On behalf of producer Lorne Michaels, a spokesperson for the sketch show confirms that the comedian has been fired, explaining that his language is 'offensive, hurtful and unacceptable.'
- Sep 17, 2019
AceShowbiz - "Saturday Night Live" bosses have fired the sketch show's newcomer, Shane Gillis, after video of him using a racial slur against Asians during a stand-up show emerged.
The embattled stand-up comic only got the gig weeks ago, but he has been axed before his first episode over the controversy, which flared up last week (ends September 13).
"After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining 'SNL'," a spokesperson said on behalf of producer Lorne Michaels. "We want 'SNL' to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as comedian and his impressive audition for 'SNL'."
"We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard."
Ironically, the footage of Gillis' offensive appearance on Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast appeared on the same day "SNL" bosses cast the show's first Asian-American comedian, Bowen Yang, who joins the cast alongside Chloe Fineman.
Gillis has responded to the news of his firing by releasing a statement, which reads, "It feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements but here we are. 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 at 'SNL', but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made. I'm honestly grateful for the opportunity."
