Shane Gillis is back on the Saturday Night Live stage TONIGHT (October 10)!
The 38-year-old Tires actor and comedian returns to the weekly NBC sketch show to host for his second time, and he’s joined by musical guest Rosalia for the latest episode of season 52.
If you didn’t know, Shane was announced to join the cast of the show in 2019, alongside Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang. However, he was then fired just days later, but returned to host in 2024.
So, why was Shane Gillis fired from SNL?
Reason why Shane Gillis was fired from Saturday Night Live revealed
Right after Shane was announced as a new cast member on SNL, a past podcast clip resurfaced where he used a racial slur.
“Chinatown’s f***ing nuts,” Shane says in the clip. “Let the f***ing ch**** live there.”
He also made a comment about Chinese restaurants, saying, “The translation between you and the waiter is just such a f***ing hassle.”
After the comments resurfaced, Shane released a statement addressing the controversy.
“I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss,” Shane wrote on Twitter at the time. “If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it is 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’m trying to be the best comedian I can be be sometimes that requires risks.”
Shane Gillis was fired from SNL 4 days after his casting was announced
Just four days after Shane was announced to be on the cast and the clip resurfaced, the comedian was then fired, with a spokesperson sharing a statement on behalf of creator Lorne Michaels.
“After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL,” they said in a statement (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 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.”
Five years after he was fired from the cast, Shane was welcomed back to the show to host an episode in February 2024.
In his opening monologue, he did a standup routine and joked about being fired.
“Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was actually, I was fired from this show awhile ago,” he said. “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.”
Shane also returned to host SNL a second time in March 2025.
He also previously referenced his controversy when he returned to the stage for a standup appearance after being fired, saying, “Everybody’s been like, you can’t say s*** and not expect consequences. I’m fine with the consequences. I’m not arguing. F*** it. But I do want everyone to know that I’ve been reading every one of my death threats in an Asian accent.”
If you missed it, learn more about Shane Gillis‘ dating life.
The post Why Was Shane Gillis Was Fired From ‘Saturday Night Live’ In 2019? Controversy Explained as He Returns to Host in 2026 appeared first on Just Jared – Celebrity News, Entertainment News & Photos.
