Saturday Night Live UK did not hold back on its American counterpart this weekend. During Saturday night’s Weekend Update, co-host Ania Magliano took direct aim at comedian Shane Gillis over his controversial SNL hosting appearance last week — and she did it with language the American show could never get away with.
Ania Magliano (Credits: Sky/SNL UK)
After cracking jokes about everything from President Trump’s recently fired press secretary to a satirical theory behind the Katie Zacharia firing, Magliano turned her attention to Gillis. The comedian caused quite the stir last weekend for making misogynistic comments in his opening monologue — including a line about women dressing “like whores” at the gym — and for dropping the f-bomb live on air during a sketch, which violates NBC’s broadcast guidelines.
Magliano’s setup was a story about women being given cycling shorts to protect them from upskirting. “Wearing the gym shorts will protect women from being up-skirted, but it does make them vulnerable to something much worse,” she joked, as a photo of Gillis delivering his SNL monologue appeared on screen. She then pivoted to the other controversy: “Last week on SNL, comedian Shane Gillis also caused controversy by dropping the F-bomb. Oh, Shane, you’re not allowed to say that, you stupid f**king c**t.“
The Watershed Advantage
The punchline was also a not-so-subtle flex: unlike its American counterpart, SNL UK airs at 10 p.m. — past the UK’s 9 p.m. watershed — giving it considerably more latitude with profanity. The American SNL airs on NBC under strict standards and practices, with FCC restrictions still applying to its coast-to-coast broadcast. Magliano’s uncensored jab went out live, exactly as intended.
Not everyone was waiting for the British show to weigh in. Actor and writer Dan Levy had already criticized Gillis’ monologue in an Instagram video, arguing that insulting women over their gym clothes encourages others to view and treat them as objects, and urging “more men need to be standing up in opposition to it.” Former SNL cast member Ego Nwodim responded by sharing a gym mirror selfie on Instagram Stories captioned “w***e reporting for duty” — turning Gillis’ own insult back on him.
A Transatlantic Exchange of Fire
The Gillis roast was not the only moment the two shows collided this weekend. In the same James Norton-hosted episode with musical guest The Streets, American SNL cast member James Austin Johnson made a surprise appearance as Donald Trump in the cold open. The transatlantic exchanges suggest the sibling shows are increasingly comfortable taking shots at each other — and at the state of comedy on both sides of the pond.
Also Read: James Austin Johnson’s Trump Crashes ‘SNL UK’ Cold Open With Burnham and Zelenskyy
Source: Variety — read the full story there.
