When the news broke that Shane Gillis was hosting the 2025 ESPYS, everyone knew it was going to be a coin flip. Either he was going to dismantle the room with that "post-jock" energy he’s famous for, or the room—filled with hyper-competitive, easily offended athletes—was going to eat him alive.
Honestly? It was a bit of both.
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The "Shane Gillis ESPYS full" experience wasn't just a standard comedy set. It was a ten-minute social experiment. You had the most powerful people in sports sitting in the Dolby Theatre, looking like they were waiting for a root canal, while Gillis paced the stage and basically told them to stop taking themselves so seriously.
The Jokes That Landed (and the Ones That Exploded)
Gillis started with what he knows: football and the weirdness of aging legends. His primary target was Bill Belichick. This part actually worked. The crowd laughed. He joked about Belichick’s 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, saying a "bookie" is just what Bill reads to her at bedtime.
He rattled off fake book titles like The Very Horny Caterpillar and The Little Engine That Could But Needed a Pill First. It was classic Shane. Crass, but just clever enough that the room didn't tighten up yet.
Then he went for the WNBA.
"I love Caitlin Clark," he said, before pivoting into a joke about her retiring to work at Waffle House just to keep "fistfighting Black women."
The air left the room.
You could almost hear the collective gasp from the front rows. Gillis, sensing the shift, didn't back down. He leaned into it. He told the audience to "lighten up" and reminded them it’s just a show. He even threw a jab at himself, saying, "I see a lot of you don't like me and that's okay."
Why the Athletes Weren't Laughing
If you've watched the Shane Gillis ESPYS full monologue, you noticed the camera cuts. They were brutal. One second, Shane is riffing on Diana Taurasi—calling her "Deanna" by mistake—and the next, the camera pans to Taurasi, who is stone-faced and shaking her head.
Athletes are a tough crowd. They are used to being celebrated, not roasted. When Norm Macdonald hosted the ESPYS in 1998, he practically burnt the bridge down. Shane was clearly trying to channel that energy, but in 2025, the "roast" format feels a lot riskier on a Disney-owned network like ABC.
The Donald Trump and Epstein Bits
Shane didn't stick to sports. He did his famous Trump impression, which is arguably the best in the business right now. He joked about Trump wanting to capture NBA Commissioner Adam Silver because he thinks Silver is an "alien."
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Then came the "deleted" Epstein joke.
"Actually, there was supposed to be an Epstein joke here but it must've been deleted. Actually, it probably deleted itself."
That’s a heavy line for a sports awards show. Some people on social media called it "edgy and necessary," while others thought it was just "cringe." Joy Behar on The View later ripped into him, saying he broke the golden rule of comedy by telling the audience "I didn't write that" when a joke bombed.
The Tush Push Skit
It wasn't all just the monologue. Being a massive Philadelphia Eagles fan, Gillis did a pre-recorded skit about the "Tush Push." He teamed up with comedian Druski to mock the NFL's attempts to ban the play.
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This was probably the high point for the "sports" part of the night. It felt authentic. It didn't feel like a comedian trying to be a fan; it felt like a guy who actually played tackle at West Point (briefly) and knows the game. He even poked fun at Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who was in the crowd laughing.
Why This Matters for Comedy
The reaction to the Shane Gillis ESPYS full performance shows a massive divide in how we consume entertainment.
- The Live Room: Discomfort, silence, and some boos from the mezzanine.
- The Internet: Millions of views on YouTube and fans calling it the "only watchable ESPYS in a decade."
People search for the "full" version because the clips on social media don't show the pacing. They don't show how Shane handles the "bomb." There is a weird skill in being able to stand in a room of people who hate you and continue to tell the jokes exactly how you wrote them.
Expert Take: Was It a Success?
Look, if you’re ESPN, you knew what you were getting. You don't hire the guy who got fired from SNL for being "too much" if you want a safe, boring show. They wanted the "Shane Gillis ESPYS full" experience to go viral, and it did.
The monologue wasn't perfect. It was messy. It was awkward. But it was also the first time in a long time that the ESPYS felt like they had an actual pulse.
Actionable Insights for Fans
- Watch the Silence: If you’re watching the replay, don't just look for the punchlines. Watch the athletes' faces. It’s a masterclass in the tension between modern comedy and corporate sports culture.
- Check the Podcasts: To get the "real" story of what happened backstage, listen to Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. Shane usually breaks down these big events a week or two later, and the behind-the-scenes details are often funnier than the set itself.
- Context is King: Understand that Shane's humor is built on being "one of the guys." In a room of millionaires and icons, that "regular guy" act can feel like an attack, which is exactly why his fans love it.
The ESPYS will likely go back to a safer host next year—probably a retired quarterback or a sitcom star. But for one night in July, things got weird, and Shane Gillis made sure nobody was bored.