Shane Gillis BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Shane Gillis is having another major career moment with ESPN announcing him as the host of the 2025 ESPYs, set for July 16 at Los Angeles Dolby Theatre and broadcasting live on ABC and ESPN Plus. His hosting marks a break from recent tradition as past years favored celebrity athletes like Serena Williams and Stephen Curry—putting Gillis in the rarified air of crossover comedians who’ve helmed sports’ biggest night. While discussing his excitement for the gig, Gillis said he likes sports so this should be a good time. The ESPYs monologue didn’t land quietly; Sports Illustrated and AOL report that his material sparked real-time controversy, especially for jokes poking fun at longtime ESPY targets and some off-color quips about illegal aliens, with at least one audience member booing and social media turning up the volume around his set. That controversy has kept Gillis circulating in the wider culture—Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford’s wife Kelly made headlines for a spirited, raunchy Instagram defense of Gillis’ jokes, repeating one of his ESPYs punchlines and drawing new attention days after the event. On the flip side, his girlfriend Grace Brassel, a popular social media strategist and TikTok influencer, continues to publicly support Gillis and even called him the funniest guy that's ever lived in a recent TikTok. Their relationship has become a recurring topic as she posts supportive content from football games, live gigs, and her March birthday at SNL, drawing fans’ interest across TikTok and Instagram.

In terms of business and tour moves, Gillis’ live standup juggernaut rolls on, with tickets in high demand for arena and theater shows from now through fall 2025. Venues like Houston’s Toyota Center and Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena are spotlighting his shows for September. Promoters are highlighting his trajectory—from over 40 million YouTube views on his debut special, Live in Austin, to his Netflix follow-up Beautiful Dogs reaching the Top 10 in five countries. Most analysts and columnists describe Gillis as emblematic of the renewed appetite for edgy comics, noting how his rise came from the outside, built on podcasts and digital loyalists, with the ESPYs, Saturday Night Live, and streaming platforms now all calling him back on their terms, not his. No major negative reports or business setbacks have surfaced, and if anything, the buzz around Gillis is amplifying, positioning him as one of 2025’s most visible and divisive voices in mainstream comedy.

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