Why did Shane Gillis get fired from SNL? American late-night live television Saturday Night Live has been enjoying a long run of 48 seasons. Known for its political satirical jokes and comedy, the late-night show has been a fan favorite for more than two decades!
SNL has included several popular comedians over the years, and many have made it big in the industry after being a part of the show. However, one comedian could not become a part of the show and was fired even before he started off on SNL. Who are we talking about? Let us find out why Shane Gillis get fired from SNL.
Why did Shane Gillis get fired from SNL?
Shane Gillis was fired from SNL after a video resurfaced where the comedian saw a racial slur. In the video that caused quite an outrage, Gillis is seen making a few rather insensitive comments as he talks about eating at Chinese restaurants. The comedian doesn’t stop there as he is seemingly mimicking Chinese accents while saying how the translation between the person and the waiter is such a hassle.
As the video resurfaced, many soon took to social media to express their disagreement and even demanded he is fired. Apart from this specific video, several other videos from Gillis’ public podcast also resurfaced that also displayed a similar pattern of racism and homophobia in Gillis’ comedy. SNL soon issued a statement while clearing the air and firing the comedian.
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SNL Spokesperson Addresses The Issue!
While confirming the firing, a spokesperson issued a statement on behalf of the series creator Lorne Michaels. The statement said how the show wants to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show and how they hired Shane on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition for the show. Here’s what Sandra Oh wrote on Twitter while appreciating SNL’s decision and called the comedian out on his remarks. Have a look at the tweet.
Glad 2 see @nbcsnl decision NOT legitimize/give platform 2 purveyors of racist homophobic content Risks? LAZY ASS UNORIGINAL
— Sandra Oh (@IamSandraOh) September 17, 2019
SNL further clarified in the action that they were not aware of Shane’s prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days while calling the language that he used offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. The statement concluded by saying that they did not see those videos earlier and that their vetting process was not up to their standard.
Shane Gillis Opens Up About Him Getting Fired!
After SNL announced that Shane Gillis would not be a part of the show any longer, the comedian also took to Twitter and issued a statement saying that he respects the show’s decision. Gillis further stated that while he wanted an opportunity to prove himself at SNL, he understood it would be too much of a distraction. He concluded by saying that he respected the decision the show had to make and was grateful for the opportunity.
Shane Gillis said that as a comedian, he pushes boundaries, and sometimes he misses. The comedian says that he is happy to apologize to anyone who has been offended by anything he has said while explaining that his intention was never to hurt anyone, but he is trying to be the best comedian he can be, and sometimes that requires some risks.
Fellow comedians and actors like Burr and Jefferies came to Shane’s defense as former SNL alum Rob Schneider tweeted that a suspension would be appropriate for someone who is part of an organization that says something terrible in a podcast from a year earlier, and how an honest, sincere apology is appropriate.
However, Killing Eve actress Sandra Oh applauded SNL’s decision and even took this opportunity to congratulate Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang. Yang created history by being the first full-time cast member of Asian descent in SNL.
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