Bobby Bones Apologizes For Comments About Shane Gillis’ Controversial ‘SNL’ Monologue
“My fault. I should have watched the whole thing,” he admitted.
Bobby Bones, Shane Gillis; Photos Provided
Bobby Bones took to Instagram to issue an apology after commenting on Shane Gillis’ controversial Saturday Night Live monologue without watching the comedian’s full segment.
During the monologue, Gillis made remarks about women’s gym attire, saying, “I haven’t been to the gym in so long I didn’t know women just dress like whores now,” Gillis said. “Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe. Have you seen it? I’ve seen it, the shorts. Have you seen the shorts? Those neon, they’re like the artificial bait colors. And the wrinkles go like around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don’t look, you’re not allowed to look. For real, though, because they are filming. I’m in the background of like 10 TikToks right now.”
In a now-deleted TikTok video, Bones shared that he found Gillis’ comments about women’s gym shorts funny.
“He said it looks like the color of an artificial bait, artificial lure,” Bones stated at the time. “And I thought that was so funny.”
He went on to suggest that people who “don’t get the joke” are “probably not from the South” or have “probably never been fishing.”
Now, the award-winning radio host is addressing the comments and backlash, admitting that he “missed the mark.”
“I literally just saw the joke that Shane Gillis made about the athletic wear the same color as a fishing lure and though that joke itself was funny and it has blown up into something. I wasn’t planning to come and say anything, I was just going to let it pass. I wasn’t planning to come and say anything, I was just going to let it pass,” he shared in the video.
Bones explained that his wife also pointed out that his remarks about Gillis’ monologue were “probably interpreted a little worse than you think.”
“So I am definitely not too good to come on here and be like, ‘Hand up, that’s on me.’ I saw the one joke. I should have watched the whole thing and I really was just going to set it out and let it pass. But I don’t want to let it pass because that’s not who I am. So I am sorry about all of this blowing up like this because it really was not my intention,” he admitted.
Reflecting on the now-deleted video, Bones said he posted it before the joke “became controversial” because he “saw the fishing joke and thought, ‘Oh, that’s a funny analogy.’”
He continued, “But it is not. And that’s on me. So apologies. And I saw different people covering it now. So the last thing I want to be is something that looks like an advocate for something that I am not…My fault. I should have watched the whole thing. Should have thought before I posted.
Bones concluded his apology by acknowledging that the situation had taught him a lesson.
“At the end of the day, Bones admitted, “I learned a valuable lesson here and I definitely will not do that again. So sorry guys.”
Bones’ comments come as comedians, actors, and public figures, including singer Maren Morris, are speaking out about Gillis’ SNL monologue.
Morris responded to the controversy with an Instagram video set to her song “be a bitch.” Text reading “me being a wh0re at the gym” appeared across the video as she flipped off the camera. She accompanied the post with the caption, “leave my gym short wedgie out of it.”
Gillis previously hosted SNL in 2024 and 2025. His first hosting appearance came five years after NBC fired him in 2019, shortly after announcing him as a cast member. The network made the decision after past anti-Asian and anti-gay comments made by the comedian resurfaced.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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