Here’s How Celebrities Are Publicly Reacting To Shane Gillis’s Controversial "SNL" Monologue

Posted on Oct 14, 2026 UTC

This article briefly mentions sexual assault and rape.

This past weekend, comedian Shane Gillis made a now-viral misogynistic “joke” during his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.

“I haven't been to the gym in so long. I didn't know women just dressed like whores now,” he said. “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? Those neon…they're, like, artificial bait colored. And the wrinkles, the wrinkles go, like, around the cheeks and all combined at the butthole… And don't look. You're not allowed to look. For real, don't look 'cause they are filming. I'm in the background of, like, 10 TikToks right now.”

Amid ongoing backlash against the monologue, and criticism against some celebrities — like Travis Kelce and Cara Delevingne — who have “liked” the video, here’s a roundup of stars who have publicly condemned Shane’s “joke”:

1. Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy said in an Instagram video, “Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists, there's a difference there… By the way, I've seen more men's nipples at the gym that I've ever seen women showing their bodies off. I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television, and to be perfectly honest, more men need to be standing up in opposition to it, because it's complacency that has created the environment with which women are sexually assaulted, and it's a conversation as opposed to a crime.”

“Men need to be defending women more; this is not a women's issue, this is an everybody issue. Because the more that men objectify women in the media, the more that other men see them as objects and treat them as objects,” he added. “They are not objects, they are superior human beings to men, OK? And I'm sorry if this gets me in trouble with the internet, but fuck.”

2. The following celebrities pointedly “liked” Dan’s video: Florence Pugh, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Hannah Einbinder, Lily James, Phoebe Dynevor, Charlize Theron, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, and Paul Feig.

Florence also reposted a message to her Instagram stories that read, “When women are repeatedly reduced to sexual objects, when their clothing is treated as an invitation for male attention, and when degrading them is considered entertainment, we’re reinforcing the same attitudes that contribute to rape culture.”

3. Actor Martha Plimpton also took to Instagram to share her thoughts on Shane’s SNL jokes — and she didn’t hold back. “There’s this Shane Gillis guy who I’ve never heard of who said some really fuckin’ stupid shit on live on air on SNL on Saturday,” she began. “It’s, like, really stupid shit. He deserves a spanking from his mama.”

Martha went on to say that she recently watched a documentary about longtime SNL boss Lorne Michaels. “There was one scene that took place in Lorne’s office where in between the rehearsal taping and the live show, a bunch of people gather in Lorne’s office to decide what’s gonna get cut and what’s gonna make it to air,” she shared. “It was all white men in the room deciding. All white men. And maybe even all straight white men. I don’t know the proclivities of everyone in that room. I think it’s possible maybe one or two of them are gay, but I dunno. The point is that it was all white men. No women, no people of color.”

“I’m just saying that’s what the documentary [showed]. And usually documentaries are pretty, try pretty hard to tell the truth,” she said before adding, “Anyway, I think Lorne needs some more women in that room making decisions. Don’t you? Yeah, I think so.”

4. SNL alum Ego Nwodim poked fun at Shane’s remarks by sharing a selfie in gymwear and jokingly writing, “whore reporting for duty.” She then posted a photo of her breakfast and wrote, “Getting my 30 grams of protein in after heuxing.”

5. Speaking to her cohosts on The View, Sara Haines said, “I typically defend comedy at all costs, because I think there has to be an area where comedians are able to walk right up to that line,” she began, adding that “some of the best stuff is when people are being super risky.” However, Sara continued, “Dan Levy brought up such a good point… When the language like ‘whore’ is passed along, I might’ve not noticed it before in the past because it was under the guise of a joke. And as we’re talking about this Cornell Seven, I’m not saying a joke makes an assault, but it makes it much easier to look at another human as an object… It kind of just made me realize that I need to be more mindful, even in comedy.”

6. Fellow daytime TV host Jenna Bush Hager questioned on Today, “Who is he to comment on women’s bodies? ... This perpetuates what is happening in our culture where people are commenting on women’s looks ad nauseam…and it’s not OK.” She added, “If we want to be good role models for our children, stop talking about the way women look, period.”

7. And finally, country singer Maren Morris shared a video of herself captioned “me being a wh0re at the gym,” and added, “leave my gym short wedgie out of it.”

Let us know what you think in the comments!

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.

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