Shane Gillis Fired From ‘SNL’ After Sparking Controversy With Racial Slurs in Resurfaced Video

It’s a wrap. Shane Gillis has been fired from Saturday Night Live, shortly after sparking outrage due to a resurfaced video online showing him using racial slurs. The comedian has been at the center of controversy ever since people took notice of the comments he made in a September 2018 episode of his podcast.

“After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL,” a spokesperson for the show confirmed on Monday, September 16. “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.”

Shane also released a message of his own after the news broke about his future on the show. “It feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements but here we are. I’m a comedian who wasn’t funny enough to get SNL. That can’t be taken away,” he began.

“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. I was always a Mad TV guy anyways.”

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Fans of the hit NBC series have been venting their frustrations about Shane after seeing his problematic remarks, especially because he was recently named as one of the newest cast members for the 45th season. “Chinatown’s f—king nuts,” the comedian said in the viral clip from Matt and Shane’s Secret podcast. “Let the f—king ch—nks live there.”

“And the translation between you and the waiter,” Shane continued in the throwback episode. “It’s just such a f—king hassle. It’s like, I am pointing at [the food]. That sauce. That one.”

Just a few days ago, the star apologized for offending people with the language he used, noting how he pushes boundaries and “sometimes” misses with his jokes. Shane also confirmed that he never had any intention of hurting anyone’s feelings.