Shane Gillis Says He Promised SNL His Monologue Would Have “No Controversy”

More than a month after his latest Saturday Night Live monologue sparked outrage, Shane Gillis has finally addressed the backlash, saying he had promised the show there would be “no controversy” before taking the stage.

Speaking on the November 13th episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Gillis pushed back on the assumption that SNL had approved his material ahead of time, saying, “Not to defend SNL, they don’t approve it.” Gillis then admitted he had gone into the episode expecting an uneventful reception. “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 fucking 10 minutes. That’s it,’” he recalled.

Though the monologue wasn’t particularly incendiary, during a portion of the October 10th monologue Gillis joked that “women just dress like whores now” at the gym. Dan Levy called the remarks misogynistic, while SNL cast member Kenan Thompson later said he would want to have a “real chat” with Gillis before another hosting appearance. Weeks later, Obsession star Inde Navarrette called back to the joke during her own SNL monologue, quipping about putting on her “little whore outfit” before heading to the gym while training for her upcoming role as Rogue in X-Men.

Gillis, no stranger to controversy, said he mostly avoided seeing the reaction this time around by deleting his social media. He reflected on the choice in light of his experience in 2019, when SNL fired him days after announcing him as a new cast member following the resurfacing of recordings featuring jokes about race and sexuality that drew criticism as racist and homophobic. “This time, I just deleted everything immediately,” he told Rogan. “So, I don’t really know.”

Watch Gillis’ conversation with Rogan and friends and revisit his controversial monologue below.