‘SNL UK’ Officially Delivers a Brutal Takedown of ‘Saturday Night Live’s Shane Gillis
Ania Magliano used SNL UK’s Weekend Update to criticise Shane Gillis after his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live made derogatory remarks about women’s gym clothing. Her punchline targeted Gillis for what he had said, prompting a discussion about the difference between challenging comedy and jokes that demean a group.
The article says Gillis also swore during the 10 October episode, while Magliano referred to him in an uncensored insult after discussing cycling shorts intended to prevent upskirting at Oktoberfest. Saturday Night Live anchor Michael Che later said he had not seen Gillis’s joke until the next day and questioned the backlash. SNL UK airs on Sky One in Britain and streams on Peacock in the United States the following day.
- Magliano mocked Gillis over his remarks about women’s clothing.
- The article contrasts criticism of conduct with jokes about a group.
- Michael Che said he had not seen Gillis’s monologue until the next day.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Magliano’s criticism can be defended as a challenge to jokes that treat women’s clothing and the risk of upskirting as material for ridicule. Comedy can push boundaries while still being questioned when its target is a group already facing harassment; the response also gives viewers a contrasting comic perspective.
The case against
Gillis’s defenders could argue that provocative comedy relies on exaggeration and irreverence, and that an offensive joke does not necessarily express a settled view about women. They may see Magliano’s personal insult and the ensuing backlash as risking a climate where comedians are judged by isolated lines rather than the full context or intent of a performance.