SNL creator Lorne Michaels says Shane Gillis' firing was forced by NBC

For free, real-time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox, sign up for our breaking news emails

Sign up for our free breaking news emails

Sign up for our free breaking news emails

Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Livehas said he didn't want to fire Shane Gillis from the show but was urged to do so by executives at NBC.

In 2019, Gillis was fired shortly after it was announced he would be joining the cast following a public outcry over the comedian's past making racist and homophobic comments.

Gillis was removed from the SNL cast before even appearing in an episode, but was welcomed back as host in February 2024 and used his opening monologue to joke about his abrupt firing.

Michaels, who founded SNL in 1975 and has worked on the show continuously since 1985, has now said that the decision to fire Gillis was not his.

“That was very strong from those responsible. And of course I wasn't on that page, but I understood it,” said the 79-year-old Wall Street Journal He admitted that he stayed in touch with the comedian after he was fired.

Recalling the controversy, Michaels said, “He said something stupid, but it got blown up until the end of the world.” I was angry. I thought, 'You haven't seen what we're going to do and what I'm going to try to bring out in him,' because I thought he was the real thing.”

Following his firing, an SNL spokesperson issued a statement: “After speaking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL.”

“We want SNL to represent diverse voices and viewpoints on the show, and we hired Shane for SNL because of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition.

“We were not aware of his previous statements that had emerged in recent days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry we did not see these clips sooner and that our review process did not meet our standards.”

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/month. after free trial. The plan automatically renews until canceled

Try for free

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/month. after free trial. The plan automatically renews until canceled

Try for free

Gillis responded to the news of his firing on his Twitter account, writing, “I'm a comedian who was funny enough to get on SNL. You can’t take that away.”

He added: “Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself on SNL, but I understand that would be too much of a distraction.

“I respect the decision they made. I'm honestly grateful for the opportunity.

“I was always a Crazy TV Guy anyway.”

Gillis has since become one of the biggest names in stand-up comedy and released a comedy special: Beautiful dogson Netflix in 2023 as well as a sitcom, Tireson the platform.