"You think it's funny, and then some people don't": Michael Che reacts to Shane Gillis' controversial SNL monologue

Pallavi K Fri, October 16, 2026 at 8:26 AM UTC

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Shane Gillis - Texas v Tennessee ©Getty

Michael Che has reacted to fellow actor-comedian Shane Gillis’ recent controversial monologue on Saturday Night Live. Earlier this week, Che shared a post on Instagram that read:

“I gotta do more press this week to promote the special. Wonder what every f**king question's gonna be about. Thanks a lot, Shane.”

Michael Che was talking about his press tour for his upcoming Netflix stand-up special, Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota. Later, on Thursday, he appeared on the Today show and said of Shane Gillis’ monologue:

“That's comedy. It's like, you think it's funny and some people don't. That's why I can't criticize anybody for swinging and missing because I've definitely swung and missed too. I try to keep that heat off of me.”

Che faced backlash for his diplomatic answer and was asked by a fan on Instagram why he had no problem calling out Kanye but not Gillis. Michael, who co-hosts Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live alongside Colin Jost, replied:

“That's a fair question. Especially since when I called Kanye out, I did so privately. I had no idea he was filming. Point being, when I have a problem with someone, I address them in person. Not through the media. I'm not gonna drag someone on the Today show, when I can just text them. It's a courtesy that's been extended to me in the past, and I like to pay that forward.”

Exploring Shane Gillis’ recent controversial monologue

Last Saturday, Shane Gillis returned on the Saturday Night Live stage and delivered a 7-minute monologue. Around the 2:38 mark, he said:

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“I haven’t been to the gym in so long. I didn’t know women just dress like wh*res now. Look, I am sorry, there’s no other way to describe it. Have you seen it? I have seen it… Have you seen the shorts? Those neon… They are like artificial bait color… And don’t look. You are not allowed to look. For real, don’t look, because they are filming. I am in the background of like 10 TikToks right now.”

Elsewhere, Shane Gillis joked about Joe Rogan, obesity, the gay community, and mentioned “balding directly into an Adolf Hitler haircut.”

“I was raised by two older sisters. Yeah, nasty. Women are like more psychological. I was always jealous of guys with older brothers because the worst you got there was like, ‘Come here, queer, yeah.’ I had two big, fat sisters… They both look like me with wigs. And they would say the meanest things,” Gillis said towards the end.

The video of Shane’s monologue went viral and earned backlash from fans and celebrities alike. For instance, former SNL castmate Ego Nwodim shared a photo of herself at the gym and wrote, “Wh*re reporting for duty.”

Canadian actor Dan Levy also took to Instagram and condemned Shane Gillis in a video post.

“Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them wh*res. It makes the men calling them wh*res misogynists. There’s a difference there. By the way, I’ve seen more men’s n*pples at the gym than I’ve seen women showing their bodies off,” Levy said.

The Schitt’s Creek star further mentioned:

“I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television. And to be perfectly honest, more men need to be standing up in opposition to it because it’s complacency that has created the environment in which women are s*xually assaulted and it’s a ‘conversation’ as opposed to a ‘crime.’”

Shane Gillis has yet to address the controversy.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”