Watch: Shane Gillis Breaks Silence on Backlash Over His Controversial ‘Saturday Night Live’ Monologue
Shane Gillis is back on the mic.
After the comedian sparked controversy following his monologue as host of Saturday Night Live—where he accused women of dressing like “wh–es” while going to the gym—Gillis is addressing the public fallout, clarifying that producers of the sketch comedy show didn’t know of his exact material.
“Not to defend SNL, they don’t approve it. I mean, they could shut it down,” Gillis, 38, said during his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience Nov. 13. “They could, but you don’t write your set and give it to them. Unless you’re not a comedian. I’m sure non-comics; they write the set for them. They have writers that write the monologue for them.”
The Bupkis actor noted he did share his own expectations of the Oct. 10 episode.
“The funniest part was, they were like, ‘What’s going on with the monologue?’” he explained. “And I was like, ‘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–king 10 minutes. That’s it.’”
As for addressing his commentary about women’s gym attire, Gillis noted, “For the record, don’t have a problem with it. It’s wonderful.”
Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images
ICYMI, during his monologue—which elicited responses from numerous celebs including Dan Levy, Inde Navarrette and more—Gillis admitted he was intimidated about going to the gym in New York City, putting a spotlight on women he’s seen working out there.
“I haven’t been to the gym in so long,” he said during the show’s October episode. “I didn’t know women just dressed like wh–es now. Look, I’m sorry. There’s no other way to describe—have you seen it? I’ve seen it. The shorts. Have you seen the shorts?”
He added, “Those neon—they’re like artificial bait colored. And the wrinkles go like around the cheeks and all combined at the butthole. And don’t look. You’re not allowed to look. For real, don’t look because they are filming.”
During his latest appearance, Gillis—who was let go from SNL in 2019 just days after his casting was announced due to past comments—also addressed how he handled the backlash he faced this time around.
“The first time I got fired, I kept social media and in my head I was like, ‘That guy talked s–t,'” he explained. “This time, I just deleted everything immediately. So, I don’t really know.”
For a closer look at SNL‘s many hosts, keep reading…
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