Shane Gillis has bounced back from cancellation with a new Netflix special, Beautiful Dogs, but what was his high-profile 2019 firing from Saturday Night Live for?
Gillis, 35, has previously spoken about being ‘destroyed’ online after SNL creator Lorne Michaels terminated him over offensive remarks he made in 2018.
After the offensive videos and podcasts surfaced, Gillis said: ‘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 am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.’
The apology landed badly, but the damage had already been done. Not only was he canceled by the live sketch show, he was also cut adrift by parts of the media and celebrities such as Sandra Oh.
So, what happened and how has Shane been doing since his SNL firing and cancellation?
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 appearances and his new comedy special, Beautiful Dogs
Why Shane Gillis was fired from SNL
Gillis, along with Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman, was in 2019 announced as a new cast member for the 45th season.
However, Gillis was let ago after clips from his 2018 appearance on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast surfaced only five days after the cast announcement.
The comedian used homophobic slurs on the podcast and referred to Asian people as ch***s, an ethnic slur directed at people of Asian descent, especially those from China.
Yang, who is still on the longtime comedy show, is SNL’s first ever Chinese-American cast member and one of only a handful of actors of Asian descent to have appeared on it.
Gillis, who grew up near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is not the only cast member to get fired from the show – but he was the quickest.
Season 11 was not SNL’s finest season, with cast members including Joan Cusack and Robert Downey Jr fired from the show.
Jenny Slate was fired at the end of Season 35 after one season after saying ‘f**king” on the live show by mistake.
Damon Wayans was let go only 12 episodes into Season 11 after he went off script during a sketch, but he admitted in 2015 that Lorne Michaels ‘did the right thing’ by firing him.
Adam Sandler and Chris Farley’s 1995 firing because of behavior and budget cuts was more shocking – but no damage seemed to be done as 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 going to be a featured Saturday Night Live cast member on Season 45. However, he was fired five days after the cast announcement
What Shane Gillis has said about being canceled
Not only has Gillis apologized, he has continued to be 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 blew up… It was number one on Twitter for like three days.’
He claimed that SNL attempted to keep him on the show, but that a part of him knew that he would be fired the moment the clips resurfaced.
He said: ‘I had a feeling… I knew it was coming the second that I got in trouble.’
‘I understood the rules, but why do we have those rules?’
Shane Gillis plays the recurring role of Gilly in 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 plays the recurring role of Gilly in Davidson’s hit Peacock show Bupkis, which was renewed for Season 2 in June 2023.
The show, a fictionalized version of Davidson’s life, received positive reviews and holds a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Davidson is among the creators while Michaels is one of the executive producers.
Early social media reaction to the Shane Gillis live stand-up comedy special has been positive
Gillis has also toured doing stand-up, launched a web series with comedian John McKeever called Gilly and Keeves and regularly appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast.
Beautiful Dogs is one of Gillis’s 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 brings up his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend, touring George Washington’s House and being bullied by an Australian goth.
Gillis also includes a Trump impersonation near the end.
Audiences 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 who celebrate.’
Another said: ‘Got onto X just to say Shane Gillis should be trending… Funniest comedy special I’ve seen possibly ever. Go watch “Beautiful Dogs” on Netflix now!’
‘New Shane Gillis on Netflix is very funny. Two thumbs up,’ stated another user.
