I am not a fan of Shane Gillis for political reasons. His politics are garbage. I don’t like bro-humor or racist jokes, and he’s an idiot — albeit somehow still smarter than Joe Rogan. But that’s not why Shane Gillis is a bad comedian. He’s a bad comedian because he has no idea how to tell a joke.
Gillis doesn’t know how to play to a crowd unless they’re already on his side. He folds in front of a neutral audience and flat-out crumbles in front of a hostile one. He lacks timing, confidence, and basic delivery skills —qualities that separate actual comedians from hacks yelling sh*tty punchlines into a void.
That’s why both of his Saturday Night Live monologues bombed. And like a true hack, he blamed the audience. I’m sure he’ll do it again after faceplanting as host of the ESPYs because, once again, he bombed.
It wasn’t just the material (though yes, the material was bad). The guy can’t land a joke. He stutters. He second-guesses. He telegraphs the flop before the punchline even arrives. Say what you will about Ricky Gervais and his garbage transphobic bits, at least he delivers them with the confidence of a garbage transphobic white guy. Gillis, meanwhile, deflects blame to his writers (“I didn’t write that”) or throws up a red flag before the joke with a meek “You’re not going to like this one.”
No, Shane. A room full of professional athletes probably isn’t going to laugh at a joke about the President deporting one of them. One groan, one boo, and his confidence shatters. Michael Che? He thrives off that energy. Gillis? He flinches.
Even the rare decent line (he had one about his Epstein joke “being deleted”) was mangled in delivery. And when a joke actually lands, like his Caitlin Clark bit (“We’re both whites from the Midwest who’ve nailed a bunch of threes”), he scolds the audience for not laughing more: “Lighten up.”
And look, I know he idolizes Norm MacDonald. But aping Norm’s material and rushing through it like you’re trying to get off stage doesn’t make you Norm. Norm’s deadpan misfires were masterclasses in comedic subversion. Gillis just bombs, shrugs, and says, “Well, I see a lot of people here don’t like me, and that’s OK.”
Here are some highlights from the ESPYs monologue compiled by someone on YouTube. Witness for yourself.
And if you’re curious, here were the winners:
Best Athlete – Men’s Sports
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Best Athlete – Women’s Sports
Simone Biles – Gymnast
Best Breakthrough Athlete
Ilona Maher – Rugby
Best Record-Breaking Performance
Alexander Ovechkin – Washington Capitals
Best Championship Performance
Simone Biles – 2024 Olympics Women’s All-Around
Best Comeback Athlete
Suni Lee – Gymnast
Best Play
Saquon Barkley’s backwards hurdle
Best Team
Philadelphia Eagles – NFL
Best College Athlete – Men’s Sports
Cooper Flagg – Duke Basketball
Best College Athlete – Women’s Sports
JuJu Watkins – USC Basketball
Best Athlete with a Disability
Noah Elliott – Snowboard
Best NFL Player
Saquon Barkley – Philadelphia Eagles
Best MLB Player
Shohei Ohtani – Los Angeles Dodgers
Best NHL Player
Leon Draisaitl – Edmonton Oilers,
Best NBA Player
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder
Best WNBA Player
Caitlin Clark – Indiana Fever
Best Driver
Max Verstappen – F1
Best UFC Fighter
Merab Dvalishvili
Best Boxer
Katie Taylor
Best Soccer Player
Christian Pulisic – AC Milan, US
Best Golfer
Scottie Scheffler
Best Tennis Player
Coco Gauff
