Comedian Shane Gillis says he dodged a photo op with Trump

Comedian Shane Gillis said he deliberately avoided being photographed with President Trump during a UFC card held at the White House this summer, telling podcast host Joe Rogan he stood outside in the rain rather than join other entertainers in a VIP viewing area.

Mr. Gillis made the disclosure during a Thursday appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” in which he discussed turning down an invitation into the VIP room during UFC Freedom 250, the mixed martial arts card staged on the South Lawn of the White House on June 14 in conjunction with Mr. Trump’s 80th birthday, Consequence first reported.

“I knew those photos would be taken,” Mr. Gillis said.

Mr. Rogan, joined on the podcast by comedians Mark Normand and Ari Shaffir, pressed Mr. Gillis on the decision, noting that comedian Nate Bargatze had spent time in the same VIP space without drawing criticism. Mr. Gillis pushed back on the comparison, telling Mr. Rogan, “They asked me to go in the VIP room, I said, ’No way,’” the Daily Beast reported.

The comedian also revisited a 2023 photo he took with Mr. Trump at UFC 290 in Las Vegas, saying his thinking at the time no longer applies.

“This guy’s gonna release the Epstein Files, and no more wars,” Mr. Gillis said, recalling his mindset during that earlier photo, according to TheWrap. He added that he still did not vote for Mr. Trump despite posing for the picture.

A clip of the exchange, posted to X by an account called Headquarters, drew tens of thousands of likes within hours.

Mr. Gillis, who was dropped from “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 over past racial and homophobic remarks on his podcast, currently stars in the Netflix comedy series “Tires,” whose third season premiered the same day as his podcast appearance.