Shane Gillis, the comedian and star of Netflix's Tires, will host the 2025 ESPY Awards, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Gillis has exploded over the last few years thanks to his standup, podcast and sketch work. He was briefly hired as a cast member on Saturday Night Live before quickly being fired when old material surfaced. He has since hosted the show twice.
Gillis is a huge sports fan who was the guest picker on a December episode of ESPN's College GameDay. During his appearance Gillis, a Notre Dame fan, joked that the Fighting Irish had a shot in the NIL era since all schools could now pay their players with former Alabama coach Nick Saban just a few seats away.
Gillis will be the first non-athlete to host the show since Tracy Morgan in 2019. Joel McHale (2015), Rob Riggle (2012), Seth Meyers (2010), Jamie Foxx (2003, 2004), Norm Macdonald (1998), Jeff Foxworth (1997) and Dennis Miller (1993, 1994) are the previous comedians to host the event.
Gillis's brand of humor and willingness to needle just about anyone makes him a fairly bold choice for ESPN. He certainly has the potential to recreate the awkwardness that Macdonald caused with is infamous monologue.
The 2025 ESPY Awards will air on July 16.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN Made a Surprisingly Bold Choice to Host the 2025 ESPYs.