Saturday Night Live aired its usual blend of satire on October 10, but the host’s opening segment quickly turned into a lightning rod for criticism. Comedian Shane Gillis used the platform to deliver a series of remarks that many viewers judged as overtly misogynistic prompting a wave of condemnation that spilled over into Twitter, Instagram, and beyond. The controversy resurfaced unresolved tensions from Gillis’s earlier career setbacks and raised fresh questions about the role of comedy in perpetuating harmful stereotypes.
Gillis’s fraught relationship with SNL dates back to September 2019, when he was announced as a new featured cast member only to be dismissed five days later. Internal NBC memos revealed that the decision was driven by the emergence of podcast excerpts in which Gillis and co-host Matt McCusker mocked Asian accents and employed slurs targeting the LGBTQ+ community. While Gillis later claimed the material was performed in the guise of a 1940s landlord caricature, the network ultimately yielded to executive pressure and rescinded his contract. Since then, Gillis secured three separate hosting gigs on SNL—in February 2024, March 2025, and the October 2026 episode—each time courting controversy.
The SNL monologue that ignited the controversy
During the October 10 opening monologue, Gillis opened with a self-deprecating line about avoiding the gym, then pivoted to a description of women’s workout attire that many classified as a slur. He quipped, “I haven’t been to the gym in so long. I didn’t know women just dressed like whores now,” followed by a rambling list of neon shorts, “artificial bait colored” fabrics, and a warning to “not look” because he was supposedly appearing in the background of TikTok videos. The studio audience reacted with audible groans, and even the house band appeared unmoved. Gillis later referenced his two sisters as “big, fat-bitch sisters,” and concluded with a joke linking a Hitler-style haircut to being gay, stating, “You’re either gay or you’re Hitler, and isn’t that where we’re at as a country?” The punchline earned a muted response, underscoring the dissonance between the host’s intent and audience reception.
Dan Levy’s Instagram rebuttal and the ensuing viral wave
Within hours of the broadcast, actor Dan Levy posted a direct-to-camera video on Instagram, cataloguing his outrage. Levy asserted that women’s choice of gym clothing does not transform them into “whores”; instead, it exposes the misogynist attitudes of the men who utter such labels. He added, “I’ve seen more men’s nipples at the gym than I’ve ever seen women showing their bodies off,” highlighting the double standard. Levy condemned the segment as “speechless” for a national platform and urged men to intervene, arguing that complacency fuels an environment where sexual assault can thrive. He wrapped the message with a provocative line: “Women are not objects; they are superior human beings to men. And I’m sorry if this gets me in trouble with the internet, but f***.”
Public reaction on Twitter and beyond
The response to both Gillis’s monologue and Levy’s rebuttal flooded social media. Tweets denounced SNL for providing a stage to “casual misogyny,” often linking the incident to the ongoing Cornell University assault lawsuit and broader conversations about rape culture. One message, which amassed over 76,000 likes, warned that normalising such jokes “directly contributes to rape culture.” Fans and fellow celebrities echoed Levy’s sentiment; Elizabeth Banks wrote “Nailed it,” while Hannah Einbinder posted a simple “thank you Dan❤️.” The viral spread demonstrated a collective demand for accountability in comedy and amplified calls for men to actively oppose sexist rhetoric.
Beyond the Twitter firestorm, the episode sparked a larger cultural dialogue about the limits of comedy, the responsibilities of broadcasters, and the influence of celebrity voices in shaping public discourse. Critics argued that SNL’s willingness to air Gillis’s remarks, especially amid heightened awareness of gender-based violence, reflected a disconnect between the network’s legacy of satire and contemporary expectations for respectful representation. Meanwhile, Levy’s forthright video underscored a growing movement of male allies willing to call out peers, suggesting a potential shift in how misogyny is addressed within entertainment circles.
