“Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy criticized comedian Shane Gillis over his “Saturday Night Live” monologue, accusing him of misogyny and linking the objectification of women to sexual assault. (Getty Images for Critics Choice)
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“Schitt’s Creek” star Dan Levy blasted comedian Shane Gillis on Sunday over his controversial “Saturday Night Live” monologue about women’s gym attire, accusing him of misogyny and arguing that men’s failure to challenge such remarks contributes to an environment in which women are sexually assaulted.
Levy, who hosted the NBC sketch comedy show in 2021, posted an Instagram video condemning Gills’ remarks on the latest episode and calling on other men to speak out against the comedian.
“I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television,” Levy said. “And to be perfectly honest, more men need to be standing up in opposition to it because it’s complacency that has created the environment in which women are sexually assaulted, and it’s a ‘conversation’ as opposed to a ‘crime.’”
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Comedian Shane Gillis sparked controversy after joking about women’s revealing workout attire during his third appearance as host of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live.” (Eff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Gills sparked controversy Saturday while hosting “SNL” for the third time. During his opening monologue, the comedian joked about going to public gyms in New York City before turning his attention to women’s revealing workout clothing.
“I haven’t been to the gym in so long. I didn’t know women just dress like whores now?” Gillis said. “Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it]. Have you seen it? I’ve seen it. You’ve seen the shorts? They’re those neon, like, artificial bait-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don’t look! You’re not allowed to look.”
Levy rejected the suggestion that revealing workout clothing justified Gills’ characterization, arguing that the comedian’s comments reflected a broader problem with how men perceive women.
“Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists,” Levy said. “There’s a difference there. By the way, I’ve seen more men’s nipples at the gym than I’ve ever seen women showing their bodies off.”
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Lisa Cusack, president of the Don’t L.A. My Burbank PAC, pushed back against Dan Levy’s criticism, telling Fox News Digital that men who notice revealing clothing are not automatically misogynists. (NBC via Getty Images)
Lisa Cusack, president of the Don’t L.A. My Burbank PAC, pushed back against Levy’s criticism in a statement to Fox News Digital, arguing that noticing revealing clothing does not automatically constitute misogyny.
“I don’t think it’s an either/or. A woman wearing a skimpy outfit isn’t necessarily a whore, and a man noticing that she’s using sex to get attention isn’t automatically a misogynist,” Cusack said. “In our social media world, there’s a glut of sexualized images women feel they have to compete with, but if you dress like a sex object on a screen, men are going to respond in a two-dimensional way.”
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Dan Levy called on more men to defend women after Shane Gillis’ controversial “SNL” monologue, arguing that men’s complacency contributes to a culture of sexual assault. (Getty Images for Critics Choice)
Levy argued that objectifying women in entertainment contributes to how they are treated outside the media, insisting that men have a responsibility to challenge such behavior.
“This is not a women’s issue, this is an everybody issue. Because the more that men objectify women in the media, the more that other men see them as objects and treat them as objects,” Levy said. “They are not objects. They are superior human beings to men, OK? And I’m sorry if this gets me in trouble with the internet, but f—.”
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Cusack offered a different perspective on sexuality and social expectations, arguing that modern culture has increasingly abandoned restraint and mystery.
“Sometimes we forget that glamour is the opposite of pick-me energy. Glamour is controlling perception with a little bit of mystery,” Cusack added. “In losing this, we lose a lot of romance, and everything gets stripped down — no pun intended — to its most vulgar form.”
Fox News Digital reached out to NBC for comment. Gillis’ team declined to comment.