One of the funniest sports media moments of 2024 came as Shane Gillis served as the guest picker for the College GameDay episode that preceded the College Football Playoff.
The Tires star is now set to return to the Worldwide Leader’s airwaves, with ESPN announcing that Gillis will host the 2025 ESPYS, which will take place at The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16.
“I’m excited to be at The ESPYS this year,” Gillis said in a release. “I like sports so this should be a good time.”
Added ESPN Vice President and The ESPYS Executive Producer Craig Lazarus in a more thorough statement: “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.”
As Shane Gillis has emerged as one of the world’s most popular comedians in recent years, the Philadelphia native hasn’t been hard to find in the world of sports. The diehard Notre Dame and Eagles fan was present at both the College Football Playoff Championship Game and Super Bowl earlier this year and even delivered a pep talk to the Fighting Irish before their national title game defeat at the hands of Ohio State.
Weeks earlier, Gillis graced the set of College GameDay, where is interactions with Nick Saban ahead of Notre Dame’s first-round victory over Indiana proceeded to go viral. Discussing the Fighting Irish’s national title chances, the Beautiful Dogs star teased Saban over NIL giving an even playing field against the SEC.
“This feels different, it feels like we can win it,” Gillis said. “There’s a parity, now that everybody can pay their players, Notre Dame has a shot. It’s not just the SEC, it’s not Coach Saban.”
Suffice it to say, Saban — who Gillis later referred to as “Alabama Jones” — wasn’t amused.
“You called him a cheater earlier.” – Pat McAfee
“I was just joking around… Is this not a fun show? Is this a serious show? Alabama Jones is very serious.” – Shane Gillis
“… That was how we cheated. We developed players.” – Nick Saban https://t.co/o4pwKoByhL pic.twitter.com/GXwb9EMhMV
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 21, 2024
While ESPYS hosts have typically been more miss than hit, the status of Shane Gillis as not only one of the best comedians going, but also a legitimate sports fan, should give him some built-in advantages.
If nothing else, here’s to hoping we at least get a reunion with Saban, who seems to have since forgiven one of his daughter’s favorite comedians.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.