SNL recap: Comedian Shane Gillis ‘shouldn’t be here’ after firing
Comedian Shane Gillis returned to Saturday evening live on Saturday, February 24, for the first time in almost five years.
“Thank you very much. Yes, I’m here,” Gillis, 36, began SNL monologue. “Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I got fired from this show a while ago. Don’t look that up, please. Please don’t Google that. It is well. Don’t even worry about it.”
He continued, “Honestly, I probably shouldn’t be here. I should be home. I should be a high school football coach.”
Gillis was hired as a featured player SNL in 2019, but was fired four days later after racist and homophobic comments from his podcast resurfaced online. SNL noted at the time that they were unaware of his “offensive” comments. Gillis also released a statement but did not apologize for his comments.
“I was always one Crazy television anyway,” Gillis joked in his 2019 statement, referring to the competing sketch comedy program.
On Saturday, Gillis brought his signature sense of humor to the Studio 8H stage, even if it wasn’t camera-ready.
21 Savage, Shane Gillis and Kenan Thompson during ‘Saturday Night Live’ promos at Studio 8H on February 22, 2024.
Rosalind O’Connor/NBC“Look, I don’t have any material that could be on TV, okay?” he added in his monologue. “I’m doing my best. Plus, this place is extremely well lit. I can tell everyone isn’t enjoying it. This is the most nervous I’ve ever been.”
Gillis’ monologue included jokes about “being gay,” his niece with Down syndrome (which caused him to use the R-word) and more.
“I don’t know if you can tell this about me, but I do have family members with Down syndrome,” he said on Saturday. “It almost got me. I avoided it, but it got me.”
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Gillis then interrupted his own monologue when it became clear that his jokes were not landing as intended, but he did not want applause out of pity. (Gillis thought his joke about how people with Down syndrome “don’t worry” about the 2024 presidential election would “get bigger laughs” than he did.)
“Don’t clap, just shut up,” he told the audience. “No, I’ve brought up Down syndrome and you always mention who’s never been around Down syndrome when you bring it up. … People who have never been there say, ‘Oh,’ it’s the end of the world. “Are they okay?” Like, they’re doing better than anyone I know.
Gillis was joined by a musical guest on Saturday 21 wildwho sang the songs ‘Should’ve Wore a Bonnet/Prove It’ and ‘Redrum’.
Saturday evening live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET.