Shane Gillis' hosting of the ESPYs 2025 may have been met with mixed reactions, but his humour during the award show has been undeniable, though some may view it to be controversial.
From Jeffrey Epstein to Caitlin Clark, nobody seemed to be beyond Gillis' rapier wit at the ESPN-organised award ceremony. The host also managed to take potshots at NFL Quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Deshaun Watson joke explained
Gillis quipped, "Put your hands where my eyes can see is what they say when Deshaun Watson gets a massage".
{{/usCountry}}Gillis quipped, "Put your hands where my eyes can see is what they say when Deshaun Watson gets a massage".
{{/usCountry}}For the unaware, Watson first faced a complaint of sexual harassment in March 2021. The complainant alleged that Watson sexually harassed her during a massage treatment. The very next month, 22 other women came forward, accusing him of behaving in the same way with them.
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Watson, however, managed to largely settle most of these lawsuits.
Shane Gillis draws mixed reactions
Despite Gillis's best attempts, his opening speech only drew mixed reactions.
Gillis' performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with some calling him “hilarious” and others “cringey.” When he made the joke on Caitlin Clark, he drew some laughs, but others looked uncomfortable.
Before the end of his speech, Gillis addressed the crowd, saying,"I see a lot of you don’t like me, and that’s okay. That's it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened.”
Winners at ESPYs
The Indianapolis Colts and former US Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens were among the winners at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards.
The Colts were honoured as the team of the year for their Kicking the Stigma campaign to raise mental health awareness and expand access to treatment.
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Stephens received the Muhammad Ali award for her namesake foundation that works to make tennis more inclusive through access, representation and support for kids on and off the court. She beat out Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.
Michele Kang, the billionaire owner of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, was chosen as the Sports Philanthropist of the Year. Billy Bean, former MLB player and executive, was honoured with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award on Wednesday night.
(With AP inputs)