SNL and Shane Gillis face backlash for gendered jokes

Comedian Shane Gillis's appearance as host on "Saturday Night Live" over the weekend has generated significant backlash. The jokes in his opening monologue, which targeted women's clothing and characterized them as "whores," have been accused of sexism and insensitivity.

The criticism is amplified by its timing, as the United States is currently engaged in a broad conversation about sexual harassment and assault. Specifically, events at Cornell University and related allegations have brought the issue to public discourse.

Gender rights advocate Jessica Valenti stated that Gillis's jokes were not a mistake but a deliberate contribution to the ongoing discussion. Valenti emphasized that demeaning and dehumanizing women is a direct path to a culture that permits rape. Actor Dan Levy also criticized the monologue on social media, asserting that criticizing women's attire does not make them whores, but makes the critics misogynists.

"Saturday Night Live" has not yet commented on the criticism directed at Gillis's monologue. The show's producer, NBC, has also not responded to media inquiries. A clip of the monologue shared on the show's Instagram account was met primarily with negative comments, with viewers expressing disappointment and deeming the performance "tone-deaf" and "hard to watch" given current events.

Shane Gillis has prior experience with controversy related to SNL. In 2019, he was fired from the show's cast shortly after being hired due to racist remarks. However, he has since hosted the program multiple times. Despite criticism, Gillis enjoys considerable popularity and recently broke attendance records for a solo comedy show.