The Controversial Shane Gillis "Saturday Night Live" Monologue Is Still Dividing Comedians Weeks Later — Here's What "SNL" Cast Members Are Saying

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The jury’s inactive retired connected whether his gag was funny, but there’s nary shortage of SNL comedians acceptable to present a verdict.

Posted connected Oct 23, 2026 UTC

Shane Gillis astir apt didn't expect a gag astir women's gym shorts to crook into a weeks-long statement astir misogyny, comedy, and what should oregon should not beryllium acceptable connected Saturday Night Live. But...here we are.

During his Oct.10 quality arsenic big of SNL, Gillis opened his monologue by talking astir however overmuch women's workout attire had changed since he'd past been to the gym.

"I haven’t been to the gym successful truthful long, I didn’t cognize women conscionable formal similar wh*res now?" helium said. "I'm sorry, there's nary different mode to picture it. Have you seen it? I've seen it. The shorts. Have you seen the shorts?"

"They're those neon, like, artificial bait-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles spell astir the cheeks and each harvester astatine the butth*le," helium continued. "And don't look! You're not allowed to look. For real, don't look 'cause they are filming. I'm successful the inheritance of, like, 10 TikToks close now."

The spot instantly drew criticism, particularly from women, arsenic good arsenic from celebrities and different erstwhile and existent SNL formed members who accused Gillis of perpetuating misogyny. Others defended his close to marque provocative jokes and argued that the backlash was overblown.

Even Shane's ex-girlfriend, Grace Brassel, weighed in, reposting Dan Levy's critical video earlier sharing an Instagram Story of herself astatine the gym alongside the caption, "Full Body Workout for H*es."

With drama veterans Dana Carvey and David Spade present entering the conversation, the sermon doesn't look to beryllium going distant immoderate clip soon. Gillis has not addressed the backlash straight astatine the clip of writing. Here's what SNL alums person said truthful far.

1. SNL alum Dana Carvey addressed Gillis' remarks connected his Fly connected the Wall podcast with David Spade, saying, "I conscionable didn’t recognize the kerfuffle lone because, to me, I conscionable saw it arsenic what we call, I’ll conscionable accidental it, a joke," he said.

"When you accidental jokes, you're not virtually saying women are wh*res. You are virtually joking. Isn't that benignant of the idea? No? Did I conscionable get canceled?"

He acknowledged the spot mightiness not person been due for SNL, adding: "Most of the assemblage is young women, truthful I deliberation possibly that was not — it is precise highly dressed up young women is the bulk of the assemblage astatine SNL."

2. David Spade was likewise dismissive during the aforesaid Fly connected the Wall conversation, referencing treble standards successful however the nationalist responds to antithetic celebrities. "I volition accidental it's astir comical that there's radical that say, 'Oh, don't marque amusive of OnlyFans. Don't marque amusive of strippers," Spade said.

"'These are enactment workers. They request to beryllium respected.' And past everyone hates Sydney Sweeney. And it's like, 'Which 1 is it?'" helium said. "Like, you cognize what I mean? Let's each determine what we hatred and don't and however astir we conscionable relax."

"Sometimes radical conscionable request to caput their 'biz," helium concluded, "Like, we don't request to remark connected everything."

3. Meanwhile, longtime SNL prima Kenan Thompson said helium would beryllium Shane Gillis down "like a small kid" to person a conversation. "I cognize Shane, and I don't cognize him to beryllium a mean person, necessarily," Thompson said astatine the Axios Media Trends Live summit.

"But if helium were to travel back, I'm definite we would person a speech of like, 'How bash you deliberation that went?' You cognize what I mean?" the comedian said.

"And, 'What bash you deliberation you could person done?' Like a small kid, you know? I would conscionable beryllium him down and beryllium like, 'So what bash you deliberation we could alteration there, pal?'"

4. Ego Nwodim, who spent 7 seasons connected SNL from 2018 to 2025, didn't code the comments directly, posting an Instagram communicative instead.

The posted representation shows her successful an all-black outfit astatine the gym alongside the caption, "wh*re reporting for duty."

5. Like Nwodim, erstwhile SNL formed subordinate Cecily Strong — the longest-serving pistillate formed subordinate successful the show's past — responded with a colorful Instagram story.

In it, she shows her legs and feet successful colorful gym attire connected her mode to Pilates, sarcastically joking that she mightiness "sell sex" connected her mode there. She besides referenced the intersexual battle allegations involving the Cornell 7, tying Gillis' gag into a larger speech astir consent and the sexualization of women.

6. Another longtime SNL formed subordinate and Weekend Update host, Michael Che, posted an Instagram story, too.

It depicted an speech with a instrumentality who called him "Such a p***y for staying 'neutral," and told him to "stand up for women."

He was aboriginal asked astir the contention on the Today Show connected October 15, wherever helium said: "That’s comedy. It's like, you deliberation it's funny, and past immoderate radical don't."

7. SNL UK "Weekend Update" co-anchor Ania Magliano lambasted Gillis connected the Oct. 17 variation of the series.

"A thrust relation astatine Munich Oktoberfest was praised for giving retired escaped cycling shorts to pistillate riders," she said. "Wearing the gym shorts volition support women from being upskirted, but it does marque them susceptible to thing overmuch worse," before a photograph of Gillis delivering his contentious monologue popped up connected screen.

8. Both Laraine Newman, who was a subordinate of the archetypal SNL cast, and erstwhile formed subordinate Chloe Fineman, "liked" an Instagram Reel posted by histrion Dan Levy slamming Gillis and said, "Men request to beryllium defending women more; this is not a women's issue, this is an everybody issue."

"Because the much that men objectify women successful the media, the much that different men spot them arsenic objects and dainty them arsenic objects," Levy said. "They are not objects, they are superior quality beings to men, OK? And I'm atrocious if this gets maine successful occupation with the internet, but f***."

Turns retired that if there's 1 happening SNL comedians tin hold on, it's that they can't hold connected Shane Gillis.

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