Inde Navarrette turned a Marvel workout joke into an unmistakable Shane Gillis callback on SNL

Inde Navarrette found a very specific way to mark her first turn as Saturday Night Live host. A monologue that began with Obsession jokes and Marvel talk quickly turned into a callback viewers instantly recognised from the show’s previous host.

Navarrette, 25, hosted SNL on Halloween and used one of her biggest career updates to set up the punchline. Telling the audience she is joining Marvel as Rogue in the new X-Men film, she said she had been spending a lot of time at the gym because getting fit matters for that world.

Then came the line that got the room. Navarrette said that every morning she puts on her “little whore outfit” and goes to work out. The crowd responded with laughter and applause, a sign plenty of people understood exactly who and what she was referencing. You can watch the moment in the clip below.

Why that one line landed immediately

The joke pointed straight back to Shane Gillis, who had hosted the show earlier in October. In his own monologue, Gillis complained about women’s workout clothes and said women “dress like whores now” at the gym. He then described bright shorts and joked about men being told not to look.

Those remarks drew criticism. Dan Levy responded in a social media video, saying women wearing short shorts to the gym did not make them whores and that men using that label were being misogynistic. He also argued that more men should push back on that kind of talk, saying objectification in the media affects how women are seen and treated. Former cast members Cecily Strong and Ego Nwodim were also among the people who criticised the bit. Nwodim posted a gym selfie on Instagram Stories with the caption, “Whore reporting for duty.”

According to one account, Gillis had not addressed the backlash.

Her monologue had more than one punchline

Navarrette’s opening was not built only around that swipe. She also introduced herself through Obsession, the horror film that raised her profile, and joked about how often people ask whether she is anything like Nikki, her character in the movie. Her answer was a clear no.

She then tried to prove it with another visual gag. After telling the audience that her boyfriend was there to support her and that they have a very relaxed relationship, the camera cut to Nick Aiello sitting in the crowd bound and gagged in a chair.

The rest of the monologue kept the Halloween theme going. Cast members came out in costume, including Marcello Hernandez as a sexy TSA agent and Kam Patterson as Elizabeth Holmes. Jeremy Culhane appeared as Wolverine and tried to use Navarrette’s Marvel connection to get himself into the film, showing up prepared for an audition.

Put together, the monologue did a few jobs at once. It gave first time viewers a quick introduction to Navarrette, nodded to Obsession, highlighted her move into the new X-Men movie and answered a recent SNL controversy with a line the audience clearly got.