Race, LGBTQ Jokes That Led to Shane Gillis’ ‘SNL’ Firing Resurface Ahead of His ‘SNL’ Return

<> on December 17, 2020 in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
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Warner Todd Huston

Comedian Shane Gillis, who is set to host Saturday Night Live, is once again coming under fire from fans unhappy over his past comedy podcasts in which he engaged in off color jokes including racial epithets and snide comments about the LGBTQ community.

Gillis has always been known as an insult comic and has engaged in edgy comedy. He has a large following on YouTube and Netflix, but has recently begun to drift away from the more raucous jabs he once deployed.

The change in focus occurred after he was famously hired then immediately fired by Saturday Night Live in 2019 after woke activists became upset that NBC hired him despite his past controversial podcasts and stand up.

But now, SNL is bringing Gillis in as a host for a single broadcast and this has sent some once again to start combing through his past comedy bits to dredge up his most controversial jokes.

One bit in particular making the rounds once again is a segment where Gillis deploys the N-word, a homophobic F-word, and a particular Jewish slur.

Right after he was fired by SNL back in 2019, Gillis apologized and explained that sometimes his jokes miss the mark.

“I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses,” he said, adding that he would certainly apologize to “anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said.”

Gillis has been in the news elsewhere, as well. He raised eyebrows by teaming with boycotted beer brand Bud Light in an effort to help the beer swing away from its disastrous association with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney.

The partnership with Bud Light did not sit well with his center right fans who accused Gillis of selling out.

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