All posts tagged: Gillis

Opinion: What did ‘SNL’ prove by inviting Shane Gillis back as host?

Opinion: What did ‘SNL’ prove by inviting Shane Gillis back as host?

Published by skeptic

Of course I tuned in to “Saturday Night Live.” Who could resist the idea that comedian Shane Gillis, who was hired, then fired by the show in 2019 before ever getting a chance to appear on it, had been invited back in the plum role of host? Had he done something to redeem himself? Opinion Columnist Robin Abcarian You may remember the story of his brief rise and fall at “SNL.” Shortly after he was announced as a new cast member, YouTube videos surfaced of Gillis making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes. One was a clip from a 2018 episode of “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast,” in which Gillis and his partner Matt McCusker trashed Chinese food, Chinese restaurants and Chinatowns in general, and used phony accents to discuss food like “nooders” (noodles). It was stupid, racist and painfully unfunny. SNL creator and producer Lorne Michaels said he’d been unaware of the remarks and found them “offensive, hurtful and unacceptable.” Ironically, the story broke the same day that “SNL” announced it had hired its first …

Comedian Shane Gillis’ “Saturday Night Live” journey from firing to hosting, explained

Comedian Shane Gillis’ “Saturday Night Live” journey from firing to hosting, explained

Published by skeptic

Five years ago, comedian Shane Gillis was fired from “Saturday Night Live” before he even stepped on the esteemed stage at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. But this past Saturday, he made his way back on the stage, not as a cast member but as a host. The comedian’s career first launched when he was kicked off the starting lineup of new cast members in 2019 for his resurfaced podcast clips that were deemed both racist and homophobic, using language that SNL called “offensive, hurtful and unacceptable.” Since this hiring and immediate firing, Gillis has created a successful comedy career with the Netflix comedy special “Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs” and a YouTube sketch comedy channel called “Gilly and Keeves” that has nearly a million subscribers and millions of views. Also, Netflix just recently acquired the comedian’s independently produced sitcom “Tires.” Needless to say, even after Gillis’ very public ousting at “SNL,” his career has flourished enough that he was even invited back to host the show. So how did a cancelled comedian become the controversial celebrity comedian to …

Shane Gillis Addresses 2019 ‘SNL’ Firing in Opening Monologue, Thought Jokes Would ‘Get a Bigger Laugh’

Shane Gillis Addresses 2019 ‘SNL’ Firing in Opening Monologue, Thought Jokes Would ‘Get a Bigger Laugh’

Published by Sam

Shane Gillis used his Saturday Night Live opening monologue to address his 2019 firing from the variety sketch series.  On Saturday, the stand-up comedian took on the coveted role of SNL host nearly five years after he was fired from a cast position for using racial and homophobic slurs on a podcast. While addressing the crowd from the stage inside Studio 8H, he brought up the controversy and told the audience to not bother doing their research into his past if they don’t know anything about what went down.  “I’m here,” the 36-year-old said at the start of the almost eight-minute monologue. “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.” NBC via Getty Images As the opening went on, Gillis went into his personal brand of in-your-face comedy, talking about his sister marrying an Egyptian man …

As ‘Saturday Night Live’ Host, Shane Gillis Draws Predictable Outrage

As ‘Saturday Night Live’ Host, Shane Gillis Draws Predictable Outrage

Published by skeptic

At the end of Shane Gillis’ monologue last night on Saturday Night Live, he made a “so-so” gesture with his hand. The stand-up comedian, who was hired by SNL in 2019—then fired a week later because of resurfaced clips of anti-Asian and homophobic jokes—had quite the mountain to climb. Firstly, mainstream crowds have no idea who he is. (He begged the audience not to Google him.) Secondly, those who had heard of him were probably busier tapping away on social media than listening to his set. (l-r) Bowen Yang, surprise guest Brent Faiyaz, musical guest 21 Savage, surprise guest Summer Walker, host Shane Gillis, Ego Nwodim, Devon Walker, Punkie Johnson, Andrew Dismukes, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, and Kenan Thompson during during the Goodnights & Credits on Saturday, February 24, 2024 Photo by: Will Heath/NBC Two polarized camps promptly emerged on Twitter during the show. One was the angry white bro libertarians who love Gillis for having been fired by a liberal media elite institution, and took last night as an opportunity to lambast Bowen …

Shane Gillis jokes about SNL firing in divisive opening monologue: ‘Don’t look that up’

Shane Gillis jokes about SNL firing in divisive opening monologue: ‘Don’t look that up’

