Gymshark has found an unexpected cultural moment, with the activewear brand leveraging backlash over Shane Gillis’ woeful SNL monologue to amplify its partnership with rapper Megan Thee Stallion.
The campaign, which sees the Grammy-winning rapper join Gymshark as its inaugural celebrity ambassador, is built around confidence, strength and self-expression. Now, following backlash over comedian Shane Gillis’ controversial Saturday Night Live monologue, those themes have taken on a new relevance.
Gillis attracted criticism after making derogatory comments about what women wear to the gym, describing female gymgoers as “whores”. Gymshark responded by bringing the controversy directly into its campaign narrative.
The brand’s chief brand officer, Noel Mack, took to LinkedIn with a fairly blunt message.
“Anyone looking for the shorts Shane Gillis was referring to, they’re unapologetically available on Gymshark.com – bought to you by the good people at Gymshark and Megan Thee Stallion.”
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The post puts the campaign’s product offering front and centre, turning an existing celebrity partnership into a timely response to the debate.
For Gymshark, Megan Thee Stallion represents a significant step beyond its traditional fitness community and creator-led marketing approach. As the brand’s first-ever celebrity ambassador, the rapper brings a global profile and an established cultural identity that aligns with the campaign’s focus on women owning their confidence.
The partnership has given Gymshark a recognisable face to lead its brand messaging, while the controversy has created an additional opportunity to amplify that message to a wider audience.
Rather than allowing the campaign to exist solely through planned advertising and social content, Gymshark has instead connected it to the conversation surrounding female empowerment. Mack’s post has extended the campaign beyond its original creative, using the shorts themselves as a direct response to the criticism.
The move also gives the partnership another layer of visibility. Coverage of the controversy now has a natural connection to the Megan Thee Stallion campaign focused around female activewear, creating opportunities for earned media, social sharing and further brand awareness.
That exposure is particularly valuable for a campaign introducing a new kind of brand partnership.
While the response may generate attention, its commercial impact will ultimately depend on whether that visibility translates into engagement, website traffic and sales.
For now, the Gillis backlash has brough the Gymshark, Megan Thee Stallion duo to a wider audience and inserted the campaign into a wider conversation about confidence, women’s gymwear and the right to wear what you want.
