Comedian-actor Shane Gillis, who was fired from SNL before even making his debut appearance, is now set to return to the show almost five years later. His departure from the show came in the wake of a resurfaced video where he was seen making controversial remarks about Asian people, along with mocking stereotypical accents.
Surprisingly this isn’t the first time the show has followed such a pattern, as it has been evident in the case of a number of other comedians as well, including the late Norm Macdonald, who was fired from the show only to make a memorable return to the show.
SNL’s Familiar Pattern in Shane Gillis’ Return to the Comedy Show
Shane Gillis’ return to the Saturday Night Live seems similar to that of the late actor-comedian Norm Macdonald. Starting his career as a stand-up comedian, Macdonald joined the cast of the NBC comedy show in 1993 and soon started hosting the news satire segment Weekend Update.
However, his tenure at Weekend Update ended abruptly in 1998 after he was told that he was “not funny.” There were speculations regarding the reasons behind his departure. The late actor believed his relentless jokes about O.J. Simpson irked NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, a friend of Simpson, leading to his suspension.
Don Ohlmeyer, however, claimed that the Dirty Work actor was removed due to its falling ratings. He remained a cast member before eventually leaving the show later in 1998. Over a year later, he was brought back to host the comedy show in 1999, where he humorously addressed his firing, quipping that he was rehired because “the show has gotten really bad” since his departure.
Shane Gillis’ return to the show mirrors the pattern the network followed with Norm Macdonald. Although the reasons behind their exits differed significantly, the show ultimately reversed its decision to rehire the talent they had previously let go. However, Shane Gillis and Macdonald aren’t the only ones in this category, as similar instances have occurred with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.
Adam Sandler And Chris Rock Were Also Brought Back by SNL
Adam Sandler and Chris Rock are also among some of the SNL cast members, who were fired only to make triumphant returns to the show. Sandler and Rock, widely regarded for their comedic prowess, faced exits from SNL in 1995 and 1993, respectively.
Talking about his and fellow star Chris Farley’s departure from the show, the Murder Mystery actor said during a 2014 interview with The Daily Beast, “Yes, we were [fired]. We kind of quit at the same time as being fired. It was the end of the run for us.” Rock, however, was reportedly fired after he expressed his interest in joining another sketch series called In Living Color.
Both Sandler and Rock returned to SNL in 2019 when the Grown Ups star took on the hosting duties. He humorously addressed his past firing through a song in a collaboration with Chris Rock who also reminisced about his departure.
“I was fired, I was fired, I was fired, so sad to tell/ Well, I never saw it coming, I got fired from SNL,” Sandler sang. Rock further chimed in, “I got fired, I was fired, I was fired by NBC. Then I went on In Living Color – three weeks later they took it off TV.” Despite their setbacks, both Sandler and Rock went on to achieve remarkable success in their careers. And Shane Gillis’ return to the comedy show has now led many to reminisce about these remarkable returns.
