Shane Gillis is breaking his silence following backlash over his controversial “Saturday Night Live” monologue.
The 38-year-old comedian revealed he promised “SNL” bosses there would be “no controversy” before taking the stage on October 10 – only to spark outrage over a joke about women dressing like “whores” at the gym.
During Friday’s episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, Gillis claimed that producers of the NBC sketch comedy show did not pre-approve his material.
“Not to defend SNL, they don’t approve of it. I mean, they could shut it down,” he explained.
Gillis remembers assuring the show’s crew that his monologue wouldn’t cause problems, even though he admitted it wasn’t his best work.
“I give you a solid C minus for a monologue, but I promise there won’t be any controversy,” he remembers telling them.
The “Tires” star also addressed the joke that sparked the backlash, clarifying that he doesn’t really have a problem with women’s revealing gym outfits.
Gillis suggested that the negative response “obviously had a lot to do with the climate” of the time.
He also revealed that he handled the controversy differently than when he was fired from “SNL” in 2019.
“The first time I got laid off, I kept social media,” he said. “This time I deleted everything immediately.”
During her October monologue, Gillis joked: “I haven’t been to the gym in so long, I didn’t know women dress like whores now?”
The remark drew criticism from several celebrities, including “Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy.
“Women who wear short shorts to the gym don’t make them whores,” Levy said in an Instagram video. “It makes men call them whores, misogynists.”
Former “SNL” cast member Ego Nwodim also apparently made fun of the joke by sharing a gym selfie captioned “bitch showing up for work.”
However, “SNL” alumna Dana Carvey defended Gillis, saying he considered the controversial remark to be just a joke.
Gillis’ last hosting gig came seven years after he was fired from “SNL” just days after being announced as a new cast member.
He was dropped from the show in September 2019 after earlier recordings of him using racist and homophobic slurs surfaced.
Despite the scandal, Gillis eventually returned to host the show in February 2024.
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