Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend and used his monologue to mock women who wear gym shorts, saying they dress“like whores.”By Monday, two SNL alums had responded in the most on-brand way possible: with workout selfies and captions that instantly went viral. Cecily Strong posted an Instagram Story on her way to Pilates, showing off orange shoes and rainbow socks she called her“slutty ass”pair, while also referencing the Cornell gang-rape case and New York consent law. Ego Nwodim followed with a gym selfie captioned“Whore reporting for duty.”
The backlash didn’t stop there. Dan Levy, Jenna Bush Hager and Kathy Griffin have all criticized the monologue, and a rep for Gillis declined to comment. It’s a familiar arc for Gillis, who was fired from SNL in 2019 before ever appearing on the show after racist and homophobic comments resurfaced. Now the conversation has shifted to a bigger question about comedy, gender and why women’s bodies and clothing remain such easy punchlines.
Strong and Nwodim didn’t just score points, they flipped the joke back on the guy who told it, using humor instead of outrage. That’s a playbook plenty of people online are applauding. So what do you think: is there a line between edgy comedy and misogyny, and did Gillis cross it? Sound off in the comments.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.