The 2025 ESPYS were a totally disjointed experience

I liked Shane Gillis’ ESPYS monologue. As a 30-something-year-old white guy who lives in Ohio and subscribes to his podcast’s Patreon, I was probably always going to.

Still, I’m aware enough to know that a not-insignificant part of Gillis’ appeal is that what he says is sometimes going to offend people. I don’t mean that in a “you’re a snowflake and I’m not” kind of way. But there’s a natural tension that comes with comedy that often focuses on race, gender and politics — especially when the jokes are being made by a 30-something-year-old white guy from Pennsylvania.

But for as big of a Shane Gillis fan as I might be, even I had to admit that he seemed out of place on Wednesday night — a sentiment he also expressed on multiple occasions throughout his 10-minute monologue. Immediately after Gillis’ opening performance, Simone Biles accepted her ESPY for Best Championship Performance with a heartwarming speech. That was then followed by a performance from Clipse and a skit featuring Gillis and comedian Druski about the origins of the Tush Push, where the crux of the joke was that the play is designed to be “10 guys barging” into the quarterback’s “backdoor.”

That same pattern played out repeatedly over the course of the three-hour show. Presenters honored recipients of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award (Sloane Stephens), the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance (Katie Schumacher-Cawley), the Icon Award (Alex Morgan and Diana Taurasi), the Pat Tillman Award for Service (Los Angeles County firefighters David Walters and Erin Regan), the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award (Rishin Tandon, Maegha Ramanathan and Ian Waite) and the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage (Oscar Robertson), while Gillis made jokes like “‘put your hands where my eyes can see’ is what they say when Deshaun Watson gets a massage” in between.

Again, I’m a Gillis fan (although the Watson joke clearly didn’t land), but it was tough to watch the entirety of the three-hour award show without feeling like it was totally disjointed. One minute, the show’s host would be making a joke that felt better suited for YouTube or Netflix. The next, someone would be paying tribute to a sports legend or real-life hero that wouldn’t have seemed out of place had it been airing on the Hallmark Channel. It’s hard to imagine that there were many people that were into both.

While ESPN touts the ESPYS as a celebration of sports, the reality is that the event is just as much a celebration of celebrity, which is why Gillis was there considering his status as one of the world’s most popular comedians. That’s a much easier line to straddle when the show is being hosted by a more traditional — and safer — celebrity such as Serena Williams, Peyton Manning, John Cena or Drake. Less so when it’s being headlined by a legitimate comedian best known for working blue.

As a fan, I’m happy Shane Gillis got the opportunity and even more happier than he didn’t bow at the altar of athletes as some feared he might. Frankly, I don’t think I would have watched the ESPYS otherwise and I’d rather have something memorable to have enjoyed than nothing at all.

Conversely, I understood the criticism from former ESPN personality Sarah Spain, who opined that Gillis’ brand of comedy was out of place during what was otherwise a sentimental celebration. While I may not agree with her opinion of the host’s jokes, it would be tough to argue that the 2025 ESPYS was a cohesive experience.

Ultimately, ESPN knew it was taking a risk, but the allure of Gillis’ star power was likely too enticing to pass up. Still, it seems telling that the network didn’t initially include the monologue among the several clips from the show it uploaded to YouTube (it has since been posted), which only speaks to the delicate line it attempted — and I’d argue failed — to straddle on Wednesday night.