Story perspectives

Shane Gillis Apologizes After “Whores” Gym Remark Backlash

By Drooid · Oct 16, 2026, 2:37 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Shane Gillis called women at the gym “whores” during his October 10 SNL monologue, prompting backlash.
He apologized for the remark in the show’s closing credits after also dropping an uncensored F-bomb.
Celebrities including Dan Levy, Kathy Griffin and Jenna Bush Hager condemned the gym joke as misogynistic.
Commentators linked Gillis’s comments to the Cornell “Jane Doe” sexual-assault case and the #iamjanedoe movement.

History

Historical Context

The October 5 2017 New York Times exposé of Harvey Weinstein triggered the #MeToo movement, which gathered more than 15,000 allegations and led Time to name the “Silence Breakers” Person of the Year. That 2017 reckoning created heightened sensitivity to misogynistic remarks, so Shane Gillis’s October 10 gym joke was swiftly condemned by Dan Levy, Kathy Griffin and Jenna Bush Hager.

1 of 2

Story summary

Shane Gillis called women at the gym “whores” during his October 10 SNL monologue, prompting backlash.
He apologized for the remark in the show’s closing credits after also dropping an uncensored F-bomb.
Celebrities including Dan Levy, Kathy Griffin and Jenna Bush Hager condemned the gym joke as misogynistic.
Commentators linked Gillis’s comments to the Cornell “Jane Doe” sexual-assault case and the #iamjanedoe movement.

1 / 2