The 2025 ESPYs held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday (July 16) attracted some of the sporting world’s finest crowd. Yet, it appears that despite the number of recognizable faces present in the audience that evening, host Shane Gillis’s monologue =, in particular his comments in reference to Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark, Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick, grabbed all the limelight.
Host Shane Gillis’s controversial monologue
During his monologue at the 2025 ESPYs, host Shane Gillis made a slew of comments targeted at some of the sporting world’s most elite, as reported by The Mirror. Praising Clark’s three-point shooting, Gillis said at the ceremony, “Caitlin Clark and I have a lot in common. We're both whites from the Midwest who have nailed a bunch of three.”
"When Caitlin Clark 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," he further added. At the time, Clark was at Barclays Center, sitting out a game that the Fever ultimately lost to the New York Liberty. She was recognized as the best WNBA player at the ceremony.
"Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year, and people are saying it was because of nepotism because of his father," Gills said of the Browns’ QB. "And it's not. It's because he went 13-12 over his career and almost won the Alamo Bowl." Sanders recently made a surprise slip to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft despite an impressive run at the University of Colorado.
{{/usCountry}}"Shedeur Sanders had his jersey number retired at Colorado this year, and people are saying it was because of nepotism because of his father," Gills said of the Browns’ QB. "And it's not. It's because he went 13-12 over his career and almost won the Alamo Bowl." Sanders recently made a surprise slip to the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft despite an impressive run at the University of Colorado.
{{/usCountry}}When it came to roasting Bill Belichick, Gills started by commenting on Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani’s betting scandal by saying, “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.”
"'Bookie' is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bedtime," he further added in reference to Belichick’s controversial relationship with 24-year-old Jordon Hudson. "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," he continued. "Not trashing Bill Belichick. 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.”
Simon Biles defeated Rory McIlroy for the Best Championship Performance award, while Saquon Barkley was awarded Best Play, and Ilona Maher won Best Breakthrough Athlete at the ceremony.