Shane Gillis SNL monologue prompts criticism from Plimpton, Levy and praise from Bones
Shane Gillis's third outing as host of Saturday Night Live has drawn both applause and anger over his opening monologue.
Gillis fronted the NBC sketch show on October 10, 2026, its 1856th episode. He opened with a seven-minute stand-up set, according to NBC.
The set included a bit about women's gym wear. Gillis said he did not know women "just dress like whores now" and described neon shorts, according to Variety.
Actor Martha Plimpton answered with a video posted to her Instagram account, @marthaplimpton. She captioned it "Shane Who?" She did not hold back.
In the clip, Plimpton said she had never heard of Gillis and that he said "really fucking stupid shit" live on air on Saturday. She added that he "deserves a spanking from his mom."
Plimpton then turned the focus to the show's boss. She said critics of the monologue were pointing in the wrong direction and put responsibility on creator Lorne Michaels, according to the Daily Beast.
In the video, she said Michaels needs more women in the room making decisions about SNL. She pointed to a documentary about Michaels that showed only white men in his office deciding what to cut and what to air between the rehearsal taping and the live show.
Long-serving SNL cast member Kenan Thompson commented on Plimpton's video. The content of his comment was not detailed in the reports.
Dan Levy also responded. He posted an Instagram Reel on Sunday, October 11. He said women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them that misogynists.
Not everyone criticised Gillis. Country radio host Bobby Bones praised the monologue, according to Page Six.
The October 10 episode also featured a cold open built around Pete Hegseth and the USS Lincoln, a Green Eggs & Ham sketch and a parody of The Voice with Gillis, according to NBC.
What makes this stand out is the split inside the television world itself. One camp treats the monologue as a host's stand-up slot. The other treats it as a call-sheet decision, meaning who booked the host and who signed off the material.
