Sarah Spain was not a fan of Shane Gillis‘ internet hosting function on the 2025 ESPY Awards.
The ESPN persona slammed Gillis’ efficiency by way of X after the Wednesday, July 16, awards present, notably criticizing his remedy of feminine athletes and nominees. “In a yr of loopy progress for ladies’s sports activities selecting an ESPYs host who doesn’t even attempt to make intelligent jokes about girls athletes (he at the very least *tried* for the boys) he goes with hacky ‘nobody is aware of the WNBA’ bits, ‘Pinoe is a nasty time’ & repeatedly insults Black girls. COOL,” she wrote on Thursday, June 17.
In response to her tweet, one X consumer wrote, “First 90 minutes was girls! In a style that’s dominated by males. Simone, the rugby gal, all gals! The fits wanted to feed the precise cash. The women that gained had been deserving. However it’s a television present. Subsequent 10 minutes was Taurasi. Cease complaining individuals aren’t making an attempt that can assist you.”
Spain clapped again on the consumer by replying, “I didn’t say a factor concerning the awards. Learn to learn.”
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Gillis poked enjoyable at a number of girls athletes in his opening monologue. “Megan Rapinoe couldn’t make it tonight. Good,” he stated, prompting some smooth laughter from the viewers. “No? We’re gonna fake she’s a very good time? All proper,” he added, after which he obtained extra laughs.
He additionally referred to as out the viewers’s obvious lack of understanding about WNBA athletes. “4-time WNBA All-Star Brittany Hicks is right here. Give it up for Brittany, all people,” he stated as a digicam lower to a lady in her seat. “I’m joking round. That’s my buddy’s spouse. I knew none of you knew WNBA gamers. That’s loopy, you clapped for that.”
Gillis later took a jab at Olympic gymnast Simone Biles‘ top, stating, “She’s brief and has a number of gold. When she’s not competing, she leads a quiet life on the base of a rainbow. It’s a leprechaun joke. Commenting on WNBA star Caitlin Clark‘s on-court aggressiveness, he added, “When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she’s going to work at a Waffle Home so she will be able to proceed doing what she loves most: fist-fighting Black girls.”
Gillis’ ESPYs efficiency sparked blended reactions from followers. “Shane gillis on the espys doing one of the best opening ever whereas everyone seems to be silent,” one particular person wrote by way of X on Wednesday. One other added, “I assumed Shane Gillis killed his monologue on the ESPYs. And he capped it off with a tribute to Norm Macdonald.”
A 3rd consumer shared, “Shane Gillis roasting individuals on the ESPYs is proof everyone seems to be uninterested in smooth and fragile individuals and that part of America is fading away and im okay with that.” Sharing an opposing opinion, one other consumer wrote, “Shane Gillis bombing on the Espys nearly sums up
how fashionable the Espys are. F**okay you guys that monologue was humorous.”
Beneath Spain’s authentic publish, one particular person posted, “Wow, you should be a number of enjoyable at events. He’s a comic. His job is to offend.” One other referred to as Spain’s response to Gillis’ monologue an “unimaginable response,” including, “Excellent encapsulation of why ESPN is failing and why will probably be so tough for ladies’s sports activities to ever be taken as critically as males’s.”