Shane Gillis set the stage for a night of awkward and sometimes controversial jokes during his opening monologue as host of the 33rd annual ESPY Awards on July 16.

“I see a lot of you don’t like me and that’s okay,” Shane Gillis told the crowd of sports superstars and celebrities at the 2025 ESPY Awards on July 16.

Many of the reactions in the venue to Gillis' jokes were lukewarm, but it appears that the reception online was positive.