Finally ESPN gets one right.
The “Worldwide Leader of Sports” has faced criticism as of late for putting out talent that’s… well, maybe not so talented. Or at the very least, not incredibly specialized for what they are tasked with covering. That was on full display with their coverage of the NBA Finals. The discourse around ESPN’s Finals coverage was both loud and negative.
Mainly because the network rolled out Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins and the two just yelled at each other:
I truly don’t know who that kind of coverage is for…
But anyways, in a surprising move by ESPN, the network has tapped quite the big name to come in and host the 2025 ESPYS awards show. The ESPYS, which takes place on July 16 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, is an event that celebrates the past year of sports – and helps to raise money for V Foundation for Cancer Research.
And comedian Shane Gillis has been chosen to host it this year.
Craig Lazarus, ESPN vice president and executive producer of The ESPYS, had this to say about the network’s decision to roll with the stand-up comedian for their annual awards show:
“Shane is not only one of the top comedians today, but also a huge sports fan, which made him an easy choice to host The ESPYS. We are thrilled to work with him to create an entertaining show celebrating this year’s best moments in sports and are excited to see what he’ll do on stage.”
Excited… and probably a little nervous.
Shane Gillis’ statement about his newly announced upcoming gig was short and sweet. He didn’t beat around the bush too much, and simply stated that he’s a fan of sports and that he’s looking forward to being the host for ESPN’s awards show:
“I’m excited to be at The ESPYS this year. I like sports so this should be a good time.”
This also bucks a trend that ESPN has had in recent years with the ESPYS. Taking a look at the lost below, you’ll see there have only been two comedians in the past ten years that have hosted the awards show. ESPN had been going with athletes – or former athletes – to take over the hosting duties:
2015: Joel McHale
2016: John Cena
2017: Peyton Manning
(Decent)
2018: Danica Patrick
2019: Tracy Morgan
2020: Russell Wilson, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird
(What were they thinking with that one?)
2021: Anthony Mackie
2022: Steph Curry
2023: No Host
2024: Serena Williams
As you can see, not a lot of comedians have hosted in the last decade. Maybe Shane Gillis will knock it out of the park and start a new trend? Or maybe just become the de facto host for the foreseeable future? As a fan of Gillis myself, I wouldn’t hate that.
And just to be clear, hosting the ESPYS isn’t the first time that Shane Gillis has worked with ESPN. During last year’s college football season, the stand-up comedian joined College GameDay as a celebrity guest picker, and almost immediately (and unintentionally) created a beef with former Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban.
It was truly riveting television… which I’m guessing playing a part in ESPN deciding to bring him back, if only for a ratings boost:
