ESPN announces comedian Shane Gillis as host of 2025 ESPY Awards

The 2025 ESPY Awards landed a fascinating host on Tuesday. Comedian Shane Gillis was tabbed by ESPN for the event, which will air live from The Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 16.

“I’m excited to be at The ESPYS this year,” said Gillis, via a press release from ESPN. “I like sports so this should be a good time.”

Short, sweet and to the point. Gillis’ has seen his star rise over the past couple of years, and he’s been around some major sporting events in that time, including making multiple appearances on ESPN’s flagship college football program in College GameDay.

He’ll bring an awesome energy to The ESPYS. Craig Lazarus, ESPN Vice President and The ESPYS Executive Producer, drove home that point in his statement on the matter.

“Shane is not only one of the top comedians today, but also a huge sports fan, which made him an easy choice to host The ESPYS,” added Lazarus. “We are thrilled to work with him to create an entertaining show celebrating this year’s best moments in sports and are excited to see what he’ll do on stage.”

At the moment, it’s tough to miss Gillis. He’s one of the most visible comedians in the entire world. The 37-year-old is currently in the midst of his international stand-up tour spanning nearly 40 cities, which ESPN noted is breaking the all-time comedy show record in 18 arenas. 

Additionally, he’s been the host of Saturday Night Live multiple times over the past couple of years, as well as creating and starring in the Netflix comedy series Tires. The Pennsylvania native also is the co-host of the comedy podcast Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast with fellow comedian Matt McCusker, which is consistently among the top podcasts in the world.

Last year, The ESPYS was hosted by Tennis legend Serena Williams. It’s been awhile since a comedian has been tabbed, so Gillis will be a nice change of pace. Prior to Williams, athletes such as Stephen Curry and Peyton Manning have hosted the event, as well as actors like John Cena, Anthony Mackie and Tracy Morgan.

Shane Gillis will have a little bit less than a month to prepare to host The ESPYS. If his past work is any indicator, it should be a fun show. We’ll see what he cooks up for Los Angeles in July.