TV
Comedian Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend and used his opening monologue to address his 2019 firing from the sketch comedy series.
“I’m here,” the 36-year-old said at the start of his monologue five years after he was let go from the show for using racial and homophobic slurs on a podcast.
“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.”
As the nearly eight-minute opening continued, Gillis joked about his sister marrying an Arab man from Egypt and the couple adopting three Black children, saying that going over to their house is like “getting into the craziest Uber Pool you’ve ever been in.”
He then made some quips about a few of his family members having Down syndrome, saying that they are “doing better than everybody I know.”
He added that they “are the only ones having a pretty good time consistently.”
When Gillis mentioned that his niece has Down syndrome, the audience chuckled.
After taking a beat, Gillis awkwardly said, “[I] thought that was going to get a bigger laugh.”
“This place is extremely well-lit. I can see everyone not enjoying it,” he further said.
Even some viewers at home weren’t impressed.
One X user wrote, “Shane Gillis hosting snl was so cringe that I changed the channel to watch the sag awards instead no joke,” while another added, “I absolutely need to hear Shane Gillis’ SNL monologue without the laugh tracks.”
Gillis was hired by “SNL” in 2019, but fired just five days later without even having gone on the air.
In the days leading up to his return to the show, Page Six exclusively reported that Gillis planned to go hard and use his trademark Down syndrome jokes.
“He’s going all in,” our insider said after seeing the comedian working out material a couple of times in comedy clubs in the city recently.
Since his firing from “Saturday Night Live,” Gillis has gained popularity because of his two popular Netflix specials, “Live In Austin” and “Beautiful Dogs.”
He’s also made regular appearance on Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
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Carol Dennis is an entertainment aficionado with an eye for all things pop culture. She dives into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry, from movie premieres to music festivals. Carol’s passion for storytelling extends beyond her reporting, as she’s an aspiring screenwriter in her free time.
