Who Is Shane Gillis' Ex-Girlfriend? Everything to Know About Grace Brassel as She Mocks Comedian's Controversial 'Saturday Night Live' Monologue
Grace Brassel reacted to Shane Gillis' SNL monologue in a few social media posts
Oct. 16 2026, Published 1:50 p.m. ET
Shane Gillis’ ex-girlfriend Grace Brassel appeared to mock the comedian’s controversial Saturday Night Live monologue with a gym video after he faced backlash for comments about women’s workout clothes.
Gillis hosted the Oct. 10 episode of SNL for the third time and used part of his opening monologue to joke about returning to the gym.
He said he was surprised that women “dress like w****s now,” before making additional comments about their shorts and appearance.
Brassel, who dated Gillis from July 2024 until they split in 2025, responded to the controversy on social media. Her posts came shortly after she opened up about the difficult period she said followed their relationship.
Grace Brassel Turns Gillis’ Joke Into Gym Routine
Grace Brassel reacted to the monologue with an Instagram Reel
On Oct. 14, Brassel shared an Instagram video showing herself completing a quick workout.
She described it as a “full body workout for h*es,” appearing to turn Gillis’ own language back on him.
“Here’s my super quick full body workout as a big old h*e,” Brassel said at the beginning of the clip. She later joked, “Be a young he and run free. Have fun at the gym.”
The post followed other apparent responses to the backlash. Brassel reposted a video from Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy criticizing Gillis’ joke and added, “ANYWAYS… y’all need anything from the store?” She also shared a gym selfie with the caption, “Fitcheck!”
Levy had called the joke misogynistic, saying women wearing short shorts to the gym does not make them w****s. Former SNL cast members Ego Nwodim and Cecily Strong also responded with sarcastic gym-related posts.
Who Is Grace Brassel?
Grace Brassel has maintained a distance from the limelight despite being a popular face
Brassel is a social media influencer and content creator who has built an audience with lifestyle, fashion, and fitness posts.
She graduated from the University of Delaware in 2021 with a degree in communication and media studies and has worked as a social media strategist for DIFF Eyewear.
She also appeared on Dr. Phil in 2023 to discuss the dangers of vaping after experiencing a collapsed lung in 2022.
Brassel became publicly linked to Gillis after they were photographed together at Christian McCaffrey and Olivia Culpo’s wedding in June 2024. The pair confirmed their relationship in a TikTok video the following month.
A Timeline Of Their Relationship And Split
Shane Gillis and Grace Brassel were in a relationship for around a year
Gillis and Brassel dated for roughly a year. They were publicly seen together at sporting events and other appearances, including the 2025 ESPYS, where Gillis hosted, and the couple posed together on the red carpet.
In November 2025, sources confirmed to PEOPLE that the pair had broken up “a number of months ago.”
The breakup followed online speculation surrounding one of Brassel’s TikTok posts, although reports did not establish the reason for their split.
Earlier this month, Brassel spoke more openly about her experience. In an Oct. 5 Instagram post, she said she had been in a relationship the previous year that “fully stripped me of who I am” and that she had been afraid to discuss what she went through because of what she described as “relentless bullying” from her former partner’s fanbase.
She said she wanted the post to show other women that “IT GETS BETTER!!” Brassel did not name Gillis in that post.
Celebrity Backlash After 'SNL' Monologue
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Shane Gillis was criticized for his comments on SNL
During the bit, Gillis described women’s gym shorts as neon and “artificial bait-colored” and joked about being caught in the background of workout TikToks.
Levy publicly called the remarks misogynistic, while Plimpton described the material as “stupid” and questioned the lack of women involved in some of the show’s creative decision-making. Nwodim mocked the joke with a gym selfie captioned “Wh**e reporting for duty.”
The controversy adds to Gillis’ complicated history with SNL. He was hired as a cast member in 2019 but was fired before appearing on the show after offensive podcast clips resurfaced. He later returned as a host in 2024 and 2025 before his latest hosting appearance.
