Why Was Shane Gillis Fired From 'Saturday Night Live'? Comedian References His Brief Tenure on Show During Opening Monologue

Shane Gillis returned to Saturday Night Live on February 24, and he was joking about being fired by the late-night show within the first few lines of his opening monologue.

If you were unaware, the 36-year-old comedian was briefly hired by the show in September 2019. He was fired four days later amid serious controversy.

During his monologue, he jokingly urged people not to Google why he was let go. We can answer that question for you.

Head inside to see why Shane Gillis was fired by Saturday Night Live…

Shane‘s firing came after a clip of him using a racial slur on a podcast resurfaced.

“Chinatown’s f–king nuts,” he said on an episode of his Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. “Let the f–king ch—s live there.”

He issued a statement at the time, saying, “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 anyway.”

Shane also referenced his controversy when he returned to the stage for a standup appearance after being fired, saying, “Everybody’s been like, you can’t say sh–t and not expect consequences. I’m fine with the consequences. I’m not arguing. F–ck it. But I do want everyone to know that I’ve been reading every one of my death threats in an Asian accent.”

A beloved actress and musician are both taking over the show in the next few weeks.