Shane Gillis recently returned to Saturday Night Live for his third monologue, and the appearance has sparked considerable controversy. The comedian who was famously fired from SNL before ever appearing on the show and later invited back after achieving significant success independently, faced criticism for jokes about women during his latest performance.
The most controversial moment came when Gillis discussed women’s gym attire, making remarks that many viewers found offensive. Comedian Chris D’Elia emerged as an unexpected defender arguing that critics were missing the actual punchline.
In a video response, D’Elia explained that the joke wasn’t simply about calling women derogatory names but rather about Gillis portraying himself as the creep who ends up in the background of gym TikToks.
“Why are people like, it’s so not funny just calling women [ ]? That but that wasn’t the joke part,” D’Elia stated. “That’s how he set it up and the joke is he’s being filmed in the back of a bunch of TikToks because he’s the creep. That’s the joke.”
D’Elia suggested that critics were either willfully misunderstanding the comedy or simply unable to distinguish between setup and punchline. His defense hinged on the idea that Gillis was actually making himself the target by acknowledging his own capacity to appear threatening or inappropriate.
He said, “Are you willfully misunderstanding to try and push your narrative or prove your point? Or do you just not kind of get what parts I guess are are supposed to be funny and supposed to be jokes, which may be. But it if that’s the case, know that about yourself and shut up, you know.”
However, the controversy highlights a larger issue with Gillis’s comedic approach. While he has built a reputation for successfully navigating both sides of political divides with observations that resonate across the spectrum, this particular routine has struck many as tone-deaf.
Additionally, the timing proves particularly fraught given ongoing national conversations about harassment and assault. D’Elia’s defense, coming from someone with his own controversial history may ultimately do more harm than good.
