BREAKING: SNL Drops New Cast Member Shane Gillis, Citing ‘Offensive’ Past Language
Newly-hired Saturday Night Live cast member Shane Gillis has been dropped before the start of the season, following outcry over his past use of a racial slur.
Gillis was one of three new cast members announced last week. Video from a podcast episode soon spread around social media in which he riffed on Chinatown:
“Chinatown’s f—ing nuts,” Gillis says in the clip. “Let the f—ing chinks live there, huh?” He goes on to adopt a stereotypical Chinese accent.
He also at one point joked about presidential candidate Andrew Yang and called him a “Jew chink.” Yang reached out to him and said while he doesn’t like “cheap shots” in comedy, he said he didn’t believe Gillis should lose his job.
Gillis issued a statement saying, “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. I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”
Today SNL announced in a statement that Gillis will not be joining the cast, saying, “The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for Saturday Night Live says that Shane Gillis will not be joining its cast this fall. pic.twitter.com/qh0B4cbdQO
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 16, 2019
Gillis reacted on Twitter, saying, “I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL. That can’t be taken away…. I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a mad tv guy anyway.”
— Shane Gillis (@Shanemgillis) September 16, 2019
Andrew Yang had publicly reached out to Gillis after hearing he referred to him as a “Jew chink.” Yang told Gillis he prefers comedy that doesn’t take “cheap shots” but also said he didn’t believe he should lose his job over it.
