Dan Levy Criticizes Shane Gillis' SNL Monologue, Links Complacency to Sexual Assault

Actor Dan Levy has sharply criticized comedian Shane Gillis for his recent "Saturday Night Live" monologue, accusing Gillis of misogyny and suggesting that male complacency in the face of such remarks fosters an environment where sexual assault can occur.

Levy, who previously hosted "SNL," voiced his disapproval in an Instagram video, stating that it was "speechless that something like that can exist on live national television." He urged other men to actively oppose Gillis' remarks, asserting, "it’s complacency that has created the environment in which women are sexually assaulted, and it’s a ‘conversation’ as opposed to a ‘crime.’"

Gillis' monologue, delivered during his third time hosting the NBC sketch comedy show, included jokes about women's gym attire. He remarked, "I didn’t know women just dress like whores now? ... Have you seen it? You’ve seen the shorts? They’re those neon, like, artificial bait-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don’t look! You’re not allowed to look."

Levy countered that such comments are rooted in misogyny, arguing, "Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists." He also pointed out the prevalence of male nudity in gyms, stating, "I’ve seen more men’s nipples at the gym than I’ve ever seen women showing their bodies off."

Levy extended his criticism to the broader cultural impact of objectifying women in media. He stated, "This is not a women’s issue, this is an everybody issue. Because the more that men objectify women in the media, the more that other men see them as objects and treat them as objects." He emphasized that women are "superior human beings to men."

Lisa Cusack, president of the Don't L.A. My Burbank PAC, offered a different perspective, telling Fox News Digital that noticing revealing clothing does not inherently make a man a misogynist. "A woman wearing a skimpy outfit isn’t necessarily a whore, and a man noticing that she’s using sex to get attention isn’t automatically a misogynist," Cusack said. She suggested that in the current social media landscape, women feel pressure to compete with a glut of sexualized images, leading to responses that can be "two-dimensional."

Cusack also commented on the cultural shift, noting, "Sometimes we forget that glamour is the opposite of pick-me energy. Glamour is controlling perception with a little bit of mystery. In losing this, we lose a lot of romance, and everything gets stripped down — no pun intended — to its most vulgar form."

Representatives for NBC and Gillis did not immediately respond to requests for comment.