By BETH HARRISAP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Comedian Shane Gillis ’ opening monologue as host of the ESPYS went over awkwardly in front of some of the biggest names in sports on Wednesday night.

Early on, he called out various famous faces in the Dolby Theatre crowd, including retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi, who was to receive the Icon Award later in the evening. Gillis said, “Give it up for her” after calling her “Deanna.” The camera showed an unsmiling Taurasi shaking her head. Gillis quickly caught his mistake, saying, “My bad on that.”

Gillis moved on to WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark, who wasn't on hand.

“When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women,” he joked.

While some in the audience laughed, others appeared uncomfortable.

Gillis plowed on for 10 minutes, with jokes about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, whose sex trafficking investigation has roiled the Justice Department and FBI.

Gillis' performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with some calling him “hilarious” and others “cringey.”

Gillis' initial joke about North Carolina coach Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend Jordon Hudson drew a lot of laughs.

"A bookie is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bed time,” he said. “They read ‘The Very Horny Caterpillar,’ 'The Little Engine That Could But Needed a Pill Firs't' and of course the classic ‘Goodnight Boobs.’”

But the reaction was mixed as Gillis continued.

"He won six Super Bowls. He’s dating a hot 24 year old. Maybe if you guys won six Super Bowls you wouldn’t be sitting next to a fat ugly dog wife.”

Gillis admitted he should have cut that part of the joke.

NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander smiled when Gillis said, “SGA is here. Everybody sitting around him is in foul trouble.”

Gillis retold what he called “a dumb joke” that he said he loved from former “Saturday Night Live” comic Norm MacDonald's stint as ESPYS host in 1998.

Gillis congratulated Colorado two-way player Travis Hunter for winning the Heisman Trophy.

“That's something they can never take away from you unless you kill your wife and a waiter,” he said, referring to the late O.J. Simpson.

Before closing it out, a smiling Gillis said, "I see a lot of you don’t like me and that’s OK. That's it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened.”

Jimmy V Award

An emotional Katie Schumacher-Cawley accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance with her husband and children looking on. The Penn State women's volleyball coach was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer in September. She continued coaching without missing a practice and became the first woman to guide a team to the NCAA national championship.

“Cancer changed my life but it didn’t take it. It didn’t take my belief, it didn’t take my spirit and it didn’t take my team,” she said.

Sports Humanitarian Awards

The Indianapolis Colts and former U.S. Open tennis champion Sloane Stephens were among the winners at the 11th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards.

The Colts were honored as the team of the year for their Kicking the Stigma campaign to raise mental health awareness and expand access to treatment.

Stephens received the Muhammad Ali award for her namesake foundation that works to make tennis more inclusive through access, representation and support for kids on and off the court. She beat out Washington Wizards guard CJ McCollum and Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.

Michele Kang, the billionaire owner of the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, was chosen as the Sports Philanthropist of the Year. Billy Bean, former MLB player and executive, was honored with the Stuart Scott ENSPIRE Award.

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.