Shane Gillis proved there are ‘no rules’ at ESPN anymore: Bomani Jones

Former ESPNer Bomani Jones said Shane Gillis’ opening monologue at the 2025 ESPYs is proof that the Worldwide Leader has tossed the rulebook out the window.

During Monday’s installment of his podcast, “The Right Time,” Jones, who was a writer and on-air personality at ESPN from 2004-2023, explained that the network doesn’t care to talk about
“stuff that matters” because they “can’t control what Pat McAfee does” on his daily program.

“Shane Gillis did not hit all of [his jokes] out of the park, but he hit a couple of them to the moon,”
Jones said as he recalled some of the comedian’s lewd jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, President Donald Trump and Caitlin Clark.

Gillis was the host of this year’s ESPY Awards, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles last week in front of a star-studded audience.

“I was like, ‘I can’t believe this is happening. There are officially no more rules at that place,’” Jones said. “I worked with, for [and] in various capacities at ESPN for about 20 years. I’ve known what you can and can’t get away with, I’ve been there for the ebbs and flows of the things that you can do, whether it be [on] digital or whatever it is. I’ve seen all the changes.

“This is wild. There are officially no rules, as long as you’re talking about stuff that doesn’t really matter. Because, talking about stuff that matters — there is less of that. They’ve concluded that people don’t want that, OK. And then they can’t control anything that anybody does because you can’t control what McAfee does. I saw clips of that show and was just like, ‘This is insane, I don’t know anything that is going on over there.’”

ESPN always knew Gillis’ comedic stylings weren’t going to be for everyone, but there were no worries about the “Tires” star, who has worked with the network on its “College GameDay” show, The Post learned last week.

ESPN declined to comment.

Gillis certainly pushed the envelope at the ESPYs.

The actor faced some scrutiny for his jokes, which took aim at new Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and O.J. Simpson.

Jones said he was surprised because the ESPN that he knew was much more strict when it came to “what you can and can’t get away with” on-air.

McAfee joined ESPN in September 2023, when he took his namesake daily talk show from FanDuel to daytime television for a lucrative payday.

The former NFL punter appeared at the 2025 ESPYs to honor Lee Corso, whose last show as a full-time cast member of “College GameDay” is Aug. 30 in Columbus, Ohio.

McAfee and fellow castmates Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard took the stage to share remarks of how Corso has impacted their broadcast careers.

The McAfee era at ESPN ushered in a new way of doing things, such as the host cursing on the mic and complaining about higher-ups at the company.

In January 2024, McAfee made headlines for calling then-ESPN executive senior vice president of studio and event production, Norby Williamson, a “rat” — and accusing Williamson of sabotaging his show.

Williamson was out at ESPN that April after nearly four decades, as The Post learned that he and Burke Magnus, the president of content, did not share a vision that aligned with ESPN’s long-term strategy and that Magnus made the decision to part ways with the seasoned executive.

McAfee is also a regular contributor on the ESPN shows, “Get Up” and “College GameDay,” among other programs.