Shane Gillis discusses backlash over controversial 'SNL' monologue

Shane Gillis discusses reaction to his women's gym attire joke during his October 'Saturday Night Live' appearance

Comedian Shane Gillis has addressed the backlash surrounding his October hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live, revealing that he had assured the programme his monologue would not cause controversy.

Speaking on Friday's episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Gillis recalled being asked about the material before the broadcast. He said he had warned the team that the monologue was not particularly strong but insisted it would not create problems.

"They were like, 'What's going on with the monologue?' And I was like, 'It's not great, but I don't say anything bad,'" he recalled. "Like, that was, 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.'"

However, the performance attracted criticism over a joke about women wearing revealing clothing at the gym. Gillis said: "I hadn't been to the gym in so long, I didn't know women just dress like whores now."

He continued by commenting on the style of workout shorts and claiming that women were recording videos at the gym, making it difficult for men to look in their direction.

Gillis also explained that SNL had not reviewed his material before the performance, saying the programme generally does not ask comedians to submit their sets in advance.

"You don't write your set and give it to 'em," he said. "Unless you're not a comedian. I'm sure non-comics, they write the set for them."

During the podcast discussion, Rogan, Gillis and fellow comedians Mark Normand and Ari Shaffir also discussed gym attire. Rogan defended the joke, saying: "It's just a fun thing to say and it's funny. That's it. And this is a weird time where everyone's just looking to get upset."

Gillis was initially hired by SNL in 2019 but was dismissed days later after a resurfaced podcast clip showed him mocking Chinese accents and using an anti-Asian slur. He apologised at the time and has since hosted the programme three times.