Shane Gillis dominated headlines Thursday morning after his — hilarious to some, infuriating to others — ESPYS monologue … and TMZ Sports has learned the folks at ESPN aren’t entertaining what the naysayers are spewin’.

A source with direct knowledge tells us … ESPN appreciated all of Shane’s hard work on the show … which included a live monologue that poked fun at several high-profile athletes, including Caitlin Clark and Megan Rapinoe. He also had some Epstein and Diddy quips during his time on stage.

One of the most popular/unpopular jokes … “When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she’s going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist fighting Black women.”

We hear it’s all good over at the network … ESPN has had a great relationship with the actor and comic for some time — and SG has even been on GameDay in the past.

Shane also ribbed Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson‘s relationship and called out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s propensity to get foul calls.

Getting down to brass tacks, our sources say Shane did what he does best — stand-up comedy … and that means certain jokes resonate with different audience members.

Bottom line … the awards show routine was never going to be universally loved by everyone … that’s just the nature of comedy!