Michael Che calls Gillis's monologue joke comedy that some people don't find funny
Michael CheSaturday Night Live Weekend Update co-anchor, in a TODAY interview
Asked on TODAY how he was thinking about the reaction to Gillis's monologue, Che says it is comedy that some people find funny and others don't. He says he did not see the monologue until the next day and did not think about it.
Responding to
Calling women who wear shorts at the gym whores, as Shane Gillis did in his Saturday Night Live monologue, is misogynistic.
“That’s comedy. It’s like, you think it’s funny and then some people don’t”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Shane Gillis's SNL joke that women at the gym dress like "whores" draws criticism as misogynistic and defenses from commentators
Hosting NBC's Saturday Night Live on October 10, 2026, comedian Shane Gillis said in his monologue that he had not been to the gym in so long that he didn't know women just dressed like whores now, and went on to describe women's workout shorts. Actor Dan Levy said men who call women at the gym whores are misogynists, and other entertainers criticized the joke online. Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che called it comedy that some people don't find funny, and commentators Braeden Sorbo and John Doyle said Gillis was describing real behavior.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
TODAY.com account of Michael Che's October 15, 2026 interview with TODAY's Laura Jarrett, in which he was asked about the reaction to Gillis's monologue, with his answers quoted in order.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Che appeared on TODAY on October 15, 2026, to promote his Netflix special. Laura Jarrett asked how he was thinking about what happened that week with Gillis's opening monologue and noted the pushback.
After the quotation
Asked whether he laughed, Che said he was at the cue cards and did not see the monologue until the next day, and that he did not think about it. Later in the interview he said he can't criticize anybody for swinging and missing because he has swung and missed, too.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Shane Gillis's joke in his October 10, 2026 Saturday Night Live monologue that women at the gym now dress like whores. Che treats the joke as ordinary comedy that some people find funny and others do not, and later says he can't criticize anybody for swinging and missing, so we labeled it Minimized. The closest competing label is Explicitly declined; it loses because Che answered the question and characterized the joke rather than refusing to comment.
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- People and groups discussed
- Shane Gillis
More from this case
Read the full caseJohn Doyle says Gillis is under fire for accurately describing female behavior
“Comedian Shane Gillis is under fire for accurately describing female behavior, which is, of course, the highest blasphemy one can commit in 2026 America.”Read statement
Braeden Sorbo says Gillis's gym joke was an observation and the reaction proves his point
“The funniest thing about Shane's joke is not that it was a joke, it's that it was an observation and the hit dog hollers and boy oh boy are they hollering”Read statement
Dan Levy says men who call women at the gym whores are misogynists
“It makes the men calling them whores misogynists. There’s a difference there.”Read statement
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- Michael Che calls Gillis's monologue joke comedy that some people don't find funny
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The Dispute Index. "Michael Che calls Gillis's monologue joke comedy that some people don't find funny". First published: 2026-10-20. Last updated: 2026-10-20. https://disputeindex.com/events/6265-asked-on-today-how-he-was-thinking-about