Fired former SNL cast member Shane Gillis returned as host with a shockingly risqué monologue in which he joked about Down syndrome, race and gays.
The prankster, who became a major online star after being sacked in 2019 for racist and homophobic comments, stunned audiences by suggesting he had been “snatched” by Down syndrome and using the word “crazy”.
Gillis then went into detail about his niece having Down syndrome, while making fun of himself for looking like he had Down syndrome himself.
“I don't know if you look at it, but I have family members with Down syndrome.” It almost got me! I dodged, but it stole me!'
Then he said, “My niece has Down syndrome and… I thought that would get more laughs. 'I thought we were allowed to have fun here!'
Fired former SNL cast member Shane Gillis returned as host with a shockingly risqué monologue in which he joked about Down syndrome, race and gays
In 2019, several clips emerged of the star using racist and homophobic slurs on multiple occasions – including on an episode of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast.
Before continuing, Gillis briefly addressed his firing, beginning with a sobered: “Yes, I'm here.”
“Most of you probably have no idea who I am,” he said. “I was actually fired from this show a while ago, but… please don't look any further if you don't know who I am.” Please don't Google this. It's okay, don't worry about it.'
He then joked that he resembled “a high school football coach/9th grade sex ed teacher” before calling his father, who was sitting in the audience, and saying he was a “volunteer middle school girls' basketball coach.”
Gillis — who released a Netflix special last year and hosts a podcast with over 100,000 subscribers on Patreon — often struggled with the response from New York audiences
“Look, I don’t have any material that can be shown on television,” he said wryly. 'I do my best. Plus, this place is extremely well lit, I can imagine everyone not liking it.”
However, the comedian, who recently collaborated with Bud Light as a spokesperson, continued to air material about young men and their relationships with their mother that discussed homosexuality.
“My mom asked me, 'When did we stop being best friends?' And she's right, we used to be best friends. Do you remember when you were a little boy and you loved your mother? Do you remember when you were gay?
He continued: “Do you remember when you were a gay little boy? “Every little boy is just his mother’s gay best friend, there’s no difference.”
Gillis then joked about gossiping with his mother while listening to “her music,” imitating the beginning of Shania Twain's “Man, I Feel Like a Woman.”
The gist of the joke was that Gillis admitted that he stopped being his mother's best friend when he started masturbating as a teenager.
Shane Gillis shocked SNL viewers with jokes that went far beyond the show's usual material
Gillis was fired as a cast member shortly after his appointment in 2019, but has since enjoyed great success
Gillis is pictured with Donald Trump – although he insists he is a Joe Biden supporter
In a post on the brand's Instagram account, they confirmed that Gillis, seen here, was now part of the team
Gillis shared pictures of himself working at the Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis, Missouri
“It was the first time I ever jerked off… You're wondering when is that bitch leaving the house, I have so much to do!”
“I hope I can say these words on TV,” he added.
“When you go to their house, it's like you're walking into the craziest Uber pool you've ever been in. It’s crazy.” You ask yourself, “How did you meet?”
The comedian, who said in his special that he is “cheering on” Joe Biden despite becoming a hero of the “anti-woke” movement, says it would be “a beautiful thing for the country” if one day the three Her niece's brothers would have beaten up a white kid for bullying them.
“When my niece is at recess, probably in fifth or sixth grade, some white kid out there says, 'You can't play with us, you're retarded.' And then three black kids come flying out of nowhere and just start whining about this cracker!'
Finally, he joked again about Down syndrome and noted that his family had opened a cafe in his hometown where they employed people living with Down syndrome.
“It's going exactly as you imagine.” He's doing well, the line is around the corner every day. Not because there are so many people, but because the service…” He trailed off.
While he didn't participate in the show's political launch event, he did do a skit in which he gave his viral impression of President Trump, at one point going head-to-head with SNL's regular Trump impersonator James Austin Johnson in a skit, who made fun of the president $400 gold shoes.
The immediate reaction to Gillis' monologue was an appreciation of the comedian's material, with one person comparing it to Dave Chappelle's controversial hosting efforts.
“First funny thing on SNL since Dave Chappelle,” one viewer wrote on
The immediate reaction to Gillis' monologue was an appreciation of the comedian's material, with one person comparing it to Dave Chappelle's controversial hosting efforts
“Shane Gillis felt uncomfortable but those jokes were still funny,” another added.
