Shane Gillis’s third SNL hosting stint marked by controversial monologue

Comedian Shane Gillis appeared on Saturday Night Live for his third hosting appearance, delivering a monologue that touched on personal insecurities, gym experiences and a series of jokes that many in the studio audience received with groans. Gillis, dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, spoke about his attempts to lose weight and described his discomfort at public gyms, saying, "Going to the public gym as a fat guy, especially in New York, is a nightmare, dude."

He then made remarks about women’s clothing and used language that was widely regarded as vulgar, followed by a comparison of his receding hairline to Adolf Hitler, concluding with the line, "You’re either gay or you’re Hitler, and isn’t that where we’re at as a country?" The routine elicited few laughs before ending abruptly.

Gillis, 38, was originally hired to the SNL cast in September 2019 but was dismissed five days later after past podcast clips surfaced in which he used anti-Asian and anti-gay slurs. Since then, he has built a career through a popular podcast, two stand-up specials, a Netflix series titled "Tires" and an upcoming role in a biopic about football coach John Madden.

The monologue highlighted ongoing challenges for Gillis in adapting his stand-up style to the live-television format of SNL.