Culture 3 min read By Trevor Kendall
SNL U.K. Weekend Update Criticizes Shane Gillis Over Controversial Monologue
SNL U.K.'s Weekend Update took aim at Shane Gillis' recent American SNL hosting stint, with co-host Ania Magliano calling out the comedian's controversial remarks about women at the gym.
SNL U.K.'s Weekend Update used its Saturday night platform to criticize its American counterpart, directly roasting Shane Gillis over his controversial recent hosting appearance on Saturday Night Live. Co-host Ania Magliano turned her attention to Gillis after the segment had already taken swings at U.S. President Donald Trump's recently fired press secretary and at claims that King Charles might be Muslim.
The flashpoint was Gillis' monologue, in which he described going to the gym and observing that «women just dress like whores now.» The remark drew immediate rebuke from members of the Hollywood community and at least one SNL cast member, turning what is normally a promotional victory lap for a host into a sustained media controversy.
Magliano's jab on the British spin-off was blunt and expletive-laden, framing Gillis as a self-inflicted embarrassment rather than a victim of overreach. The moment marked a rare instance of one Saturday Night Live franchise publicly dressing down another, and it landed as the American show was still absorbing the fallout from its own episode.
The backlash has followed the show into its production cycle. With SNL set to return to the air on October 17, 2026, the question hanging over the new episode is whether the media storm around Gillis will have faded by the time a new host and musical guest take the stage. The controversy has become a test of how quickly late-night television can move past a host's off-color material when the clip keeps circulating.
For SNL U.K., the segment fits a pattern of using Weekend Update as a transatlantic commentary desk, applying British skepticism to American cultural flashpoints. By targeting Gillis directly, the co-hosts signaled that the format's satirical license extends to the franchise's own family tree.
The episode also underscored how quickly a single monologue line can travel across platforms and borders. Gillis' gym anecdote, delivered in the studio, became a talking point for Hollywood peers, a cast member's subtle shade, and now a punchline on another continent's version of the same show.
Neither Gillis nor NBC has issued a substantive response to the SNL U.K. segment. The American show's next broadcast will be watched closely for whether the controversy is addressed on air or left to fade, while SNL U.K. has already made clear it intends to keep the exchange going.
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