Comedian Shane Gillis, who was dismissed from SNL in 2018 for using a racial slur in a YouTube video, will now have the opportunity to host the iconic late-night show, nearly four and a half years after his initial hiring. The announcement was made during tonight's episode hosted by Ayo Edebiri from The Bear, with musical guest 21 Savage joining them for the upcoming episode on February 24th.
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Shane Gillis has been designated as the host for the upcoming episode of "Saturday Night Live" on February 24th. This decision has sparked controversy, considering that the comedian was previously hired and promptly dismissed from the popular late-night sketch show in 2019. Accompanying him as the musical guest will be 21 Savage.
Shane Michael Gillis, born on December 11, 1987, is a renowned American stand-up comedian, radio personality, sketch comedy writer, and podcaster. He is widely recognized as the co-host of the highly popular podcast, Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, alongside fellow stand-up comedian Matt McCusker. Notably, their podcast has garnered an impressive number of subscribers, making it the most subscribed-to podcast on Patreon. Furthermore, Gillis's talent and comedic prowess were acknowledged by the prestigious Just for Laughs festival in Montreal, where he was honored as one of its "New Faces" in 2019.
Shane Gillis, recently released his latest comedy special, "Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs," on Netflix in September. The special gained popularity and even made it to Netflix's Global Top 10 TV shows. Additionally, his debut special, "Shane Gillis: Live in Austin," premiered on YouTube in 2021 and has already accumulated over 16 million views.
Apart from being a stand-up comedian, Gillis is also an actor and writer. He was initially set to join the cast of SNL as a featured player. However, his opportunity was revoked when a video resurfaced in which he used a racial slur against Asians, causing public outrage. In response, an SNL spokesperson, speaking on behalf of creator Lorne Michaels, stated that Gillis would no longer be part of the program.
During that time, the spokesperson expressed their desire for SNL to encompass a diverse range of voices and perspectives. They acknowledged that Gillis was initially hired based on his comedic talent and impressive audition for SNL. However, they were unaware of his previous offensive remarks that had recently come to light. They admitted that the language he used was offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable. The spokesperson also apologized for not discovering these clips earlier and acknowledged that their vetting process fell short of their standards.
Following his dismissal from NBC, Gillis turned to Twitter, where he humorously remarked that he had always been a fan of "Mad TV" anyway. Later, he posted an apology of sorts on Instagram. He expressed his willingness to apologize to anyone genuinely offended by his words and clarified that his intention was never to harm anyone. Gillis emphasized his commitment to becoming the best comedian he can be, even if it means taking risks.
Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman were among the new cast members who joined that season of SNL in Gillis' absence. Gillis, who is also famous for his popular podcast Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, co-hosted with his friend Matt McCusker, consistently ranks on Apple's top podcasts chart and is currently the number one overall podcast on Patreon. Additionally, Gillis is known for his collaboration with John McKeever on YouTube's Gilly & Keeves, a sketch series that they co-created and co-write.
