Shane Gillis made it clear that he had nothing to do with the DeShaun Watson massage joke at the 2025 ESPYs.
While hosting the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16, Gillis, 37, initially said he wanted to “skip that joke” about Watson, 29, before reluctantly mentioning it on stage.
“Alright, bring it back, I’ll tell that joke. I didn’t write this,” he noted. “Please keep your hands where my eyes can see — is what they say when DeShawn Watson gets a massage.”
Gillis playfully threw blame at the ESPYs writers after hearing the crowd’s response, adding, “I disagree as well. I swear to God, I didn’t want to tell it.”
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Alison Brie then came on stage and referenced the Watson joke, saying, “I mean, not Shane Gillis making me walk out after that joke.”
In 2021, the former Houston Texans quarterback was accused of sexual assault by massage therapist Ashley Solis. She ultimately filed a civil lawsuit against Watson, claiming that he exposed himself and purposely touched her hand with his penis during a massage. In the days after Solis’ accusations, more than 20 other women accused him of indecent acts and filed their own civil lawsuits.
“I have not yet seen the complaint, but I know this: I Have never treated any woman with anything [other] than the utmost respect,” Watson wrote via X in 2021. “The plaintiff’s lawyer claims that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”
Two separate Texas grand juries declined to indict Watson — who has denied any wrongdoing — on any criminal charges after 10 women filed criminal complaints. The civil cases remained and the NFL launched a separate investigation, which resulted in an 11-game suspension and a $5 million fine from the NFL.
“I want to say that I’m truly sorry to all the women I’ve impacted in this situation,” he said in an interview with Cleveland News 5 in August 2022. “The decisions that I made in my life that put me in this position, I would definitely like to have back. But I want to continue to move forward and grow and learn and show that I am a true person of character and I want to keep pushing forward.”
Watson settled 23 of the civil lawsuits against him before being traded from the Texans to the Cleveland Browns in a deal worth $230 million. He kicked off his third season with the Browns in September 2024.
Gillis, for his part, has had his own share of controversy. He was previously hired as a featured player on Saturday Night Live in 2019 but was fired four days later after racist and homophobic comments from his “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast” resurfaced online. At the time, the show acknowledged in a statement that they “were not aware of his prior remarks” before casting, apologizing that the “vetting process was not up to our standard.”
Gillis addressed the controversy before his exit, writing via social media, “I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses. I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”
Gillis later released a second statement noting that he respected the decision made by the show. He has since hosted SNL twice.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