Another audience member called Gillis's awkward reaction from the crowd a badge of honor
“Shane Gillis bombing SNL is the funniest thing he could have done. 'That's unbelievable.'
The general response was positive, with one viewer summing it up: “Finally a real comedian.”
“Kinda weird that SNL fired Shane Gillis for using offensive accents on his podcast, and in his very first skit he uses an offensive accent,” wrote another, who said he “didn't love” Gillis' performance.
Not everyone was positive, with one viewer complaining about the jokes about his family having Down syndrome.
“It's hard to imagine him making fun of developmentally delayed people.” “My aunt was DD and was fully aware when she was being made fun of and laughed at,” she wrote.
It's hard to hear him make fun of developmentally delayed people. My aunt was DD and was fully aware when she was being made fun of and laughed at.
Not everyone was positive, with one viewer complaining about the jokes about his family having Down syndrome
Another responded to SNL's report by saying, “2019: Shame on you, SNL.” 2024: Shame on you, SNL.”
The first reviews in the entertainment press were negative. The two publications that have reviewed the show so far — the liberal New Yorker magazine's Vulture website and the equally progressive Daily Beast — both expressed anger at the terse content.
In 2019, several clips emerged of the star using racist and homophobic slurs on multiple occasions – including on an episode of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast.
On the podcast, Gillis and Matt McCusker mocked comedians Judd Apatow and Chris Gethard, calling them “white fucking comics” and “more fucking gay than ISIS.”
Gillis McCusker is also heard saying that their conversation was “nice racism, good racism.”
Another clip came from a September 2018 podcast episode in which Gillis referred to people living in New York's Chinatown as “f***ing c***ks.”
He also made fun of the Chinese accent and language barrier in the video, saying, “Chinatown is fucking crazy.”
“The translation between you and the waiter is just so fucking tedious, it’s like you’re, I’m pointing at it like it’s the damn noodles.”
The 36-year-old comedian was previously fired from the sketch show after videos surfaced of him using racist and homophobic slurs during a podcast in 2019
After the incident, Gillis quickly apologized on Twitter for ten years of mostly “bad” comedy
He quickly apologized on Twitter for ten years of mostly “bad” comedy.
“I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries.” Sometimes I miss it. “If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of which were bad, you will find many terrible mistakes,” Gillis said in his apology note.
“I would like to apologize to anyone who is actually offended by anything I've said.” “My intention is never to hurt anyone, but I'm trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires taking risks.”
SNL said at the time: “After speaking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining 'SNL.'
“We want 'SNL' to have diverse voices and viewpoints on the show, and we hired Shane for 'SNL' because of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition.”
“We were not aware of his previous comments that had emerged in recent days.” The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable.
“We are sorry that we did not see these clips sooner and that our review process did not meet our standards.”
Shane added: “It feels ridiculous for comedians to make serious public statements, but here we are.”
In 2019, several clips emerged of the star using racist and homophobic slurs on multiple occasions – including on an episode of Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
Since then, Gillis has gone from strength to strength, with his podcast becoming a huge hit, booking a Netflix special and opening for comedian Bert Kresicher
“I'm a comedian who was funny enough to get 'SNL.'” That can't be taken away. Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself on “SNL,” but I understand that would be too much of a distraction.
Since then, Gillis has gone from strength to strength, with his podcast becoming a huge hit, booking a Netflix special and opening for comedian Bert Kresicher.
After a dismal year for the brand, Bud Light has seemingly turned away from politics with a new partnership with Gillis.
In a post on the brand's official Instagram account, they confirmed that Gillis, 36, was now part of the team.
However, Saturday Night Live has faced backlash against seemingly “woke” and “anti-woke” comedy acts and performers, including within its own cast.
Legendary comedian Dave Chappelle has become a staple on the show lately, and every appearance he makes seems to stir up controversy.
Keen-eyed viewers noticed that Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang was standing as far away as possible when comedian Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance during the credits of a recent episode.
Chappelle, 50, who has hosted the show several times in the past and has even seen rumors of a writers' boycott in 2022, did not appear in the final episode itself but came to wave the audience goodnight.
