Shane Gillis 'Stood Outside in the Rain' to Avoid Posing for VIP Photos at Donald Trump's White House UFC Event
Shane Gillis 'Stood Outside in the Rain' to Avoid Posing for VIP Photos at Donald Trump's White House UFC Event
OK! Staff Tue, August 18, 2026 at 1:55 PM UTC
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Shane Gillis said he avoided the VIP room at Donald Trump’s White House UFC event.MEGA
Shane Gillis went to President Donald Trump’s UFC event at the White House, but he says he knew better than to pose in the VIP room.
Appearing on “The Joe Rogan Experience” with Rogan, Mark Normand and Ari Shaffir, Gillis tried to shut down talk of the UFC Freedom 250 event, held on the White House South Lawn in June. Rogan, who served as master of ceremonies, said he had taken “zero heat” for going.
Gillis had a different strategy.
The VIP Room Line
Shane Gillis said he expected photographs to be taken inside the VIP area.MEGA
“They asked me to go in the VIP room, I said, ‘No way,’” Gillis said.
“We were there together… Me and Nate Bargatze were in there, chillin’,” Rogan said.
Bargatze was later photographed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Cheryl Hines, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Rogan and others. After the event, fans flooded his social media comments with questions about what his appearance signaled politically.
Nate Bargatze was photographed alongside several Donald Trump administration figures.MEGA
A representative for Bargatze told The Daily Beast the appearance was “not political.”
Gillis said he understood the optics before entering the room.
“F--- no,” he said of his reaction to the invitation. “I knew photos were gonna be taken.”
He added, “I stood outside in the rain. I said I’m not getting my picture taken.”
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Regret Over Donald Trump
Shane Gillis reflected on his earlier support for Donald Trump during the podcast discussion.MEGA
Gillis has previously been photographed with Trump, but said that moment came before several second-term flashpoints.
“That was pre-a lot of things,” Gillis said.
“Back then, when I was taking that picture, I was like, this guy’s gonna release the Epstein Files, and no more wars. I like that.”
Shaffir jumped in, “Wasn’t killing Americans.”
“Also, I still didn’t vote for him,” Gillis added.
A Comedian’s Donald Trump Problem
The UFC event highlighted the reputational risks comedians face around Donald Trump.MEGA
Gillis has often been described as an “anti-woke” comic, and his career has been tied to controversy since he was fired from Saturday Night Live in 2019 before appearing on the show. Netflix released Season 3 of his comedy series Tires on August 13.
The White House UFC event put several comedians close to Trump-world at a moment when celebrity proximity to the president has become a reputational gamble. Rogan has argued that attending a fight at the White House does not automatically amount to endorsing Trump’s politics.
“Doesn’t mean you endorse foreign policy,” Rogan said in June.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
