Comedian Shane Gillis stunned the ESPYs crowd on Wednesday night as he mocked President Donald Trump with a Jeffrey Epstein joke.
Gillis has joined the ranks of MAGA-friendly media figures who have turned against Trump, following anti-trans activist Riley Gaines’ criticism of the former president on Wednesday for his failure to release the so-called Epstein files.
While hosting the ESPYs, Gillis didn’t shy away from delving into this contentious subject. However, he started with a jab regarding the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riots.
“Donald Trump wants to host a UFC fight on the White House lawn,” Gillis remarked. “The last time he orchestrated a conflict in D.C., Mike Pence nearly lost his life.”
The comedian than addressed Trump’s handling of the infamous Epstein case.
‘There was supposed to be an Epstein joke here but I guess it got deleted,’ he said. ‘Probably deleted itself, right? Probably never existed, actually. Let’s move on as a country and ignore that.’
There were audible gasps from the star-studded audience following the joke from Gillis, who took aim at a wide range of stars in his opening monologue.
Shane Gillis pushed the limits with his opening monologue at the 2025 ESPYs
Druski was left stunned by Gillis’ jokes during his opening monologue on Wednesday
Gillis walked the red carpet with his girlfriend Grace Brassel on Wednesday
Fans were also stunned by the joke online.
‘Shane Gillis making an Epstein joke on national television, on a network owned by Disney, is one of the most bada** things ever,’ one said.
‘LMFAOOO NO WAY,’ another added.
And a third said ‘Shane Gillis is GOATED.’
The Department of Justice last week said it had found no evidence that the convicted sex offender had a ‘client list,’ as had previously been believed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi has faced calls to resign after failing to deliver on President Trump’s campaign promise to reveal Epstein’s ‘client list’ and disclose the true nature of the disgraced billionaire’s death in prison.
Bondi, after initially claiming the client list was ‘on her desk for review,’ now insists there is no list, and maintains Epstein he did kill himself.
That U-turn has left Trump supporters enraged, while the president has said he doesn’t understand the ‘fascination’ with the case.
Gillis also pushed the limit in mentioning Caitlin Clark, saying when she ‘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.’
The comedian also said that he and the Fever star had some things in common, as they ‘are both whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of threes.’
And Shedeur Sanders was also not safe from Gillis’ barbs, as the comic mentioned the passer’s jersey retirement at Colorado.
The comedian crossed the line with a joke aimed at WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark
The comedian also took aim at President Donald Trump and the January 6 riots
Gillis brought up late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in his opening monologue
‘People say it’s nepotism because of his father. It’s not. It’s because he went 13-12 and almost won the Alamo Bowl. Definitely not nepotism. Alright.’
And Gillis wasn’t done there, as he also took aim at Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, before setting his sights on Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson.
‘Shohei is a once in a generation talent. No one’s been able to do what he’s done at so many positions – pitcher, hitter, and bookie,’ he said, referring to his ex-interpreter’s $17million betting scandal.
‘Bookie’ is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bedtime,’ he continued, to rapturous laughter.
‘They do the ‘Very horny caterpillar,’ ‘The little engine that could but needed a pill first,’ and of course, ‘Good night boobs.’ That’s my favorite one.
‘Not trashing Bill Belichick,’ Gillis went on. ‘He is 73 years old and dating a hot 24-year-old. People are criticizing him. What happened to this country? We used to be a great country. He won six Super Bowls. He is 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.’
That last, harsh quip drew a shocked reaction from the crowd before Gillis slightly backtracked.
‘They let me do it. This is Disney. They allowed that… Yeah, we should’ve taken that out,’ he said. ‘I had doubts going into that. That didn’t work all week.
Kyle Juszczyk, Kristin Juszczyk, Simone Biles, Jonathan Owens at the 2025 ESPY Awards
Russell Wilson and Ciara are seen on the red carpet for the ESPYs on Wednesday
Gillis also compared Olympic gymnast Simone Biles to a ‘leprechaun. ‘
‘Simone is 4’8′ and has seven gold medals. She’s short and has a lot of gold. When she’s not competing, she leads a very quiet life at the base of a rainbow. If you tell Simone a riddle and she can’t answer, she has to give you all her gold,’ he cracked.
Wednesday’s event drew a who’s-who of a crowd to the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Giants quarterback Russell Wilson and his singer wife, Ciara, were in attendance, as was US women’s soccer icon Alex Morgan and NBA legend Oscar Robertson.
Former star fighter Sugar Ray Leonard was also there, as was Terrell Owens and Biles’ Olympic teammate, Suni Lee.
Biles picked up ESPYs for best athlete-women’s sports and best championship performance, while Clark was also named WNBA player of the year.
