Shane Gillis Breaks Silence on Controversial 'SNL' Monologue & 'Whore' Joke

Shane Gillis is finally speaking out about the wave of backlash he received from his controversial "SNL" monologue ... admitting he doesn't have an issue with women's attire at the gym.

Appearing on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast ... the "Tires" star told listeners not to blame the long-running variety show for his choice of words.

He said ... "Not to defend 'SNL,' they don’t approve it. I mean, they could shut it down."

The comedian went on to point out that stand-up comics usually write their own monologues ... and that "SNL"s writers handle drafting monologues for actors who aren't usually writing their own material.

Shane told host Joe Rogan ... "The funniest part was, I was going in -- they were like, 'What's going on with the monologue?' And I was like, 'It's not great, but I don’t say anything bad.’ The whole time, I was like, 'Fellas, I’m giving you a solid C-minus of a monologue, but I promise there’s no controversy. I’m calling myself fat for f***ing 10 minutes. That’s it.'"

Chalking up the negative response to his monologue as having "a lot to do with the climate" ... he admitted that he doesn't "have a problem" with women's gym attire.

As you know ... Shane joked that women dress like "whores" at the gym on the Oct. 10 episode, leading to multiple "SNL" actors calling him out amid widespread backlash online.