Former SNL stars Cecily Strong and Ego Nwodim are the latest to mock the comedian’s monologue about what women wear to work out, and the backlash keeps growing.
Days after Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live, his opening monologue is still drawing anger, and today two of the show’s own alumnae answered with gym selfies.
The joke that started it
Gillis hosted the October 10 episode. In his monologue, he talked about how hard it is to go to a public gym in New York as a heavyset man. Then he turned to women’s workout clothes. He compared women’s brightly colored gym shorts to fishing lures and said women at the gym now dress like “w—-s.” Part of the studio audience groaned.
Viewers and fellow comedians quickly called the bit misogynistic.
SNL alums answer with gym selfies
On Wednesday, two former cast members responded on Instagram:
- Ego Nwodim posted a mirror selfie from the gym in an all-black workout outfit, captioned “w—e reporting for duty.”
- Cecily Strong shared a photo of her legs in workout leggings, colorful sneakers and rainbow socks, with a cheeky caption mocking the joke. She also tied the moment to the national debate over consent and the alleged sexual assault case at Cornell University.
A growing list of critics
The two comedians join a long list of people speaking out:
- Dan Levy of Schitt’s Creek said in an Instagram reel that he was “speechless” the material aired on live national TV. He said wearing shorts to the gym doesn’t make women what Gillis called them.
- Martha Plimpton blamed SNL creator Lorne Michaels and said the show needs more women in the room making decisions.
- Emily Meade of The Deuce tagged Gillis in a sarcastic video turning the joke back on men.
- Comedian Phoebe Robinson asked in a video what the joke was supposed to be, and feminist writer Jessica Valenti said on TikTok that she was “LIVID.”
Not his first controversy
SNL hired Gillis as a cast member in 2019, then fired him days later after old podcast clips with racist and homophobic jokes resurfaced. He has since come back to host the show several times.
During last weekend’s episode he also slipped an F-bomb on live TV, which he apologized for. TMZ reports he won’t be banned from the show over it. As of Wednesday, neither Gillis nor NBC had commented on the gym joke.
The bigger conversation
For many women, the bit hit a nerve. The idea that what a woman wears says something about her character is an old argument, and a lot of people are tired of hearing it. Women working out in whatever makes them comfortable is something to celebrate, not mock.
What do you think? Was the joke harmless comedy or did it cross the line? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Featured image: Shane Gillis. Photo by Quintin Soloviev / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
