Shane Gillis' ESPYs Monologue Took Aim at Everyone — from President Trump to Shedeur Sanders

Yahoo

7 days ago

Shane Gillis gave zero hecks about making anyone uncomfortable with his monologue. He hit the gas pedal from the start on Wednesday night at the ESPY Awards, and he never let up.
The 37-year-old comedian's monologue in front of the world's biggest sports stars took aim seemingly at just about everyone — from WNBA star Caitlin Clark to former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
It seemed as though Gillis was going for the jugular the entire night, and he even zeroed in on a subject that has captivated the entire nation: the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Gillis first set up the joke with a jab at President Donald Trump, which drew huge laughter from the crowd at the Dolby Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
"Donald Trump wants to stage a UFC fight on the White House lawn. The last time he staged a fight in D.C., Mike Pence almost died," he joked.
Gillis added, "Actually, 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."
Gillis then went after Deion Sanders' son, who earlier this year shockingly slid in the NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns finally selected him in the fifth round with the 144th overall pick.
"Shedeur Sanders had his jersey retired at Colorado this year. People are saying it's because of nepotism, because of his father," Gillis said. "And it's not. It's because he went 13-12 over his career and he almost won the Alamo Bowl."
Gillis also walked down memory lane during his monologue, as he conjured up Norm Maconald's controversial bit for an eerily similar joke about two-way Jacksonville Jaguars star Travis Hunter.
"Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy this year. He is the first defensive player since Charles Woodson to win the Heisman," Gillis said. "Congratulations, Travis Hunter, winning the Heisman is something they can never take away from you — unless you kill your wife and a waiter, in which case, they can take it away from you."Macdonald made the same joke about former Michigan two-way star Charles Woodson during the 1998 ESPYs. And both times the joke got mixed reactions.
As for Clark, the Indiana Fever star, Gillis' joke about her made people uncomfortable.
"It's a big year for the WNBA. I love Caitlin Clark," he said. "Caitlin Clark, she and I have a lot in common. We're both whites from the midwest who have nailed a bunch of threes."
He then winced and added, "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."
Shane Gillis' ESPYs Monologue Took Aim at Everyone — from President Trump to Shedeur Sanders first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 17, 2025
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