Stand-up comedian Shane Gillis is viewed as one of the most controversial comedians in recent memory. He was fired as a cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2019 before his debut for making racist remarks. However, he hosted the show recently and now his old skits have now gone viral on social media.
The comedian initially gained mainstream attention when announced as a new cast member for season 45 of “SNL” in September 2019. Unfortunately, he was fired shortly before the season premiere after a clip of him using an anti-Asian slur on his podcast went viral on Twitter. Gillis faced further backlash as additional clips of him using offensive language circulated online during that time.
What Did Shane Gillis Say During His SNL Return?
Comedian Shane Gillis addressed his 2019 firing from Saturday Night Live during his hosting debut on Saturday. Jokingly, he urged the audience not to look it up, saying, “Yeah, I’m here. I was fired from this show a while ago, but don’t look that up, please.” He continued, “If you don’t know who I am, please don’t Google that. It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it.”
Shane Gillis also humorously commented that he shouldn’t be on stage and suggested he was more suited to be a “high school football coach.” He raised eyebrows by quipping to the audience about having “family members with Down syndrome.” Gillis further remarked, “It almost got me,” as he moved from side to side during the monologue. “I dodged it, but it nicked me. It nicked me.”
As Gillis continued his monologue, he appeared progressively uneasy, a departure from his usual slightly awkward, somewhat doofus persona. He joked multiple times about expecting bigger laughs, humorously commenting on the well-lit venue, saying, “This place is extremely well-lit. I can see everyone not enjoying it.”
It is to be noted that laughter in the Saturday Night Live broadcast room can often sound louder to viewers at home than to the performers onstage. Shane Gillis had a very mixed response to his return to Saturday Night Live, and it made fans wonder why Shane Gillis hosted the show in the first place.
Shane Gillis’ Old Skits Went Viral Following His Subpar SNL Return
Considering just how badly Shane Gillis’ return to Saturday Night Live was, it comes as no surprise some of his older skits have now become viral on social media. This includes his involvement in an episode of Gilly and Keeves.
In one of his most famous skits on the show, Shane Gillis performed the role of Bob Isis, who was a Toyota car salesman in the skit. It was actually one of Shane Gillis’ best performances to date and a fan took to Twitter and made it clear that he felt Saturday Night Live and should have just played old Shane Gillis clips the entire episode.
Honestly SNL should have just played old Shane Gillis clips the entire episode lol pic.twitter.com/rp8IccnNDi
— Drill Bill (@SarkastikB) February 25, 2024
Nevertheless, it is unlikely Shane Gillis will be returning to Saturday Night Live anytime soon after all the backlash he got for his monologue.
