Joe Rogan defends Shane Gillis from 'word police' after SNL joke sparks liberal uproar

Podcaster Joe Rogan defended comedian Shane Gillis after his Saturday Night Live monologue after a joke about women who film themselves while working out in revealing clothing went viral.

Gillis, known for politically incorrect humor, drew backlash from the left for his monologue while hosting SNL last week, joking about "going to the public gym as a fat guy."

"Also, I haven’t been to the gym in so long. I didn’t know women just dressed like whores now? Look, I’m sorry. There’s no other way to describe ... Have you seen it? I’ve seen it. The shorts. Have you seen the shorts?" he asked.

"And don’t look! You’re not allowed to look. For real. Don’t look because they are filming. I’m in the background in like 10 TikToks right now."

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Podcaster Joe Rogan defended comedian Shane Gillis during a recent episode of his podcast. (Rogan photo from Michael S. Schwartz/Getty Images; Gillis photo from Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

The comments drew uproar and accusations of misogyny from the left. Rogan brought up the backlash as he spoke to influencer Cody Tucker on his podcast Thursday.

"I guess the word ‘whore’ is what gets them. I get it. I get that you get upset. Well, it's also because like real misogyny actually exists," Rogan said.

"So, when you see a guy joking around about a woman dressing like a whore, you connect it to horrible thoughts, like horrible actions, like real actual evil men that actually. Because, like, there's a lot of men that genuinely hate women. Shane Gillis is not one of them," Rogan said. 

"And he's a great guy. It's just a joke."

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Host Shane Gillis performs his monologue on Saturday Night Live Oct. 10, 2026. (Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images)

Gillis has appeared on Rogan's widely followed podcast, which frequently features fellow comedians.

"But for some people, those words — and then you see like the word police people, which is hilarious. ‘We need to stop using that word.’ ‘We're still using the word whore.’ Like, you're not?" Rogan said. "It's a great word. It's a great word for also yourself.

"Like, I freely admit that when I did the second iteration of ‘Fear Factor’ is because I was being a whore. They offered me a f---load of money to come back in 2011 and host ‘Fear Factor’ again. And I'm like, 'I'm a whore. Let's go,'" Rogan added, arguing it's not a bad word but should be used wisely.

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Podcaster Joe Rogan said while there are some actual men that do hate women, Shane Gillis is not one of them. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)

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Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Alexander.hall@fox.com.