'