Shane Gillis told Joe Rogan's podcast he declined an invitation into the VIP room at Trump's UFC birthday event at the White House, unlike fellow comedian Nate Bargatze, who was photographed there with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cheryl Hines, and Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee. Gillis said he stood outside in the rain specifically to avoid being photographed and knew what going inside would signal.
Rogan, who emceed the event and had encouraged friends including Gillis to attend, dismissed criticism of attendees as making it 'a partisan thing.' Gillis also said he regrets a 2023 photo-op with Trump, noting he thought at the time Trump would release the Epstein files and avoid wars, though he says he still didn't vote for him.
Bargatze has stayed quiet since facing backlash, declined to comment on a fighter's slur against Michelle Obama at the event, and has been censoring negative comments about his Trump association on his own Instagram.
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