Stand-up comedian, actor, and writer Shane Gillis returned to host Saturday Night Live after being axed from the cast in 2019.
In the same year, Gillis was slated to join SNL as a new cast member. However, things took a turn when an old video surfaced, showing him using a racial slur against Asians.
In the YouTube video (via The Hollywood Reporter), he said, “Chinatown’s f*cking nuts. Let the f*cking ch—s live there.” He also imitated a Chinese accent and mocked Chinese restaurants.
Shane Gillis Addressed His Firing in SNL Monologue, Fans Celebrate His Return
During the Feb. 24 episode of Saturday Night Live, Shane Gillis didn’t shy away from talking about his firing in his opening monologue. He opened the old jar of misfires, saying:
“I’m here,” he said. “Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was actually — I was fired from this show a while ago. But, you know, don’t look that up, please. If you don’t know who I am, please don’t Google that. It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it.”
The Mechanicsburg native then joked about being a high school football coach, poking fun at the controversy surrounding him. Gillis said, “Thought that was going to be a big hit here.” Ironically, it set the tone of his SNL comeback.
Then after drifting from the controversial backlash, he started making jokes to lighten the mood. Though sometimes he’d stumble over his words as if he’s self-aware. “Look, I don’t have any material that can be on TV, all right?,” he quipped.
The 36-year-old also mentioned how he knows some really happy people with Down Syndrome, including some of his own family members. This was similar to what he talked about in his Netflix special from 2023, Beautiful Dogs.
Gillis’ fans celebrated his return as they took to X and posted some positive comments. Check out some fan reactions:
OMG. I’m dying. He is great!
Welcome back!!— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) February 25, 2024
Shane is successful because he’s authentic. There’s no virtue signaling. There’s no ideology. There’s no narrative. He’s a regular dude saying things regular dudes think.
When Shane was “cancelled” by SNL in 2019, he was not some rich famous person that could hide. He had to…
— Nice Guy P (@RealPJPaul) February 25, 2024
I’m so ready for unfiltered comedy again.
The infection of politically correct “humor” is tiring.
Just. Be. Funny.
— Joshua Walker (@RedsRepair95) February 25, 2024
Shane Gillis brings the laughs and pushes boundaries in his return to SNL.
— Danizinhah (@DeuseuTeAmoLima) February 26, 2024
Comedy is back baby.
— Raul Lopez (@AndyRaulTarl) February 26, 2024
Fans are clearly excited. Even Gillis seems to have moved on and is ready to make people laugh again with his strong comeback.
Shane Gillis’ Apology After SNL Cuts Ties with Him in 2019
Shane Gillis was fired from SNL just a week after they announced he’d be joining the cast. A statement came out from Lorne Michaels, the longtime executive producer, addressing what happened (via Variety) :
“We want ‘SNL’ to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition for ‘SNL.’ We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard.”
Gillis also released his statement after his firing on social media writing (via Variety), “It feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements but here we are.”
The stand-up comedian continued, stating that he respects “the decision they made,” adding “I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a Mad TV [sic] guy anyway.”
After getting fired in 2019, Gillis started co-hosting a podcast called Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. He also got a Netflix comedy special titled Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs” released in 2023.
Watch Shane Gillis’ SNL Monologue and Sketches from February 24 on NBC or SNL’s YouTube channel.
