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Inside Navarrette he declared. On her Saturday Night Live discussion host, link ii Marbrann normal exercise to Shane Gillis‘ recent comments about women at the gym, saying she puts on her “slutty little clothes” before hitting the weights. The joke clearly landed like a plane on a runway with the audience’s reaction to it, but Navarrette’s punch line also makes one wonder why the host was the one dealing with controversy that put the show on its own stage.
The Halloween event gave Navarrette plenty to do; she handled the monologue with ease, then moved through the night’s sketches as a ghost, game show contestant and telenovela star. The episode showcased her comedic range, and while Gillis’ joke was a highlight, it shouldn’t be the entire story of her debut — or the show’s response to his monologue.
Shane Gillis’ Inde Navarrette joke hit its mark
During his monologue on October 10, Gillis called women at the gym “whores” because of what they were wearing, and then complained that men were not expected to look at them. He made women the target of sexist jokes, and treated men’s right to look at their bodies as the most important thing.. An actor Dan Levy he rejected that frame, in short, saying that women’s clothes do not make them “flags” and that they are rude.
Navarrette’s response to the prank was sharp and funny. She was talking about getting fit for her future role as Rogue in Marvel X-Men resumed, then turned Gillis’ tongue back to him. She didn’t need to explain the whole controversy to get the audience; one line was enough to remind the audience of what Gillis said – and make his vocabulary sound as ugly in return as it did the first time.
Remember, however, that this is not a handicap on Navarrette. Perhaps she wanted to speak to Gillis himself, and the joke was entirely to make her choice, delivering it with confidence. But she was doing it SNL first guest at 25, he played no part in Gillis’ monologue, and the show was unnecessary. A host who chooses to make a joke does not shift responsibility for the original broadcast onto her.
Why was a host carrying the SNL response?
SNL there were plenty of ways to address the ideas in his own voice. The members of the cast could have raised the subject in a sketch; the show’s established musicians could make the point; even Colin Jost and Michael Che he could have dealt with it Weekend updatesegment built around the week’s news and the show’s own comical aspect.Instead, the clearest response came from a host who arrived weeks later. The choice removes the show from the controversy it helped create: SNL Gillis’ comments were broadcast, but Navarrette was the most prominent person who responded for them. Her banter gave the audience a positive response, while allowing the regular cast and the show itself to stay mostly outside of the exchange.
Levy’s criticism at the time raised the obvious question: Why is it expected that women so often challenge rude ideas while the men around them remain silent? Levy specifically asked for more men to speak, and the point applies to the people who work on the same show as Gillis, too. SNL there are male cast members, writers, and anchors who could have said something – his own platform could have made the point without asking him to carry the newest guest.
SNL keeps its regular voices at a distance
SNL not afraid of controversy; the show often mines it for jokes, but when the subject gets uncomfortable, the regular cast can look pretty far from the sharpest commentary. Compared to SNL UK‘yes’ treatment of Gillis’ views and political material, including his views Ed Sheeran and the coverage of Palestine, making the American show’s willingness to put its own voices front and center harder to miss.
Even a weekend update during Navarette’s program affects its own margin. While SNL UKand Paddy Young A bit allowed Che to engage in an uncomfortable joke about Israel and Palestine, Che’s delivery quickly fizzled, then cut to Jost’s sitcom-like response, and the moment deflated. If the show wants its regular voices to have tough stuff, they need to sell itand the frame around the joke has to land.
Not every controversial joke needs a formal rebuttal, and a sketch show shouldn’t issue a statement when a guest prompts a response; comedy needs room to take risks, and SNL not every discussion has to turn into a speech. There are, however, distinguish between making room for comedy and acting like one has no choice but to broadcast a joke. What Gillis said was not an accidental live broadcast; his “jokes” were prepared material that he took through the show’s approval process and into the broadcast.
Navarrette’s joke was a brilliant response, and she deserves credit for making itbut SNL there should be no need for an entertainer to tell what his own stars might have said. Her willingness to discuss Gillis’s views does not make her responsible for cleaning up after them, or allowing the show to air them. SNL he should have taken ownership through his usual vocals and made it clear that he understood why the monologue drew criticism.
Saturday Night Live on Saturdays at 11:29pm EST on NBC, and streaming the next day on Peacock.
