David Spade tells critics to ‘relax’ as Shane Gillis faces backlash over ‘SNL’ joke

Key Points:

• David Spade defended comedians' freedom to push boundaries in comedy, suggesting people have become too sensitive to being offended, especially in contexts like "Saturday Night Live" (SNL).
• Comedian Shane Gillis faced backlash for a gym-related joke mocking women’s attire, which Spade and Dana Carvey argued was typical stand-up humor not meant to be taken literally.
• Heather Santoro, Spade’s podcast producer, countered that offensive jokes must still be funny to be acceptable, noting Gillis’ joke fell flat and wasn’t suitable for the SNL audience.
• Spade criticized Hollywood’s inconsistent standards on who can be joked about, highlighting contradictions in public reactions to sex workers versus celebrities like Sydney Sweeney.
• Carvey and Spade observed that audiences increasingly conflate finding a joke unfunny with demanding it not be told at all, and that SNL comedians face heightened scrutiny when controversial jokes fail.