Shane Gillis to Host 2025 ESPYS

Shane Gillis will host the 2025 ESPYS, ESPN announced Tuesday.

The comedian will take the stage at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre to host sports’ biggest night on Wednesday, July 16. The 2025 ESPYS, which are presented by Capital One, will air live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and will stream live on ESPN+.

Gillis’ appointment as host marks a switchup from recent ESPYS hosts, which have more recently seen beloved sports stars host the awards ceremony. Serena Williams hosted in 2024 and other hosts from recent years include Stephen Curry, Russell Wilson, Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird, Danica Patrick and Peyton Manning, among others.

The “Tires” star and writer joins a slew of non-athletes who have hosted in the ESPYS, including Anthony Mackie, Tracy Morgan, Joel McHale, Drake and Jom Hamm.

“I’m excited to be at the ESPYS this year,” Gillis said. “I like sports so this should be a good time.”

“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,” ESPN VP and ESPYS EP Craig Lazarus said in a statement. “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.”

Gillis is currently in the midst of his standup tour that will bring him to nearly 40 cities. He also created and stars in Netflix’s “Tires,” which follows “Will (Steve Gerben), an unqualified heir, [who] attempts to turn his auto repair business around while enduring torment from his now-employee cousin Shane (Gillis),” per the official logline.

Gillis played college football at the U.S. Military Academy before transferring to Elon University, where he also played football before transferring to West Chester University.

The ESPYS are co-produced by ESPN and Full Day Production, with EPs for the shows including Full Day’s Connor Schell and Dave Chamberlin. In addition to airing live on ABC and ESPN+, the ESPYS will also be available to
stream the next day on Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+.

The post Shane Gillis to Host 2025 ESPYS appeared first on TheWrap.