Warning: This article contains offensive language.
Dan Levy is not amused by Shane Gillis’s Saturday Night Live monologue — and he is also critical of men who find it humorous.
In a video posted on Instagram on Sunday, Levy refrained from naming Gillis directly but condemned the comment that referred to women in short shorts at the gym as “whores,” a remark made by Gillis the previous night during an opening segment while hosting the popular comedy show.
“I haven’t been to the gym in so long, I didn’t know women just dress like whores now,” Gillis remarked. “I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it].”
Gillis criticized the bright short shorts he claims women wear at the gym, likening them to “artificial bait” used in fishing.
“And don’t look; you’re not allowed to look,” Gillis added.
Shane Gillis, seen hosting the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles in 2025, faced backlash for a joke made in his SNL monologue over the weekend. (Mark J. Terrill/The Associated Press)
Levy responded on Instagram, expressing his outrage that such a joke would be aired on live television, stating that he was “speechless.”
“Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores,” Levy, who starred in Schitt’s Creek and hosted SNL in 2021, stated in his Instagram video. “It makes the men who call them whores misogynists.”
“To be completely honest, more men need to speak out against it because it is the complacency that has fostered the environment where women are sexually assaulted,” Levy continued.
The Canadian comedian emphasized that the portrayal of women as objects in media by men leads to men treating women as such, urging everyone to advocate for women to avoid their mistreatment.
The criticism directed at Gillis’s comments coincides with rising outrage towards the individuals labeled as the Cornell 7, who are accused of a gang rape that occurred in 2024 at an Ivy League fraternity, alongside support for their accuser known only as Jane Doe.
This situation has sparked scrutiny regarding the university’s response and has initiated discussions about consent and the cultural context that allowed the incident to transpire.
Numerous SNL viewers also voiced their disapproval of the joke and those responsible for approving it, particularly in light of the ongoing discussions about the alleged rape at Cornell.
“Who on earth gave the green light for the ‘wh*res’ joke?! Read the room,” one commenter remarked on the video of Gillis’s monologue shared on the SNL Instagram page.
“Shane is well aware of the current situation with Jane Doe. And he still chose that joke,” another commenter noted.
Others expressed their thoughts under Gillis’s recent, unrelated Instagram post, stating the monologue was misogynistic and perpetuated rape culture, while some supporters argued that the comedian should be allowed to make such jokes.
Dozens of students gathered at the University of British Columbia to support the alleged victim of a gang-rape at a Cornell University fraternity. The victim, known as Jane Doe, has initiated a civil lawsuit against the university and seven men, claiming the institution shielded the accused.
Gillis has a history of controversy, particularly on the SNL stage. In 2019, he was hired and then quickly dismissed as a cast member after past podcast clips surfaced, revealing homophobic jokes and the use of an Asian slur.
Despite this, he has hosted the show three times since then — in 2024, 2025, and again last Saturday. During his inaugural SNL appearance, Gillis made a joke regarding a family member with Down syndrome and has faced backlash for his use of homophobic language on podcasts.
The remarks regarding women’s gym attire were not the only controversial comments made this Saturday. He also mentioned that he had “balded directly into an Adolf Hitler haircut” that he found difficult to manage without appearing “gay.”
“You’re either gay or you’re Hitler. Isn’t that where we’re at as a country,” he joked.
In a subsequent sketch parodying a Dr. Seuss tale, Gillis accidentally uttered the F-word — a term that is prohibited on the live program, leading to it being broadcast uncensored in certain time zones. Gillis apologized for the profanity twice, once at the conclusion of the sketch and again during the show’s farewell.
