What did Shane Gillis say about Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson? Comedian admits he should have cut that joke from ESPYs monologue

Host Shane Gillis didn’t hold back during his monologue at this year's Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, popularly known as the ESPYs, and Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson were among names caught in the crossfire.

While addressing the crowd at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, comedian Shane Gillis shifted from sports controversies to personal jabs, singling out the 48-year age gap between NFL coach Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend Hudson.

The dig followed a joke about Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter and a gambling scandal, as reported by Us Weekly.

“Shohei is a once in a generation talent. No one has been able to do what he does at so many positions: pitcher, hitter and bookie. A bookie is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bed time, they do, they read The Very H*rny Caterpillar, The Little Engine That Could But Needed a Pill Fist and of course the classic Goodnight B**bs,” Gillis joked.

The crowd chuckled, and Gillis went on to clarify:

“First off he’s 73 years old and he’s dating a h0t 24-year-old and people are criticizing him. What happened to this country?” he asked

He added:

“We used to be a great country. 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.”

The moment stirred mixed reactions in the room, and later, Shane Gillis admitted that particular joke probably should have been left out.

Shane Gillis reveals why he agreed to host the ESPYs

In an interview with The New York Times, comedian Shane Gillis reflected on why he decided to host the ESPY Awards, and how fame — particularly in the sports world — still affects him in unexpected ways.

Shane Gillis credited a late comedy icon as his motivation:

“The reason I wanted to take it on was Norm Macdonald. He’s the best ever, and he did it, and his monologue was one of my favorites.”

The conversation shifted to Gillis’ encounters with athletes at his own shows and courtside at games, experiences that continue to catch him off guard.

“For some reason with athletes, it doesn’t go away. I can meet a famous actor or a famous comedian, and I’m usually pretty relaxed about it. But then I’ll meet Michael Phelps on a plane and I’m like, ‘Oh my God.’ The first time I met Aaron Judge, I couldn’t talk. I don’t know why. I get stars-truck by that. I didn’t think Caitlin Clark was going to be star-stuck. I was, which was pretty funny. Steph Curry, that was awesome,” he said.

When asked how it would feel to stand in the same room as many of these sports icons, Shane Gillis responded candidly about staying focused and how knowing athletes personally changes the way he views them.

“I’m gonna be too focused on my monologue to care at that point, but maybe after the show I’ll be thinking about it, depending on how the show goes. If it’s bad, I’m gonna get out of there. But that’s another thing, once you start to get to know these guys, you start feeling like you’re less of a fan as far as like, I’m not gonna ever sit around and be like, that guy sucks, I hate that guy. Before, I would say that because I didn’t know anybody," he explained.

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He added:

"Even before the Steph Curry thing, I was like, I don’t like Steph Curry, he’s a… Then you meet him and you’re like holy s**t, Steph Curry is incredible. So there’s a little bit of, ‘Are you gonna make fun of this athlete?’ Probably not going to make fun of somebody who’s dedicated their life to something. I’m not gonna go up there and say, ‘You stink.”

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