Shane Gillis has bounced back from cancellation with a new Netflix special, Beautiful Dogs, but what was his high-profile firing in 2019 by Saturday Night Live for?
Gillis, 35, has previously spoken about being “destroyed” online after SNL creator Lorne Michaels fired him over offensive comments he made in 2018.
After the offensive videos and podcasts surfaced, Gillis said, “I apologize to anyone who actually feels offended by anything I’ve said. It is never my intention to hurt anyone, but I try to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that involves risks.’
The apology was misplaced, but the damage was already done. Not only was he canceled by the live sketch show, he was also thrown adrift by sections of the media and celebrities like Sandra Oh.
So, what happened and how is Shane doing since his firing and cancellation from SNL?
Shane Gillis was fired from Saturday Night Live and canceled by the media in 2019. However, the comedian has made a comeback following a string of performances and his new comedy special, Beautiful Dogs.
Why Shane Gillis was fired from SNL
Gillis, along with Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, was announced as a new cast member for the 45th season in 2019.
However, Gillis was released after snippets of his 2018 appearance on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast surfaced just five days after the cast announcement.
The comedian used homophobic slurs on the podcast, calling Asian people ch***s, an ethnic slur directed at people of Asian descent, especially those from China.
Yang, who can still be seen on the old comedy show, is SNL’s first ever Chinese-American cast member and one of the few actors of Asian descent to have appeared on it.
Gillis, who grew up near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, isn’t the only cast member to be fired from the show, but he was the fastest.
Season 11 wasn’t SNL’s best season, with cast members including Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr. fired from the show.
Jenny Slate was fired after one season at the end of Season 35 after accidentally saying “f**king” on the live show.
Damon Wayans was let go just twelve episodes into season 11 after going off script during a skit he admitted in 2015 that Lorne Michaels “did the right thing” by firing him.
The firing of Adam Sandler and Chris Farley in 1995 over behavior and budget cuts was more shocking, but no damage seemed to have been done when Sandler returned to host the show in 2019.
The Saturday Night Live cast for Season 45 in 2019, including Gillis before he was fired
Shane Gillis was originally supposed to be a cast member of Saturday Night Live in season 45. However, he was fired five days after the cast announcement.
What Shane Gillis has said about the cancellation
Not only has Gillis apologized, he has remained open about the matter years after it happened, focusing on how he was “destroyed” by Twitter.
“It was a bad joke,” he said during an episode of Bussin’ With The Boys on April 28, 2022. “I’m not saying I shouldn’t have been fired.”
Gillis continued, “It all exploded… It was number one on Twitter for three days.”
He claimed that SNL tried to keep him on the show, but that part of him knew he would be fired once the clips resurfaced.
He said, “I felt… I knew it was going to happen as soon as I got into trouble.”
“I understood the rules, but why do we have those rules?”
Shane Gillis plays the recurring role of Gilly on Pete Davidson’s hit Peacock show Bupkis
What Shane Gillis is doing now
The comedian wasn’t canceled for too long — at least in the eyes of Pete Davidson and possibly Lorne Michaels.
Gillis will play the recurring role of Gilly on Davidson’s hit Peacock show Bupkis, which was renewed for Season 2 in June 2023.
A fictionalized version of Davidson’s life, the show received positive reviews and received a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Davidson is one of the creators while Michaels is one of the executive producers.
Initial social media reactions to Shane Gillis’ live stand-up comedy special have been positive
Gillis also toured as a stand-up, launched a web series with comedian John McKeever called Gilly and Keeves, and appeared regularly on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Beautiful Dogs is one of Gillis’ two live comedy stand-up specials since he was fired from SNL – his first being his 2021 YouTube show Shane Gillis: Live in Austin.
His latest stand-up special features his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, who goes on a tour of George Washington’s House and is bullied by an Australian goth.
Gillis also includes an impersonation of Trump towards the end.
The audience got a kick out of it — with one user on X (formerly known as Twitter) saying, “Happy new Shane Gillis special on Netflix day to all of you celebrating.”
Another said, “I came on X to say Shane Gillis should be trending… Funniest comedy special I’ve ever seen.” Watch “Beautiful Dogs” on Netflix now!’
“New Shane Gillis on Netflix is very funny. Two thumbs up,” said another user.