Shane Gillis trolls the left with a joke about women at the gym during his 'SNL' monologue

Comedian Shane Gillis reignited the debate over the limits of humor following his third appearance as host of "Saturday Night Live" last Saturday, over a joke in which he referred to the way some women dress at the gym.

This isn't the first time Gillis has sparked controversy on the show. In 2019, he was hired as a cast member and fired days later, before making his debut, due to comments he made on a podcast years earlier. Since then, his career has taken off, and SNL has invited him back on several occasions, which many see as a rejection of political correctness and a defense of uncensored humor.

The joke that sparked the controversy

After mentioning that he needed to lose weight, Gillis devoted part of his monologue on "Saturday Night Live" to describing what he observed upon returning to a gym after a long absence. He referred to the neon-colored shorts that, he said, many women wear, and described in graphic detail how they hugged the body.

"I haven’t been to the gym in so long I didn’t know that women just dress like wh*res now," Gillis said. "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? Those neon — they’re like artificial bait colors. The wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don’t look, you’re not allowed to look — for real don’t look because they are filming. I’m in the background of like 10 TikToks right now."

The comedian, in his usual provocative tone, voiced a complaint about contemporary social norms. Sportswear that's becoming increasingly tight or revealing, and the idea that men should avoid looking. But the punchline, which centered on calling women "wh*res" because of their clothing, was what turned an observation about gym culture into an accusation of sexism and objectification.

Although the joke drew laughter, several media outlets noted that the line felt uncomfortable in the SNL studio and that murmurs of unease could be heard from the audience.

The left's backlash

The most visible response came from actor and creator of "Schitt's Creek," Dan Levy, who posted a video on Instagram stating: "Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them wh*res. It makes the men calling them ‘wh*res’ misogynists." Levy added that he was "speechless" that such material could be aired on national television and called on more men to speak out.

According to Today, the editorial director of BuzzFeed, Spencer Althouse, described the monologue on X as "very awkward." For her part, comedian Phoebe Robinson also criticized the joke and asked on Instagram: "Are women dressed like wh*res? What's the joke?" Feminist author Jessica Valenti said she was "livid" and argued that Gillis could not ignore the national context of the debate on sexual assault, while Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, accused SNL of a "decades-long history of sexism."

Singer Maren Morris responded ironically by posting a video with the caption "me being a wh*re at the gym." According to Variety, former SNL cast member Ego Nwodim shared a photo at the gym with the caption "wh*re reporting for duty."

Those who defend it

Although the majority reaction was one of rejection, some figures in the entertainment world came to the defense of the monologue. The clearest and most well-reasoned defense came from Victoria Jackson, a former cast member of "Saturday Night Live," who supported Gillis's joke.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Jackson stated: "He’s right about gym girls dressing like ‘wh*res.’ When did ‘camel toe’ become acceptable gym fashion and grocery shopping attire?"

Some viewers defended Gillis on social media and argued that comedy shouldn't be judged by the standards of political correctness. One of them wrote: "Shane Gillis is funny. Great monologue."