“Obsession” star Inde Navarrette came out swinging in her debut “Saturday Night Live” monologue by taking a swipe at previous host Shane Gillis over his controversial joke about women dressing like “whores” at the gym.
During her monologue, Navarrette addressed her casting as the iconic comic book mutant Rogue in Marvel Studios’ first-ever “X-Men” film. Navarrette officially joined the film’s cast this past summer and noted Saturday night that she has been busy getting in superhero shape ever since.
“I know it’s really important for Marvel that you get really fit, so I’ve been working out a lot,” the actress said. “Every morning, I put on my little whore outfit and I hit the gym.”
Navarrette’s “SNL” joke came three weeks after Gillis hosted the NBC sketch comedy series’ Oct. 10, 2026 episode. During his monologue that night, which marked Gillis’ third time hosting “SNL,” he made waves with a joke criticizing how women dress at the gym.
“I haven’t been to the gym in so long, I didn’t know women just dress like whores now. Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it]. Have you seen it? I’ve seen it. You’ve seen the shorts?” Gillis said. “And don’t look!”
“You’re not allowed to look,” he continued, adding, “For real! Don’t look, ‘cause they are filming.”
The joke was widely criticized online as sexist. “Schitt’s Creek” star and creator Dan Levy posted an Instagram video denouncing Gillis’ bit and criticizing “SNL” for platforming it in the first place. “Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them whores,” Levy said. “It makes the men calling them whores misogynists. There’s a difference there.”
“I’m speechless that something like that can exist on live national television,” Levy added, noting that he has seen “more men’s nipples at the gym” than “women showing their bodies off.”
The same “SNL” episode he made his controversial joke, Gillis also accidentally said “f–k” live on the air in the middle of a “Green Eggs and Ham” sketch. The slip-up caused Gillis to immediately break character and double over in embarrassment. The moment also caused waves online.
Navarrette, meanwhile, capped off her breakout 2026 by making her “SNL” hosting debut this week. The Halloween episode she hosted also saw Tom Hanks make his long-awaited return as ineffective scare worker David S. Pumpkins.