Published by Sam

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Shane Gillis joked about his firing from Saturday Night Live during the opening monologue of this weekend’s episode. The 36-year-old comedian was hired by SNL in 2019 but sacked just days later after podcast clips in which he used racist language resurfaced online. Gillis was however, chosen to host Saturday night’s (24 February) episode, alongside musical guest 21 Savage. During the opening of his introductory monologue, Gillis alluded to the scandal, telling the crowd: “Thank you very much. I’m here… Most of you probably have no idea who I am. “I was fired from this show a while ago. But… 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,” he joked. Gillis struggled to win over the studio audience throughout his monologue, delivering a short standup routine that covered subjects including down’s syndrome and …

‘SNL’ recap: Shane Gillis addresses his firing in monologue

‘SNL’ recap: Shane Gillis addresses his firing in monologue

Published by skeptic

The stand-up comedian Shane Gillis — famously hired and fired from “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 when racist slurs he used on a podcast resurfaced — guest hosted the show, proving that longtime producer Lorne Michaels is still willing to court controversy if it means people will tune in to see potential fireworks. But the fireworks were pretty muted and relegated only to the monologue that Gillis delivered, in which he acknowledged the firing sheepishly, but then proceeded to walk a comedic tightrope in the rest of his talk by using the term “retarded” and insisting that little boys who are close to their mothers are, at least temporarily, gay. Based on the hyperbolic reactions on social media, the monologue was either the worst in the show’s history or the best anti-woke comedy ever seen on the program. The truth probably lay somewhere in the middle, with a clearly nervous Gillis leveraging his comedy skills to portray himself as a Nate Bargatze-like white-male comic with loving parents and a more diverse than you’d expect family. …

Shane Gillis Delivers Mixed Bag of Laughs and Cringe in SNL Return

Shane Gillis Delivers Mixed Bag of Laughs and Cringe in SNL Return

Published by Sam

Shane Gillis’ meant-to-be-triumphant return to the Saturday Night Live stage this weekend was a mixed bag of humor, some of which landed with a thud — like any episode of the long-running show — and a couple of good laughs. Much of the show’s sketches took the comedian and podcaster’s white-bro shtick and dialed it back a tad — ultimately finding a sweet spot closer to the line that his routine crosses. Gillis made a strong effort in his return to Studio 8H on Saturday night, but he struggled throughout his monologue and was visibly anxious as he pivoted to new topics. Ribbing his dad, who sat with his mother to support him in one of his bigger career moments, didn’t go over well — yes, having a dad who’s a girl’s basketball coach might be pretty funny to you, Shane, but it’s not really to everyone else. Despite this rough start — which followed a tepid cold open referencing Donald Trump’s win in the South Carolina primary on Saturday — the show had some highlights. In …

Shane Gillis Struggles Through ‘Saturday Night Live’ Monologue

Shane Gillis Struggles Through ‘Saturday Night Live’ Monologue

Published by Sam

Comedian and podcaster Shane Gillis made a strong effort in his return to Studio 8H on Saturday night, but as he acknowledged through his nearly 10 minutes on stage, many of his jokes didn’t quite land with the live audience — probably because much of his popular routine is not network TV-friendly. Gillis, who hosts the wildly popular Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, returned to Saturday Night Live as its host five years after he was fired from the cast. In 2019, the 36-year-old was abruptly sacked when racist and homophobic jokes he made on his show surfaced. His return to the long-running late-night series after losing one of the most sought-after gigs in comedy, started out rough, making those TV spots for his hosting debut prescient. Gillis opened with a nod to his history at the show, telling the audience not to Google it — and said he probably shouldn’t be on the famous stage anyhow. “I should be a high school football coach,” he joked. “Like, God molded me perfectly to be a high …

Shane Gillis Struggles With Jokes for Monologue in ‘SNL’ Promo

Shane Gillis Struggles With Jokes for Monologue in ‘SNL’ Promo

Published by Sam

Shane Gillis is struggling to workshop jokes in a promo for his Saturday Night Live hosting debut. The comedian is hosting the upcoming episode of NBC’s sketch comedy show alongside musical guest 21 Savage. In the video released on Wednesday, Gillis is testing some of his jokes for his monologue for SNL castmembers Marcello Hernández and Sarah Sherman, but they aren’t landing too well. “I went to an Amish wedding once. I was the only one there who could do the Electric Slide,” he says, getting an awkward laugh from Hernández and Sherman. Gillis continues, “New Planet of the Apes is coming out. It’s going to be bananas.” He then teased the idea of doing some crowd work by asking audience members, “Are you guys dating? Are you seeing each other?” Hernández and Sherman jokingly went along, saying, “Yeah!” “Gosh, must be nice,” Gillis says, followed by an awkward pause. “I’ve been alone for a while.” He concludes his jokes with, “Who likes impressions? And the crowd will be like, ‘Yeah!’ And then I’m like, you guys …