Shane Gillis Bombs ‘SNL’ Monologue (Again): ‘You’re Either Gay or You’re Hitler’
Shane Gillis’s third time hosting “Saturday Night Live” was marked by a monologue that drew few laughs and groans from the studio audience. He joked about weight, women’s gym clothing, his sisters and his hairline, including a line comparing his hairstyle choices to being gay or Hitler; the reception highlights his continuing difficulty with the show’s opening monologues.
Gillis, 38, was announced as a cast member in 2019 but was fired five days later after resurfaced podcast clips showed him mocking Asians and using anti-gay slurs. He later built a career with a popular podcast, two stand-up specials and the Netflix series “Tires”; he has hosted “SNL” three times since, though his first monologue in 2024 also fell flat. Creator Lorne Michaels said he had opposed Gillis’s firing, and Gillis declined an offer to play Donald Trump during the show’s 50th season.
- Gillis’s latest “SNL” monologue drew groans and few laughs.
- His jokes focused on weight, women, family and his hairline.
- He has hosted three times since being fired in 2019.
New here? Start with this
Shane Gillis is a comedian who was announced as a Saturday Night Live cast member in 2019, but was dismissed just five days later. The firing followed the emergence of old podcast recordings in which he mocked Asian people and used anti-gay slurs.
After his dismissal, Gillis built a comedy career through other channels, establishing a popular podcast, releasing two stand-up specials and starring in the Netflix series "Tires". Lorne Michaels, SNL's creator, later stated he had opposed Gillis's dismissal.
Gillis has hosted SNL three times since his firing. His multiple appearances come after Michaels publicly stated his opposition to the original dismissal.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Gillis deserves the opportunity to move forward from past mistakes and be judged by his current work and audience. He has built a genuinely successful independent career since his firing, with popular podcasts, stand-up specials and a Netflix series demonstrating he has a real audience. Comedy inherently involves pushing boundaries and making people uncomfortable; constraining comedians from potentially offensive material fundamentally compromises the art form. Lorne Michaels, SNL's creator, opposed his original firing, suggesting even the show's leadership believes he was treated too harshly.
The case against
Gillis's pattern—from mocking Asians and using anti-gay slurs in 2019 to joking about hairstyles being "gay or Hitler" in 2026—suggests his underlying attitudes haven't genuinely changed. Platforming him repeatedly on SNL, one of the most mainstream and culturally visible comedy venues, signals that major institutions find these approaches acceptable, which carries particular weight given SNL's reach. The audience's response of groans rather than laughter suggests this isn't edgy comedy succeeding but offensive material falling flat, revealing a genuine disconnect. Mainstream platforms bear responsibility for who they amplify and shouldn't provide repeated chances to figures who haven't demonstrated serious reflection about harm.