Carvey and Spade Defend Gillis’s SNL Gym-Attire Joke

Dana Carvey and David Spade defended Shane Gillis’s joke about women’s gym clothing, describing it as comedy while acknowledging that the routine may not have suited the Saturday Night Live audience. Carvey discussed the joke on the Fly on the Wall podcast, which he co-hosts with Spade. Gillis made the remark during his October 10 monologue as guest host of SNL, saying he had not been to a gym in so long that he did not know women dressed “like whores” there. He went on to describe their shorts and joked about trying not to look at people who might be filming. Carvey said he understood the remarks as a joke rather than a literal claim about women. He suggested Gillis may have received a different response performing the material in comedy clubs, and said SNL’s audience, which he described as largely young women, may have made the venue a poor fit for the bit. Spade said Gillis likely knew the joke would provoke a reaction. He also said the reception can affect whether an SNL joke draws trouble, arguing that material that gets laughs may be treated differently from a joke that falls flat. Neither comedian’s comments establish how the studio audience reacted to this particular...