Dan Levy speaks out against Shane Gillis’s SNL monologue about women

Canadian actor and Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy made headlines over the Thanksgiving long weekend after criticizing a misogynistic monologue on Saturday Night Live and urging men to speak up against sexism.

American comedian Shane Gillis returned to host the long-running sketch show on Oct. 10, despite past controversy over racist and homophobic remarks. In his opening monologue, Gillis criticized women for wearing shorts to the gym. “I haven’t been to the gym in so long, I didn’t know women just dress like whores now,” he said. “Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe it.” The joke drew some awkward applause from the live audience but fell flat with viewers, including Levy.

Levy posted a video on Instagram for his nearly six million followers, making clear that he did not find the monologue funny. “I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television,” he said. “Women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists. There’s a difference there.” He also said men need to do more to defend women and stressed that gender-based violence is not just a women’s issue; it is “an everybody issue.”

The video has since gone viral amid renewed discussion of sexual assault and accountability. A case at Cornell University has prompted student protests and public outcry. Women have also shared their own experiences of sexual assault on social media in solidarity with the alleged victim, identified as Jane Doe.

The Emmy-winning actor, writer and producer has built a reputation for speaking out on issues he cares about and using his platform to advocate for a more inclusive world. In August 2020, Levy encouraged fans to enrol in a free Indigenous history course offered by the University of Alberta. He urged Canadians to confront parts of their country’s history that had not been addressed in classrooms. His call came amid a national reckoning with Canada’s residential school system, which drew serious attention that year after unmarked graves were discovered at former residential school sites. “If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to actively re-learn history. History that wasn’t taught to us in school. To better understand and contextualize our lives,” Levy said.

Levy has also spoken out on LGBTQ+ rights as a proud member of the community. He has called out TV critics for “offensive” homophobic comments and publicly criticized Comedy Central India for censoring a same-sex kiss in Schitt’s Creek while leaving heterosexual kisses unedited.

He weighs in on lighter topics, too. Earlier in 2026, Levy sparked debate over whether airlines should offer flights without babies. In an interview with the TikTok channel “Are You Okay?,” he said: “I firmly believe there should be one airline flight with no babies, especially like a long-haul flight. No offence to the babies. One flight.” He later doubled down on the idea on Jake Shane’s podcast, Therapuss, arguing that passengers who spend their hard-earned money on a seat should have the option to fly without a screaming baby beside them. Some people online quickly suggested noise-cancelling headphones as the obvious solution, while many parents sided with Levy in the comments.

Whether the subject is commercial flights, Canadian history or old-fashioned misogyny, Levy has never been one to keep his opinions to himself.