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Published February 25, 2024, 8:44 p.m. ET
Shane Gillis spoke on “Saturday Night Live” about his firing in 2019 while hosting the show on Saturday.NBC/YouTube
Comedian Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live this weekend and used his opening monologue to address his firing from the sketch comedy series in 2019.
“I’m here,” the 36-year-old said at the start of his monologue, five years after he was fired from the show for using racist and homophobic slurs on a podcast.
“Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I actually got fired from this show a while ago. But, you know, please don't look that up. If you don't know who I am, please don't google this. That's good. Don’t worry about it.”
The comedian was fired from the show for using racist and homophobic slurs on a podcast. NBC/YouTube
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 visiting their home was like going “to the craziest Uber pool you've ever been in.” .”
He then made some jokes about some of his family members with Down syndrome, saying that they are “better off than anyone I know.”
He added that they're “the only ones who consistently have a pretty good time.”
But that didn't stop him from delivering NSFW jokes. Rosalind O'Connor/NBC
When Gillis mentioned that his niece had Down syndrome, the audience giggled.
After pausing, Gillis said awkwardly, “[I] I thought that would get more laughs.
“This place is extremely well lit. I can imagine that everyone isn’t having fun,” he continued.
Gillis made some jokes about people with Down syndrome. Will Heath/NBC
Even some viewers at home weren't impressed.
A user of
Gillis was hired by “SNL” in 2019, but was fired just five days later without even appearing on the air.
The audience laughed, but not as hard as Gillis had hoped. Will Heath/NBC
In the days leading up to his return to the show, Page Six exclusively reported that Gillis planned to go all out and use his signature Down syndrome jokes.
“He's going all out,” our insider said after recently seeing the comedian working on material at comedy clubs around town a few times.
Since his firing from Saturday Night Live, Gillis has gained popularity through his two popular Netflix specials, Live In Austin and Beautiful Dogs.
He also appeared regularly on Joe Rogan's controversial podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience.
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