Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy hits out at Shane Gillis following controversial SNL monologue
Elizabeth Banks and Barrett Wilbert Weed are among the stars who have backed Dan Levy after he criticized Shane Gillis' opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.
The Schitt's Creek star posted an Instagram Reel on Sunday night, reacting in disbelief to the monologue Gillis delivered while hosting the show on Saturday, October 10.
Gillis opened SNL with: "Going to the public gym as a fat guy, especially in New York, is a nightmare, dude."
He then used offensive language to describe how women dressed at the gym, describing their shorts as ‘neon’ and ‘artificial bait-colored,’ before adding: "And don't look! You're not allowed to look."
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This did not sit well with Levy, who said the problem wasn't 'women wearing short shorts at the gym', but the 'misogynists' using offensive language to describe them.
He went on: "By the way, I've seen more men's nipples at the gym than I've ever seen women showing their bodies off.
"But I'm speechless that something like that can exist on live national television.
"And to be perfectly honest, more men need to be standing up in opposition to it because it's complacency that has created the environment in which women are sexually assaulted and it's a ‘conversation’ as opposed to a ‘crime'."
Levy, an Emmy-winning actor and writer who hosted SNL himself in 2021, stressed that 'men need to be defending women more'
"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 concluded.
"They are not objects. They are superior human beings to men, OK?"
Banks commented ‘Nailed it’ on the post, while Broadway actor Weed wrote: "I love you, Dan."
And Levy was far from alone in criticizing Gillis' monologue. One viewer claimed Gillis sounded ‘like an incel,’ while another X user questioned whether SNL had approved the monologue.
Gillis also swore on live television during a Dr. Seuss sketch with Mikey Day and Andrew Dismukes.
He played the son of Cat in the Hat, who was portrayed by Day, with Dismukes as Sam I Am.
"Hey, what the hell is wrong with you? My dad said he doesn't like green eggs and ham. Drop it. Walk away," Gillis said. "Bro, it's a non-starter. He said he doesn't [expletive]," he added, before realizing his blunder.
As the show wound down, he praised music guest Rosalia and apologized.
"And sorry about earlier. Thank you guys very much. I had a good time," he said.
Shane Gillis was previously fired from SNL
Gillis' history with the show goes back to 2019.
That year, he was hired as a featured player and fired days later after podcast clips resurfaced in which he made racist and homophobic comments.
A spokesperson for SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels told NBC News at the time: "We hired Shane on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition for SNL.
"We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable."
Gillis apologized, but said he was a 'comedian who pushes boundaries'.
He returned as host in February 2024 and again in March 2025, making Saturday's episode his third time hosting.
UNILAD has contacted representatives for Gillis and NBC for comment.
Topics: Saturday Night Live, Entertainment
Thomas Bamford