Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live on 11 October 2026, seven years after being fired from the show in 2019. His opening monologue sparked quick backlash from viewers who called jokes about women demeaning toward women. Critics at Variety and Vulture described the monologue as a bomb.

A Dr. Seuss-inspired sketch during the episode included a not-safe-to-air slip, and Gillis later said sorry for the slip. The Guardian noted the episode continued what it called a disappointing stretch of shows for the season.