Shane Gillis under fire for roasting Caitlin Clark and Donald Trump at 2025 ESPYS Awards

Comedian Shane Gillis is facing backlash as host of the show at the 2025 ESPYS Awards following his controversial monologue, where he took sharp jabs at WNBA star Caitlin Clark and US President Donald Trump on Wednesday night.

The stand-up comic, known for his edgy humor, didn't hold back, poking fun at Clark's meteoric rise and Trump's polarizing persona. The audience at Dolby Theatre offered a mix of laughter and uncomfortable silence as Gillis delivered his risky lines.

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While some praised his boldness, others felt the jokes fell flat or crossed a line. The moment set a controversial tone for the evening, generating plenty of conversation both inside the venue and across social media.


After the monologue, Gillis took a jab at Caitlin Clark, who was absent from the ceremony due to injury.

"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," he joked.


While some in the audience chuckled at the joke, others shifted uncomfortably, reflecting a mixed reaction to the dig.

Gillis pressed on for 10 minutes, delivering edgy jokes that included jabs at President Trump and controversial references to Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking case continues to cast a shadow over the Justice Department and FBI.

Gillis pivoted to Donald Trump’s much-discussed idea of hosting a UFC fight on the White House lawn, using it as a setup to deliver a biting joke that roped in former Vice President Mike Pence and the January 6 Capitol riots, drawing a mix of laughter and uneasy silence from the audience.

"Donald Trump wants to stage a UFC fight on the White House lawn," he said. "The last time he staged a fight in DC, Mike Pence almost died."


Gillis' opening joke targeting North Carolina coach Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, drew some of the biggest laughs of the night, setting a bold tone for the monologue.

"A bookie is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bed time," he said. "They read ‘The Very Horny Caterpillar,’ 'The Little Engine That Could But Needed a Pill First' and of course the classic ‘Goodnight Boobs'."

However, as Gillis continued his set, the reaction turned mixed, with some in the audience laughing hesitantly while others remained visibly uncomfortable.

"He won six Super Bowls. He’s dating a hot 24 year old. Maybe if you guys won six Super Bowls you wouldn’t be sitting next to a fat ugly dog wife."

NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cracked a smile when Gillis quipped, "SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble," drawing laughter from parts of the crowd.


Before wrapping up, a smiling Gillis addressed the crowd with a self-aware remark: "I see a lot of you don’t like me, and that’s OK. That’s it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don’t know why this happened."