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'SNL' cast member Michael Che shrugs off Shane Gillis' monologue joke saying, 'that's comedy'

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Kornick, L. (2026, October 15). 'SNL' cast member Michael Che shrugs off Shane Gillis' monologue joke saying, 'that's comedy'. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/media/snl-cast-member-michael-che-shrugs-off-shane-gillis-monologue-joke-saying-thats-comedy

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Fox News · collected 2026-10-15 · by Lindsay Kornick

Quick Summary

Michael Che, a cast member of "Saturday Night Live," discussed Shane Gillis's controversial monologue on NBC’s "Today" show Thursday. During his hosting gig on Saturday night, Gillis made jokes about women's workout attire at public gyms in New York City that were met with criticism. When asked about the backlash, Che dismissed it, saying, “That’s comedy.” He acknowledged not initially seeing the monologue and noted that he has personally delivered controversial jokes as a comedian, which makes him reluctant to criticize others for similar content.
Written by AI on 2026-10-15, 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 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 8 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Shane Gillis SNL Controversy
Entertainment · 9 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
‘Speechless’ Dan Levy blasts ‘misogynist’ Shane Gillis’ ‘SNL’ monologue: ‘More men need to be standing up’ Same event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
‘SNL’ host Shane Gillis drops uncensored F-bomb during sketch — apologizes for on-air gaffe Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 23 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles describe different incidents during Shane Gillis's hosting of 'Saturday Night Live': one is about an F-bomb dropped during a sketch, and the other is about a controversial monologue joke.”
Bobby Bones raves over Shane Gillis’ controversial ‘SNL’ monologue: ‘So funny’ Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss Shane Gillis' controversial monologue on 'SNL', but Article A focuses on Bobby Bones' reaction and interpretation, while Article B covers Michael Che's response to the controversy. They are related but describe different specific incidents involving separate reactions.”
Former ‘SNL’ star Ego Nwodim mocks Shane Gillis monologue about women’s gym outfits Different event
NBC News
Hedges 0 of 13 claims Outlet record 78/100
“The articles discuss different responses to Shane Gillis' monologue: one by Ego Nwodim and another by Michael Che.”
Michael Che dodges questions about Shane Gillis’ controversial ‘SNL’ monologue in awkward exchange Same event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 18 claims Outlet record 66/100
Travis Kelce ‘likes’ Shane Gillis’ controversial ‘SNL’ monologue video Different event
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 19 claims Outlet record 66/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of Shane Gillis' controversial monologue on 'SNL', with Article A focusing on Travis Kelce's reaction and Article B on Michael Che's response to the backlash.”
Shane Gillis hosts ‘SNL’ tonight — Here’s how to watch for free Different event
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A describes Shane Gillis hosting 'SNL' on October 11, while Article B discusses Michael Che's reaction to a controversial joke made by Gillis during the same episode, which is a separate event that occurred after the show aired.”
Actor Dan Levy blasts Shane Gillis' 'SNL' monologue, claims men's 'complacency' fuels sexual assault Different event
Fox News
Hedges 0 of 31 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss Shane Gillis' controversial 'SNL' monologue on women's gym attire, they cover reactions from different individuals at separate times and places.”
Shane Gillis under fire over SNL monologue Different event
CBS News
Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss Shane Gillis' controversial monologue on SNL, Article A is about the initial incident and backlash, while Article B reports Michael Che's reaction to the controversy a day later.”
Joe Rogan defends Shane Gillis from 'word police' after SNL joke sparks liberal uproar Different event
Fox News
Hedges 0 of 27 claims Outlet record 68/100
“While both articles discuss Shane Gillis' controversial monologue on 'Saturday Night Live', they describe different reactions and moments involving Michael Che and Joe Rogan respectively.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
32
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 32 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
68/100
Fox News's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
9
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-15 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Fox News · 6525 article(s) · 12 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 12 correction(s)
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Who wrote this

Lindsay Kornick
53 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
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2026-10-30 · assertive framing · Nancy Pelosi calls Mamdani, El-Sayed's past comments on Israel 'concerning' and 'wrong'
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2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Gretchen Whitmer asked whether 'hidden xenophobia' will affect midterm elections
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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 53 articles by Lindsay Kornick →

