In an ironic twist of fate, Saturday Night Live (SNL) announced Shane Gillis will be its host on February 24th in what many are seeing as the comedian’s career coming full circle. Gillis was notably fired from the show in 2019 for politically incorrect jokes, only for him to return as a special guest four years later.
The 36-year-old standup comic will be hosting the show alongside musical guest rapper 21 Savage.
Next show!!! pic.twitter.com/P6J6QQqOFY
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) February 4, 2024
In 2019, Gillis was fired from the SNL cast just four days after being hired as a full-time talent over old podcast clips in which he joked about Chinese and gay people. The clips were seized upon and spread by left-wing activist Seth Simons, and Gillis was subsequently fired through a statement by a spokesperson of Lorne Michaels, the creator and producer of SNL. At the time, Michaels referred to the comments as “offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable.”
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
The Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania-born entertainer attempted to apologize, writing “I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses … I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”
But more off-color remarks from his podcast were discovered, and Gillis was fired before making a single appearance on the live show.
After the firing, Gillis took to Twitter again, writing: “It feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements but here we are. I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL. That can’t be taken away. … Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at SNL, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a mad tv guy anyway.”
Gillis went on to experience a successful turnaround, with his comedy special Beautiful Dogs becoming the top-performing Netflix offering in the fall of 2023 for two consecutive days.
Shane Devine is a writer covering politics, economics, and culture for Valuetainment. Follow Shane on X (Twitter).
Add comment