Newly hired SNL cast member, Shane Gillis, was recently fired from the show after news of controversial remarks.

Gillis apparently made racist and homophobic comments on a podcast in mid 2018 which lead to his termanation from the cast, only four days after his additon to the cast was announced.  

̈After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL… We want SNL to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition for SNL,” confirmed an SNL spokesperson.

Gillis made the remarks in a podcast titled ̈Matt and Shane ́s Secret Podcast ̈ with fellow comedian Matt McCusker. McCusker and Gillis made racist comments towards Chinese citizens.   

Gillis and McCusker were also reported to have made homophobic and misogynist slurs on a differnet episode mocking other comedians who have come out about their mental health struggles, calling them ¨white f*****t comics¨ and ̈gayer than ISIS.¨ 

The clips where relatively unknown for around a year-the audio came out earlier in 2018-until Seth Simons, a freelance comedy writer, stumbled upon the podcast. Simons was the one to approach SNL and show them Gillis ́ comments. 

The presence of these comments kicked off a deep dive into Gillis ́s past. Other comedians from Philadelphia, where Gillis worked for several years, have repeatedly complained about Gillis and his jokes. Some even expressed surprise at the announcement of his casting.   

̈Of course I wanted a chance 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, anyway,” Gillis responded in a tweet.