The late-night joke war between the U.S. and the U.K. is officially heating up. On this week’s“Weekend Update”across the pond, comedian Ania Magliano took aim at Shane Gillis over his Oct. 10 monologue, where he said women“dressed like whores now”at the gym. Her setup about cyclists’shorts landed the point cleanly: women’s gym outfits aren’t the problem. The men calling them names are.
But the punchline is what has everyone talking. After pointing out that Gillis isn’t allowed to drop the F-bomb on air, Magliano used an explicit slur herself — and the irony split the internet right down the middle. Some are cheering the clapback, others are calling out the double standard. Meanwhile, Gillis has already apologized for his own on-air moment, though celebs like Dan Levy and Kathy Griffin haven’t let it slide.
What’s really fueling this one is the bigger question underneath it: how do we talk about women in comedy, and who gets a pass when the jokes go too far? Two countries, two networks, one very loud conversation.
Where do you land — did Magliano’s joke make its point, or did it cross the same line she was calling out?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.