Comedian roasts sport world in spicy ESPYs monologue, sparks outrage
Gillis touched upon, among many other topics, Aaron Rodgers and his vaccine skepticism, Caitlin Clark and her potential post-WNBA life, Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson's relationship, Shohei Ohtani and his disgraced interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Shedeur Sanders' Colorado number retirement and even President Donald Trump and Mets star Juan Soto.
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'Four-time WNBA All-Star Brittany Hicks is here, everybody, give it up for Brittany,' Gillis said innocuously partway through his monologue, per the NY Post.
The crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood politely applauded, before Gillis waited a beat, smirked, and said: 'I'm joking around, that's my friend's wife. I knew none of you knew WNBA players.'
The crowd awkwardly murmured in response, although Hicks, a businesswoman, and her husband, comedian Matt McCusker, appeared to find it hilarious.
As with almost every other joke made in his fiery, controversial set, the reactions on social media were a mixed bag.
'Using your best friend's wife to set up a joke about a fake WNBA player to call out an entire audience for pandering is perhaps the best executed joke of all time. And it came at the ESPYS!!' wrote @KFCBarstool in an X post that got 48,000 likes.
'Gillis just served up one of the classiest middle fingers in award show history,' wrote another. 'Straight outta the Ricky Gervais playbook.'
Gillis also joked about Simone Biles' height, likening the pint sized gymnast to a leprechaun with a collection of gold medals.
Ex-ESPN reporter Sarah Spain criticised the move to bring the comedian into the fold as emcee, who took shots at Megan Rapinoe, Caitlin Clark and the WNBA during his divisive outing.
'In a year of crazy growth for women's sports choosing an ESPYs host who doesn't even try to make clever jokes about women athletes (he at least *attempted* for the men) he goes with hacky 'no one knows the WNBA' bits, 'Pinoe is a bad time' & repeatedly insults Black women. COOL,' Spain wrote.
Gillis took aim at Rapinoe, an outspoken social rights activist, by stating it was 'nice' that the soccer legend wasn't going to make the show.When the crowd did not respond, Gillis paused and chuckled, 'No? We're going to pretend that she's a good time? Alright.'
The reaction to Gillis on social media was mixed, to say the least.
Others were less amused.
'Punching down is never funny,' wrote one user on X.
'That's not funny,' said another. 'Like, at all.'
'Best joke of all time!!!!' said a third.
The quip wasn't the only time Gillis, 37, poked fun at the WNBA — he also cracked multiple controversial jokes about Caitlin Clark.
First, the star of the Netflix show 'Tires' compared himself to Clark because they're both 'whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of 3s.'
Then, he went on to say: '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.'
The WNBA was far from the only target of the monologue, though, with Gillis taking aim at anyone and everyone in the sports world and beyond — including Aaron Rodgers, President Donald Trump, Bill Belichick and Mets star Juan Soto.
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