The Shane Gillis Controversy raises a question every time a man faces backlash for a comment made at women’s expense: Why do these men keep getting platforms? For male comedians in particular, from Jo Koy’s controversial Oscars monologue to Matt Rife’s Netflix special and now Shane Gillis’ Saturday Night Live monologue, the pattern is becoming difficult to ignore. Controversy arises, criticism ensues, and still the opportunities keep coming.
The Shane Gillis SNL Controversy
On October 10, 2026, comedian Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL), delivering a monologue that sparked widespread backlash for its misogynistic remarks about women’s workout attire. “I haven’t been to the gym in so long, I didn’t know women just dressed like whores now,” Gillis joked. He continued by describing women’s shorts in graphic detail: “They’re like artificial-bait-colored, and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combined at the butthole.” After ridiculing their appearance, he added, “And don’t look. You’re not allowed to look” (2:35 – 3:04, Saturday Night Live).
This wasn’t Gillis’ first controversy, nor was it his first time facing SNL-related criticism. In 2019, Gillis was hired as a cast member, only for the network to fire him four days later after resurfaced podcast clips revealed homophobic and racist remarks (The Independent). Despite his dismissal, Gillis returned to host SNL in 2024 and 2025, making October 2026 his third invitation. His repeated return to the same stage that once denied him further raises the question: What does it take for the entertainment industry, or any established institution, to stop rewarding offensive behavior?
Shane Gillis and The Normalization of Misogyny
Gillis’ derogatory pattern extends beyond SNL. In July 2025, Gillis hosted the EPSYs and again faced backlash for casual cruelty masquerading as a joke towards WNBA star Caitlin Clark, suggesting she would work at Waffle House to “continue doing what she loves most: fist fight black women” (4:35 – 4:42 ESPN). Given his list of indiscretions, it’s reasonable to expect his opportunities to dwindle, but that certainly hasn’t been the case.
I cannot definitively answer why these men continue to receive platforms. However, understanding this pattern requires confronting the misogyny embedded in the institutions that continue to shape our culture. Gillis’ remarks cannot simply be considered a misplaced joke when the punchline depends on degrading women. As Dan Levy, co-creator of Schitt’s Creek, eloquently put it, “Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists” (Variety). The distinction is critical. Women’s clothing is not the problem; the misogyny used to police it is. It’s time to stop confusing the two.
It is undeniable that we inhabit a world where male-dominated institutions hold enormous power, rewarding unworthy men at the expense of women’s emotional well-being, autonomy, and dignity. It’s crucial to acknowledge this reality rather than continue sweeping these jokes under the rug. When offensive remarks are broadcast to millions behind the shield of comedy, the behavior may become normalized, further perpetuating the oppression of women.
Why The Shane Gillis Controversy Matters
It’s troubling to see a man like Shane Gillis, who has status and a large audience, overlook the current global climate surrounding misogyny. Men need to realize that challenging and combating misogyny should not be a woman’s job when they are simultaneously its victims. Men, audiences, and the institutions that offer these comedians redemptive opportunities need to take responsibility as well. They consequently become complicit in the behavior they choose to overlook.
If there is anything to learn from Shane Gillis’ offensive monologue and those of his predecessors, it’s that we must challenge cruelty and inequality by calling out people with major platforms and protesting to weaken their power and opportunities. This starts with recognizing misogyny for what it is: hatred of, aversion to, or prejudice against women (Merriam-Webster). With this in mind, let’s start calling these so-called jokes what they really are: misogyny.