‘Saturday Night Live’ stays silent as Shane Gillis faces criticism over controversial monologue about women

Shane Gillis has faced criticism after describing women as “wh*res” during his monologue on Saturday Night Live, while the programme and NBC have yet to comment publicly, according to CNN. The remarks sparked online criticism.

The comedian hosted the sketch show last weekend. He joked about women wearing tight shorts to the gym and defended his description, saying there was no other way to put it.

Jessie Leo, a graphic designer who works on Saturday Night Live, criticised the joke in an Instagram post. She questioned how employees could feel comfortable approaching NBC human resources after the company approved the segment and raised concerns about rape culture and victim blaming.

Former cast member Cecily Strong responded with an ironic post about wearing workout clothes. Ego Nwodim also shared a gym outfit photo with a sarcastic reference to the insult. Women online posted pictures of their gym outfits in response to Gillis’ comments.

Actor Dan Levy criticised the comedian in a video, arguing that women wearing short shorts at the gym should not be labelled with a derogatory term and that men who do so are expressing misogyny. He urged men to speak out against attitudes that help excuse or minimise sexual violence.

The controversy has renewed scrutiny of Gillis’ history with Saturday Night Live. He was dismissed from the cast in 2019, days after his hiring was announced, when clips emerged of him using anti Asian and anti gay slurs on a podcast.

The latest backlash has also unfolded amid public discussion of sexual violence following a lawsuit concerning an alleged 2024 gang rape involving a former Cornell University undergraduate. The allegations remain under investigation and should not be treated as established findings.

NBC and Saturday Night Live had not publicly addressed the criticism at the time of CNN’s report.