The Aporia · 'Speechless': Dan Levy slams Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue about women’s gym clothing

'Speechless': Dan Levy slams Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue about women’s gym clothing

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Fitzpatrick, T. (2026, October 12). 'Speechless': Dan Levy slams Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue about women’s gym clothing. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/speechless-dan-levy-slams-shane-gillis-snl-monologue-about-women-s-gym-clothing/article_fc2e6828-e7d0-57c5-8497-0471cf07b63a.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Dan Levy, known for his work on "Schitt's Creek," criticized Shane Gillis’ recent Saturday Night Live monologue where Gillis made derogatory comments about women wearing short shorts at the gym. In a video posted to Instagram, Levy condemned such language as misogynistic and urged more men to speak out against sexism. The article highlights that SNL has faced controversy over Gillis before, with the network apologizing in 2019 for allowing his racist remarks during an audition tape. The piece also mentions ongoing public outcry over a recent lawsuit alleging sexual assault at Cornell University, linking it to Levy’s call for men to take action against gender inequality and harassment.

Written by AI on 2026-10-12, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On October 12, Shane Gillis sparked controversy during his "Saturday Night Live" monologue by making disparaging remarks about women's gym attire. Gillis joked that he hadn’t been to a public gym in a long time and was surprised to see women wearing shorts he likened to artificial bait, suggesting they were dressed like whores. The comments drew mixed reactions from the live audience but caused outrage online.

Dan Levy, star of "Schitt's Creek," condemned Gillis' remarks on Instagram the following day, calling him a misogynist and criticizing men’s complacency in contributing to an environment where women are sexually assaulted. Levy argued that objectifying women leads other men to treat them as objects rather than human beings, emphasizing it was not just a women's issue but everyone’s responsibility.

Levy’s response garnered significant attention on social media, with many agreeing that such comments shouldn't be acceptable in mainstream comedy shows like SNL. This incident follows previous controversies involving Gillis, including derogatory language about Chinese people and derision for those learning English.

Written for “Shane Gillis SNL Controversy” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

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“While both articles discuss Shane Gillis' monologue on SNL that includes controversial remarks about women's gym clothing, Article A focuses specifically on Dan Levy’s reaction to Gillis’ comments about women dressing like “whores,” while Article B provides more context around the timing of the monologue relative to a rape scandal at Cornell University.”

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Shane Gillis can stay mad — Women say these $20 booty-lifting gym shorts ‘get the job done’ Different event

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“While both articles discuss Shane Gillis' controversial SNL monologue about women's gym clothing, Article A focuses on Dan Levy's reaction to the incident, whereas Article B provides a detailed description of the shorts and context around the controversy.”

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“Article A and B are discussing different reactions to Shane Gillis' monologue but from distinct individuals at separate times, indicating they cover related events rather than a single incident.”

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 22 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

Leans left

of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate

Publisher signals

64/100

Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Entertainment

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articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-10-12 · how these are computed

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Who wrote this

Tori Fitzpatrick

4 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

American Canadian Chinese Instagram SNL

Subjects

Gillis PERSON · 8× SNL ORG · 5× Levy PERSON · 3× Instagram ORG · 2× American NORP · 1× Asians NORP · 1× Canadian NORP · 1× Chinese NORP · 1× Dan Levy PERSON · 1× Shane Gillis’ PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The lawsuit, filed last month, alleges seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, sexually assaulted a woman in October 2024 after pressuring her to take drugs and alcohol.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-12

2026-10-12 · Toronto Star

'Speechless': Dan Levy slams Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue about women’s gym clothing · assertive framing

Claims (22 extracted, 0 hedged)

Canadian actor, writer and director Dan Levy is calling out Shane Gillis’ “Saturday Night Live” monologue and urging more men to stand up against the American comedian’s remarks about women. asserted

Levy → call → women

In his monologue Saturday, Gillis referred to women who wear short-shorts to the gym as being dressed like “whores.” asserted

who → refer → whores

Gillis told the audience there was no other way to describe the way women dress at the gym and likened the colour of shorts he sees them wearing to that of “artificial bait.” asserted

them → tell → bait

In a video posted to Instagram, Levy didn’t mention Gillis specifically but said men who call women whores are “misogynists.” asserted

who → post → women

“Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them whores,” he said. asserted

he → wear → gym

“It makes the men calling them whores misogynists.” asserted

men → make → them

Levy, co-creator and actor in the hit sitcom “Schitt’s Creek,” expressed shock that Gillis’ comments aired on SNL. asserted

comments → express → SNL

“I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television,” he said. asserted

he → ’m → television

This is not the first time Gillis’ comments have come under fire. asserted

comments → come → fire

In 2019, SNL rescinded his invitation to join the cast after a video resurfaced where he used a racial slur for Chinese people and derided Asians trying to learn English. asserted

he → rescind → English

SNL apologized at the time, saying its vetting process was not up to its standards. asserted

process → apologize → standards

Since then, however, Gillis has returned to host the show multiple times. asserted

Gillis → return → show

SNL posted Saturday’s monologue to Instagram, which has amassed more than 8,000 comments. asserted

which → post → comments

Some comments called the monologue “tone deaf,” others called Gillis a “misogynist.” asserted

others → call → Gillis

Several comments referenced a recent lawsuit filed in the United States against the so-called Cornell 7. asserted

comments → reference → Cornell

members → file → drugs

The case has sparked public outcry and student protests, with many women taking to social media to share their own experiences of sexual assault in solidarity with the alleged victim, known as Jane Doe. asserted

women → spark → Doe

In his video, Levy said men’s complacency has created an environment where women are sexually assaulted. asserted

women → say → environment

“Men need to be defending women more,” he said. asserted

he → need → women

“This is not a women’s issue, it’s an everybody issue.” asserted

it → ’ → ?

NBC, the network that airs SNL, and representatives for Gillis were not immediately available for comment. asserted

that → air → comment

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2026. asserted

report → publish → Press