SNL Veterans Spade and Carvey Defend Comedian Shane Gillis Amid 'Misogynistic' Joke Controversy

Veteran "Saturday Night Live" cast members David Spade and Dana Carvey have come to the defense of comedian Shane Gillis following a backlash over a joke he made during his recent guest hosting appearance on the NBC sketch show. Gillis, 38, delivered a monologue that included a bit about women's gym attire, stating they "just dress like w****s now."

During their joint podcast "Fly on the Wall," Spade and Carvey offered a different perspective on the controversy. Carvey, a former "SNL" cast member, argued that Gillis's joke was not intended to be taken literally and expressed concern over the swiftness with which some jump from finding a joke unfunny to deeming it unacceptable.

"Well, I just didn’t understand the kerfuffle, only ’cause to me, I just saw it as what we call – I’ll just say it – a joke," Carvey remarked. "Like he didn’t – when you say jokes, you’re not literally saying women are w****s. You are literally joking. Isn’t that kind of the idea?"

Spade, also an "SNL" alum, conveyed exasperation with the public outcry, suggesting "we just relax." He noted that while Gillis "got some laughs" with his gym-related jokes, the comedian likely knew the remark would be provocative. Spade further commented on the public's reactions to content related to sex workers, questioning consistency in what is deemed acceptable.

Spade's assistant and podcast executive producer, Heather Santoro, countered that "the joke has to be actually funny. If you're gonna call a woman a w****, it's gotta be funny, and it wasn't."

Carvey acknowledged that "Saturday Night Live" might not have been the ideal venue for the joke, given its audience demographic. "Young, very highly dressed up young women is the majority of the audience at SNL, so all right, Heather, I agree with you," he said.

Gillis's monologue, which aired on a recent episode, garnered an average of 4.4 million live viewers, marking the highest viewership for his three "SNL" hosting appearances. In the controversial segment, Gillis described gymgoers' athletic wear with colorful, exaggerated detail, before stating, "I'm in the background of like 10 TikToks right now."

The backlash to Gillis's comments was significant. "Schitt's Creek" star Dan Levy denounced the joke in an Instagram video, stating, "Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them ws. It makes the men calling them ws misogynists."

NFL player Travis Kelce also faced criticism after liking a post of Gillis's monologue on "Saturday Night Live's" official Instagram page. The endorsement drew strong reactions on social media.

This is not the first time Gillis has faced controversy related to his comedy. In 2019, he was hired as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" but was fired shortly after due to resurfaced clips of his podcast that contained racially insensitive remarks. At the time, Gillis issued a statement acknowledging he was a "comedian who pushes boundaries" and offered to apologize to anyone genuinely offended.

Despite the past controversy, Gillis has continued to build his comedy career. His 2023 stand-up special achieved a Netflix Top 10 ranking in five countries. His recent "SNL" hosting gig also saw him greet Travis Kelce warmly, with a video from the sports comedy page JokeWRLD referring to them as "friends."

"Saturday Night Live" star Michael Che, when questioned about Gillis's monologue on the "Today" show, offered a measured response. "I can't criticize anybody for swinging and missing 'cause I've definitely swung and missed too," Che said. "I try to keep that heat off of it."