Comedian Shane Gillis made his ESPYs hosting debut on Wednesday night, but his 10-minute opening monologue - featuring a joke about Jeffrey Epstein - was met with an uneven response from the star-studded crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Gillis kicked things off by acknowledging some of the athletes in attendance, but stumbled early on when he mispronounced WNBA legend Diana Taurasi’s name as “Deanna.” Taurasi, who was later honored with the Icon Award, was shown on camera shaking her head, visibly unimpressed. Gillis quickly apologized: “My bad on that.”
The comedian then turned to WNBA star Caitlin Clark, who was not present at the ceremony. “When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women,” Gillis quipped, a line that drew a mix of laughter and discomfort from the audience.
He continued with jokes that touched on President Donald Trump and the ongoing controversy surrounding the late Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking case continues to draw scrutiny toward the Justice Department.
"Donald Trump wants to stage a UFC fight on the White House lawn," Gillis began, adding: "The last time he staged a fight in D.C., Mike Pence almost died."
The comedian then addressed Trump's recent handling of the Epstein case. "There was supposed to be an Epstein joke here but I guess it got deleted. Probably deleted itself, right? Probably never existed, actually. Let's move on as a country and ignore that," he said
There were audible gasps from the star-studded audience following the joke from Gillis, who continued by taking aim at more high-profile individuals.
NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, known as SGA, cracked a smile when Gillis noted: “SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.”
At one point, Gillis referenced a joke once made by late SNL comic Norm Macdonald when he hosted the ESPYs in 1998, calling it “a dumb joke” that he loved. He also congratulated Colorado two-way football player Travis Hunter for winning the Heisman Trophy, before adding a pointed reference to O.J. Simpson: “That's something they can never take away from you, unless you kill your wife and a waiter.”
Toward the end of his set, Gillis acknowledged the room’s unease. “I see a lot of you don’t like me, and that’s okay,” he said, smiling. “That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened.”
Reactions on social media were sharply divided, with some calling Gillis “badass” and others arguing that the comedian "isn't funny".
Outside of the monologue, the evening also recognized athletes and organizations for their charitable efforts at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards.
The Indianapolis Colts were named Sports Humanitarian Team of the Year for their “Kicking the Stigma” campaign, aimed at raising awareness around mental health and expanding access to care.
Former U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens took home the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for her foundation’s work to make tennis more inclusive for young people. She was selected over fellow nominees CJ McCollum and Alex Ovechkin.
Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit, was honored as Sports Philanthropist of the Year, while former MLB player and executive Billy Bean received the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award.