Why was Shane Gillis fired from SNL? Details explored

Shane Gillis, a stand-up comic joined the cast of Saturday Night Live (SNL) season 45 in September 2019. However, within a week of the announcement, Gillis was fired the show after they discovered old podcast clips of his which showed him using r*cist and h*mophobic language.

SNL introduced Shane as a new cast member on September 12, 2019, but fired him within few days on September 16, 2019, before he could appear on the show. In a September 2018 episode of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, Gillis spoke an anti-Asian slur and made fun of a Chinese accent while discussing Chinatown.

Following the criticism, Gillis shared a now-removed apology calling himself a "comedian who tests limits."

“Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself on SNL, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction,” he stated.

A spokesperson for SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels said at the time,

“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.”

Recently, despite his past controversies, Gillis was announced as the host for an upcoming episode of Saturday Night Live on February 24, 2025.

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Shane Gillis’ remarks and apology after SNL announcement

When Shane Gillis got a spot on SNL's cast, few of his old podcast recordings resurfaced and got widely criticized. One clip that made the rounds online showed him using a slur when talking about Chinatown residents and cracking jokes about saying "nooders" instead of noodles.

Gillis, who joined the show at the same time as Bowen Yang — SNL's first Asian American cast member — soon had to answer questions about how his remarks clashed with the show's principles. In a 2019 interview with NBC News, speaking on behalf of executive producer Lorne Michaels,

“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,” an SNL spokesperson said.

However, the statement added that the language used by Gillis was “offensive, hurtful and unacceptable.” Gillis apologized in a now-deleted social media post, stating, “I respect the decision they made.”

During a 2021 interview with comedian Theo Von, Gillis described the experience as “traumatic” and said he had nightmares about negative press,

“I definitely wouldn’t have changed what we did on our podcast,” Shane added.

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Shane Gillis' later reflections on his firing and career growth

Despite the setback, Shane Gillis continued to build his career. He self-released a stand-up special on YouTube in 2021, which has garnered over 23 million views, and later released a Netflix special titled Beautiful Dogs in 2023. Gillis reflected on his firing during an appearance on comedian Theo Von’s podcast in 2021.

“I don’t argue me getting fired because those are today’s rules,” he shared.

Gillis acknowledged that his style of comedy often crossed boundaries, and added that if they were mad about that, "there’s a lot [more].” He also addressed criticisms related to homophobic jokes, admitting in a 2022 interview with New Yorker that he avoids certain language on stage because it can be distracting rather than funny.

However, he maintained that he was not politically motivated in his comedy, saying that he was not "a conservative guy,” in Theo Von's podcast. As his career progressed, he partnered with Bud Light for a stand-up tour and continued gaining a large audience, leading to his return to Saturday Night Live as a host in 2025.

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Watch the previous episodes of Saturday Night Live which are available to stream on Peacock.