Lorne Michaels, the head of Saturday Night Live (SNL), is planning to bring Shane Gillis back as host when the show returns in March. Gillis, who was cast as a featured player on SNL in 2019, was unsuccessful in his first hosting experience and was fired from the show due to racist comments.
A new profile of Michaels reveals that he removed Gillis under pressure from NBC after the network faced criticism from an Asian advocacy group. Now, Michael’s decision has sparked a new debate among fans, where some are supporting Gillis’ return while others are finding it controversial.
Lorne Michaels’ strategy and Gillis’ return
“Lorne was roped into this situation,” says an anonymous NBC executive. According to reports, Michaels had always wanted a comedian like Gillis in the cast—a “red-state” comedian who would be extremely popular with conservative viewers. Gillis’ return signals a reinvigoration of this ideology.
Trying to keep SNL balanced
The new biography Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live revealed that Michaels wanted to keep the show from becoming too left-wing. He said, “The hardest thing to convince this generation is that the show is non-partisan.” The decision to bring Gillis first as a cast member and then as host was part of his strategy. Michaels’ move reflects his effort to maintain SNL’s political balance.
Shane Gillis’ return and growing controversy
Lorne Michaels continued to be accused of maintaining a relationship with Shane Gillis and eventually called him back to host in 2024. However, this decision gave rise to new controversies. Gillis’ critics flared up even before he took the stage. They pointed out that Gillis had given space to Holocaust deniers and 9/11 truthers on his podcast. This made his image more controversial. This move by SNL also raised questions about the impartiality of the show.
Gillis’ performance on stage and shocking reaction
Gillis’ opening monologue divided the audience. He told jokes related to the gay community and Down syndrome, which many found offensive. The reaction of the live audience was cool, and Gillis himself was seen commenting on it repeatedly. There was even a moment when he said from the stage, “I thought it was great, no problem.” But the success that was expected from his comeback seemed to be lost somewhere.
“While SNL’s shocking return surprised fans, reality TV also had its share of twists—Check out the surprising finale couples of Single’s Inferno Season 4!“
Shane Gillis’ monologue and mixed reactions
Reviews for Gillis’ monologue were extremely mixed. Vulture called it “awkward,” while The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Gillis “struggled during his monologue and looked visibly anxious when talking about new topics.” Audience reactions were also divided, making his performance even more uncomfortable. The impressive moment that was expected from his return seemed to fade.
Gillis’ victory in the sketch and Michael’s masterplan
However, even though he struggled in the live performance, Gillis performed better in the taped sketch. Especially his presentation as Donald Trump caught the attention of the audience. This is the reason why Lorne Michaels asked him to play the role of Trump for the remainder of the 2024 election season. This move made SNL’s strategy even more interesting, as the real reason for bringing Gillis back was now clear.
Skankfest Reveal: Gillis Turned Down SNL Offer
Podcast host Luis J. Gomez made a shocking revelation at the Skankfest Comedy Festival in Las Vegas. While introducing Gillis on stage, he said, “Nobody was expecting him to come to this festival because he had an offer to play Trump for an entire SNL season—but he decided to turn it down and come here!” *
The statement went viral on Twitter, sparking new discussions about Gillis’ career decision.
Lorne Michaels insists: As long as you get the laughs, you’ll get a chance
Gillis’ return has the full support of Lynne Michaels. He proved once again that he will keep giving Gillis chances as long as the audience accepts him with laughter. However, this is the same Gillis who used the word “retard” in his monologue last year, which led to an uncomfortable silence in Studio 8H.
“Look, I don’t have any material that can be shown on TV, okay?” – This comment by Gillis showed that he was skeptical about his own jokes. Now the question is whether his SNL comeback will be successful this time or will the same old mistakes be repeated.