Comedian Kathy Griffin has weighed in on the backlash over Shane Gillis’s hosting debut of the new Saturday Night Live season, and her comments cut both ways. Speaking exclusively to Page Six on Tuesday, she defended Gillis’ First Amendment rights but called him a “hack.”
What happened on SNL
The monologue aired October 10. Gillis joked about women’s brightly colored gym shorts, and the joke included a crude comment about how some women dress at the gym. The remarks drew criticism from several celebrities, including SNL alum Ego Nwodim and Dan Levy. Reviews of the episode were also mixed. One review said Gillis has generally struggled with his SNL monologues.
What Griffin said
Griffin separated two ideas: the right to tell a joke and the right to dislike it. She said that as a comic she’ll always fight for the First Amendment and his right to say it, but she doesn’t have to like it. She also said she defends everyone else’s right to think less of him.
The Joe Rogan angle
She widened her criticism beyond Gillis. Griffin said there are a lot of hacks doing very well who came from TikTok or the podcast world, adding “He’s not the only guy to break out from Joe Rogan’s influence.” She also made a personal jab about the comedians’ looks, saying they all look alike to her. Neither Rogan nor Gillis’s representatives were quoted in the coverage I found, and a rep for Gillis didn’t immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Gillis’s history with SNL
This is Gillis’s third time hosting, and his history with the show is complicated. He was originally cast on SNL in 2019 but was fired within a week after resurfaced podcast clips showed him using racist and homophobic slurs. He has since returned as a host. yahoo
Why it matters
The debate is bigger than one monologue. It touches on free speech in comedy, the rise of podcast-driven stand-ups, and how audiences judge jokes. Griffin’s position, defending the right to speak but criticizing the content, is one many people share, and many others disagree with.
Bottom line
Griffin says Gillis has the right to tell the joke, and she has the right to call him a hack. Whether you agree with either of them is up to you.