The comedian has often pushed boundaries and sparked outrage at what many see as jokes at the expense of the transgender community, which he says has led to people protesting his shows and even throwing eggs at him.
He never spoke, but stood alongside a star-studded cast as host Dakota Johnson thanked musical guest Justin Timberlake and guest stars including Jimmy Fallon, Mark Cuban and Barbara Corcoran.
Yang, who is gay and a vocal supporter of LGBT causes, stood as far away from Chappelle as possible and appeared disturbed.
Keen-eyed viewers noticed that Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang (pictured left) was standing as far away as possible when comedian Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance during the credits of a recent episode
Yang, 33, stood as far away from Chappelle as possible and appeared disturbed
At one point, the 33-year-old and her co-star Sarah Sherman appear to be discussing whether Chappelle will show up as the credits roll.
At one point, Yang appears to say “Oh” while Sherman is clearly trying to get a look at the iconic comic.
None of them appear to greet Chappelle at any point during the goodnight greeting, while Yang remains in the corner.
The show and Yang have not yet publicly commented on the episode.
Molly Kearney, the only non-binary cast member in the show's history, also didn't seem to reach out to Chappelle. Kearney uses the pronouns they/them.
According to Paste Magazine, Kearney, Sherman and Yang appeared sparingly in this episode, and Kearney only appeared in a pre-recorded sketch and was uncredited the last time Chappelle hosted in 2022.
Saturday Night Live employees reportedly boycotted the show this weekend over the decision to have Chappelle host.
However, a representative for Chappelle said there were no signs of a boycott when they attended meetings with the authors throughout the week.
Notably, Yang, Sherman and Kearney appeared alongside Gillis in skits multiple times during this week's episode, while Yang and Gillis hugged on camera at the end of the show.
More recently, the show sparked outrage among conservatives when it featured a skit that mocked the disastrous anti-Semitism hearings on the congressional campus.
The opening sketch attempted to downplay the college presidents' lack of statements, but their efforts elicited few laughs.
Then there was backlash online, with viewers criticizing the skit for attempting to undermine the seriousness of anti-Semitism on U.S. college campuses in the weeks since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
The pre-written sketch was also released just hours after the ignominious resignation of University of Pennsylvania President Amy Magill – whose testimony before the House panel seemed particularly smug – after a dismal performance over the past eight weeks resigned.
SNL newcomer Chloe Troast portrayed Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the House Republican caucus leader and loyal supporter of former President Trump.
SNL newcomer Chloe Troast portrayed Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY), the House Republican caucus leader and loyal supporter of former President Trump
In a moment intended to ridicule Stefanik's widely praised listening prowess, she said, “I'm going to start yelling questions at women like Billy Eichner.”
“Anti-Semitism – yes or no?” she shouted at the three women playing the college presidents.
'Yes or no! Does calling for genocide against the Jews violate Harvard's Code of Conduct?
The actress, who plays Harvard University's Claudine Gay, replied: “Well, it depends on the context.”
'What? “That can’t be your answer,” replied Stefanik von Troast, repeating the shocking real-life interaction between the two.
“UPenn lady, same question, yes or no?” she asked the actress who played Magill.
“If you don't say yes, you're going to make me look good, which is really, really hard,” she continued. “So I'm going to ask you directly, 'Do you think genocide is bad?'
iHeart Radio host Mark Simone wrote on .'
“They (SNL) tried – strangely – to skewer Elise Stefanik (who by all accounts won the day) as shrill.” “I guess I had the misunderstanding that calling a woman 'shrill' was sexist.” , another user wrote.
A third disgusted user wrote: “Congratulations everyone, SNL.” Having not been funny in years, they have now simply gone beyond comedy and become one big joke. I'm not sure what's more pathetic: this vague attempt at comedy or the mockery of those who stand up against anti-Semitism at a time like this. Dirt.'
When the skit failed both live and online, the real Stefanik issued a scathing indictment of Magill and the other university presidents following news of the Penn president's resignation.
'One down. Two more,” she wrote.
SNL creator and longtime executive producer Lorne Michaels is Jewish and was born on a kibbutz in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine before moving to Toronto with his parents.
Under his continued leadership, the show moved particularly far to the left during the Trump years, using much of its airtime to denigrate the political right and mock those who oppose the politics of vigilance.