On Wednesday night, Shane Gillis made sure no one was off-limits, whether in sports or beyond.
He tackled almost every topic under the sun during his chaotic monologue at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles.
From Aaron Rodgers and his vaccine doubts to Caitlyn Clark’s possible future in the WNBA, Gillis also joked about Bill Belichick’s relationship with Jordon Hudson, and even touched on Shohei Ohtani and his controversial interpreter Ipai Mizuhara. Oh, and let’s not forget Shedure Sanders’ notable stats, with a bit about Jun Starr Tranjun Trunk thrown in too.
On social media, Gillis was likened to the late Norm MacDonald, who famously delivered a divisive monologue on Saturday Night Live back in ’98, which included a jab at O.J. Simpson.
In a nod to that past, Gillis leaned into the comparison, tweaking the Simpson joke by swapping in two-way star Travis Hunter for Charles Woodson.
His unique brand of humor, somewhat divisive though it might be, definitely sparked reactions online—as expected.
One user on X remarked, “I thought Shane Gillis nailed it with his ESPY monologue, ending with a tribute to Norm MacDonald.”
Another chimed in, “If you’re upset by Gillis’s monologue, trust me, people probably don’t enjoy your company.” A bit blunt, but you get the point.
Some folks seemed to wonder about the humor itself. One wondered aloud, “How can that joke get booed? I feel people are just overly sensitive these days.”
Then there were those who appreciated it: “Honestly, these were solid. Can we have him host every year?”
But it wasn’t all applause. “I didn’t appreciate this at all,” one commenter said emphatically.
Another thought the humor came up short, stating, “The jokes feel tired. Maybe it’s just not my style, but it all feels like lazy, low-hanging fruit.” You know, humor can be so subjective.
