<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI see a lot of you don\u2019t like me and that\u2019s okay,\u201d Shane Gillis<\/a> told the crowd of sports superstars and celebrities at the 2025 ESPY Awards on July 16. Spoken like a true comedian. <\/p>\n \n\tEven before the stand-up star\u2019s monologue was over, the internet was awash in shocked posts about his jokes \u2014 and the cameras at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles showed plenty of double takes in the audience \u2014 but from a pure comedy perspective, Gillis killed way more than he missed, and his onstage moments brought an energy and tension to a production that was filled with many canned acceptance speeches that were oddly free of emotion.<\/p>\n \n\tWhen a joke didn\u2019t land or drew a mixed response \u2014 there were some boos in the crowd \u2014 Gillis sometimes claimed he hadn\u2019t written it. But given his unapologetic comic style, he might have been tweaking another comic, Jo Koy<\/a>, who blamed his writers for the many jokes that bombed during his monologue at the 2024 Golden Globes.<\/p>\n \n\tThroughout the ceremony, which included performances by Clipse<\/a>, Busta Rhymes<\/a> and GELO<\/a>, Gillis \u2014 who hails from Mechanicsburg, Pa.,(about a two-hour drive from Philadelphia), namechecked his favorite NFL team, the Eagles, with, \u201cGo Birds,\u201d and late in the production went all out when comparing the team to the other nominees for the best team ESPY. <\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI bet you guys think, as an Eagles fan, I\u2019m going to trash all of the other nominees. Far from it,\u201d Gillis said with his trademark wait-for-it grin. \u201cI think this race is wide open,\u201d he said before comparing the team to the other candidates and one that was not. \u201cOne of the nominees for the best team this year is the Dallas Cowboys. No, I\u2019m joking, obviously. Dallas sucks,\u201d he said, uttering the chant usually heard at games between the Eagles and their decades-long rival. \u201cOnly real teams are up for best team.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe Eagles did take home the best team award, as well as the best play and best NFL player honors for running back Saquon Barkley and his mind-blowing reverse hurdle over Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones last season.<\/p>\n \n\tGillis\u2019 boosterism was not lost on the Eagles\u2019 offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who accepted the best team award and dubbed the comedian the team\u2019s \u201csixth offensive lineman\u201d \u2014 which, if it wasn\u2019t a joke, could have been.<\/p>\n \n\tFor those who didn\u2019t catch the awards, here are Gillis\u2019 10 best jokes in descending order. And while the saying goes that if a joke needs to be explained, it\u2019s not funny, background is included for those who don\u2019t follow sports.<\/p>\n