Topics

Fox News Digital Instagram NBC Netflix New York City

Subjects

Che PERSON · 9× Gillis PERSON · 9× Fox News Digital ORG · 2× NBC ORG · 2× Instagram ORG · 1× Laura Jarrett PERSON · 1× Michael Che PERSON · 1× Netflix ORG · 1× New York City GPE · 1× Shane Gillis PERSON · 1×

Narrative

" "Today" co-anchor Laura Jarrett asked Che, who was promoting his new Netflix comedy special "Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota," about a recent Instagram post where he appeared to mock the backlash against Gillis, writing, "Gotta do more press this week to promote the special.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-15
🔮 Both he and Che are hilarious comedians and are at their level for a reason and neither will be canceled because a certain group of people don’t like something they say."
2026-10-15 · Fox News
'SNL' cast member Michael Che shrugs off Shane Gillis' monologue joke saying, 'that's comedy' · assertive framing

Claims (32 extracted, 0 hedged)

"Weekend Update" anchor Michael Che didn't think much of NBC's "Saturday Night Live" host Shane Gillis' controversial monologue when asked about the backlash against the comedian on the "Today" show Thursday. asserted
Che → think → show
Gillis sparked controversy Saturday while hosting "SNL" for the third time. asserted
Gillis → spark → time
During his opening monologue, the comedian joked about going to public gyms in New York City before turning his attention to women's revealing workout clothing. asserted
comedian → joke → clothing
I didn’t know women just dress like w----- now?" Gillis said. asserted
Gillis → know → w-----
"Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it]. asserted
I → look → it
Have you seen it? asserted
you → see → it
I’ve seen it. asserted
I → see → it
You’ve seen the shorts? asserted
You → see → shorts
They’re those neon, like, artificial bait-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. asserted
all → ’re → butthole
You’re not allowed to look. asserted
You → allow → ?
" "Today" co-anchor Laura Jarrett asked Che, who was promoting his new Netflix comedy special "Michael Che: Shot in Minnesota," about a recent Instagram post where he appeared to mock the backlash against Gillis, writing, "Gotta do more press this week to promote the special. asserted
he → ask → special
Wonder what every f------ questions gonna be about. asserted
questions → wonder → what
Che laughed at the show airing his censored post but did not think much of the pushback Gillis received for his comments. "That’s comedy. asserted
That → laugh → comments
It’s like, you think it’s funny, and then some people don’t," Che said. asserted
Che → ’ → ?
He admitted that he did not initially see Gillis' monologue when the show aired, as he was busy working on the show's cue cards. asserted
he → admit → cards
By the time he did see Gillis' monologue, Che said that he "didn’t think about it, honestly. asserted
he → see → it
It’s really hard to see what everyone is doing, especially for me. asserted
everyone → ’ → me
I’m not what they call ‘good at my job,’ so I don’t pay attention to that," Che said. asserted
Che → ’m → that
He added that his own experience delivering controversial jokes with his co-anchor Colin Jost has kept him from criticizing other comics. asserted
experience → add → comics
"That’s why I can’t criticize anybody for swinging and missing, because I’ve definitely swung and missed, too," Che said. asserted
Che → ’ → anybody
"I try to keep that heat off of me." asserted
I → try → me
Fox News Digital reached out to NBC for comment. asserted
Digital → reach → comment
Gillis' representative declined to comment on the matter. asserted
representative → decline → matter
Comedian Tim Young called the backlash against Gillis proof that "woke" was not "dead" and agreed with Che's view on the situation. asserted
woke → call → situation
"The backlash to Shane Gillis’ joke is more about attention-seeking behavior than actually being offended," Young told Fox News Digital. asserted
Young → seek → Digital
"And it’s not shocking that the same people seeking attention on the internet in tiny shorts at the gym are the same ones pretending to have their feelings hurt now." asserted
feelings → ’ → gym
He added, "Che is completely right here. asserted
Che → add → ?
Jokes aren’t meant for everyone. asserted
Jokes → mean → everyone
Some audiences love them and others don’t, but people can choose to tune in to what entertainment they like and don’t like. asserted
they → love → entertainment
Also, some jokes hit and others don’t. asserted
others → hit → ?
Gillis’ jokes seem to hit much more than others since he is now the world record holder for largest comedy show ever. asserted
he → seem → show
Both he and Che are hilarious comedians and are at their level for a reason and neither will be canceled because a certain group of people don’t like something they say." asserted
they → cancel → something
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