Marcello Hernández takes viral shot at Shane Gillis during ESPYS monologue

The Saturday Night Live star Marcello Hernández sent the internet into a frenzy at the ESPYS Awards with his viral monologue.

The Saturday Night Live star Marcello Hernández sent the internet into a frenzy at ESPYS Awards with his viral monologue.

In an opening at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly 2026, he takes a brutal dig at last year’s host Shane Gillis.

Hernández, 28, delivered a stunning opening to open the annual ESPN-led award show, the ESPY, on Wednesday, July 15, at David Koch Theatre at Lincoln Center in N.Y.

Taking a dig at Shane Gillis, Saturday Night Live star Hernandez poked fun: “I personally think it’s crazy that I get to host the ESPYS. This is an American dream.”

The show saw A-list athletes in attendance, including Simone Biles, Steph Curry, and Chloe Kim.

Hernández continued, “I also want to shout out last year’s hot, Shane Gillis. He’s watching from home like a true American.”

“On his couch, drinking a beer while a Hispanic guy does his job,” Hernández gagged.

To the surprise of many netizens online, when the camera panned to get a reaction from actor Kevin Hart, who nodded and passed a smile after Hernández quipped about Gillis.

Hernández replaced Gillis just hours after the latter was cast for the show (SNL) after he allegedly made an anti-Asian slur back in 2019.

Shane Gillis, whose jokes fell flat during his opening at last year’s ESPYS, poked at the time:

“A bookie is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bedtime,” said Gillis before he mentioned the name of one fictitious book, “The Little Engine Who Could But Needed a Pill First.”

Hernández, who has been appearing as a cast member of buzzworthy Saturday Night Live since 2022, dazzled the red-carpet with his lady love, Amelia Batlle Cobral.