Shane Gillis breaks silence on controversial ‘SNL’ monologue: ‘A solid C minus’

Comedian Shane Gillis has discussed the backlash to his October “Saturday Night Live” monologue, saying he had assured producers it would cause no controversy despite rating the material “a solid C minus”. He said the show’s producers had not approved his jokes in advance and suggested the response was shaped partly by the climate at the time.

Gillis said he does not object to women wearing revealing clothes at the gym and described the disputed line as a joke. The remark prompted criticism from Dan Levy and a pointed social media post by former cast member Ego Nwodim, while Dana Carvey defended it. Gillis said he deleted his social media accounts after the backlash, unlike when he was fired from the show in 2019; he returned as host in 2024.