Shane Gillis became the target of Saturday Night Live United Kingdom on Oct. 17, when “Weekend Update” co-anchor Ania Magliano delivered an uncensored four-word insult to cheers from the studio audience.
The comedian called women wearing revealing gym shorts “whores” during his October 10 monologue on NBC. It was his third time hosting the American show, with Rosalía as musical guest.
James Norton hosted the UK episode, featuring a performance from The Streets. The episode was part of the program’s second season.
Sky posted the segment on its official X account the following morning. The British series is produced by the British team of Broadway Video and Universal Television Alternative Studio, with Lorne Michaels serving as executive producer.
Magliano linked a story about cycling shorts to a photo of Gillis
Magliano began with a report on a Munich Oktoberfest ride operator giving his female passengers cycling shorts to protect them from photographs taken under their clothes. The shorts would prevent upskirting, she said, but would leave them vulnerable to “something much worse.” A photo of Gillis delivering her monologue appeared next to her, as The Independent documented.
She then brought up her accidental F-bomb and pretended to correct her language. “Oh Shane, you have no right to say that, you stupid bastard,” she said. The line was broadcast without bleeping on Sky One, according to TheWrap.
The original slip-up occurred during a sketch based on one by Dr. Seuss. Green eggs and ham. Gillis played the protective son to Mikey Day’s Lorax, confronting Andrew Dismukes’ Sam-I-Am for his insistence that his father try the food. Day corrected the error in a later line that his son had used a swear word.
Gillis said, “Sorry for earlier,” during the closing goodnights. The apology followed the swearing incident instead of addressing his comments about women.
Sky’s late night slot still comes with broadcast rules
SNL UK is broadcast at 10 p.m., an hour after the watershed in British television. Ofcom bans the strongest language before 9pm and says the transition to more adult material must then be gradual.
Its Broadcasting Code also requires that potentially offensive content be justified by its context. This assessment includes the program, channel, transmission time, likely audience and any information alerting viewers to the content.
In research published on October 15, the regulator found that participants generally distinguished between swearing and discriminatory comments. They reported greater tolerance toward the former, while expecting greater protection against demeaning remarks toward particular people or groups.
Dan Levy and former cast members previously responded
Gillis’ routine included complaints about brightly colored workout shorts and gym-goers filming themselves for TikTok. He joked about appearing in the background of their videos, according to Variety, whose story also reported groans from the audience.
Dan Levy called the comments misogynistic and urged more men to speak out against them, in an Instagram video covered by TMZ. Former cast member Ego Nwodim posted a photo of herself in black workout gear with the caption, “Fuck at work,” as reported by Entertainment Weekly. Cecily Strong also posted her workout outfit and made fun of the premise.
Martha Plimpton directed her criticism towards the series’ decision-making, arguing that more women should be involved. In her video, she was responding to a documentary scene showing people in Michaels’ office choosing material to broadcast, instead of describing a meeting she had attended. She acknowledged that her assessment came from the footage she saw, according to a separate report from EW.
Michael Che said he didn’t watch the monologue live
Today‘s Laura Jarrett asked Michael Che about the controversy on October 15, while he was promoting his Netflix special, Michael Che: shot dead in Minnesota. America’s “Weekend Update” co-anchor responded, “It’s comedy. It’s like you think it’s funny and some people don’t think so,” as TheWrap reported.
Che said he was working on his own cue cards when Gillis presented the routine and didn’t watch it until the next day. When asked what he thought about it afterwards, he said he didn’t think much about it.
Jarrett also discussed the provocative jokes he and Colin Jost write for each other during their joke exchanges. Che said his own failures made him reluctant to criticize another comedian: “I definitely flipped and failed too.”
James Austin Johnson brought his Trump impression to London
James Austin Johnson appeared in the opening sketch of the British episode, performing his Donald Trump impersonation opposite George Fouracres and Freddie Meredith. His character tried to arrange a job swap with the British leading man, then complained that British actors needed an American to play him, according to Variety.
Johnson’s Trump also noticed the different approach to profanity after he insulted the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. “Ooh, you can talk shit about that one!” he said.
Sky announced Cynthia Erivo as its next host on October 24, with Blossoms as musical guest. The American show returns October 31 with first-time host Inde Navarrette and musical guest Gracie Abrams, according to PEOPLE.
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