ABE GREENWALD: The Joke’s on Everyone.
The left knows only how to take offense, and Shane Gillis doesn’t owe anyone an apology. But it’s hard to say that a joke is “just a joke,” if it’s also something else: a deliberate taunt. This kind of dual-use comedy is standard on the left—and it’s ruined many great talents. Why look to make the problem total? I don’t want to wind up with a comedy culture that forces me to choose between Bill Burrs and anti-Bill Burrs.
Anyway, what can the left possibly accomplish with its social media finger-wagging these days? We are post–cancel culture (except, of course, when it comes to Jews and Israel, which is its own category). A few years ago, Gillis’s joke and the reaction to it would have sidelined him for quite a while. In fact, that already happened to him. SNL fired Gillis in 2019 after discovering that he had previously made gay and ethnic jokes on his own podcast. His appearance on SNL last Saturday—the third time he’s hosted the show since then—demonstrates how thoroughly the culture has shifted since peak woke.
Donald Trump is back in the White House, and AOC is distancing herself from “woke 1” because she knows how most Americans feel about identity-driven leftism. A lot of conservatives don’t want to admit it, but the right came through Woke War I (mostly) triumphant. You don’t have to lob grenades from the stage. It’s safe just to do comedy again.
Okay, Gillis’ joke wasn’t a home run. But it was definitely a triple:
This Shane Gillis thing is huge for women because they all collectively get to be their favorite three things all at the same time
– the victim
– the hero
– sexy— Pub (@PubWanghaf) October 14, 2026