Comedian Shane Gillis has been removed from the “Saturday Night Live” lineup less than a week after NBC announced its new hires for season 45.
The announcement comes amid mounting criticism over a widely-circulated video of Gillis speaking on a podcast in 2018. The clip shows him repeatedly using Asian slurs and crudely mocking Chinese people. He reportedly had attempted to delete the video and others.
“After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided hat he will not be joining ‘SNL,'” the statement reads. “We want ‘SNL’ to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition for SNL.”
It continues, “We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard.”
Gillis also issued a response to the news, writing on Twitter, “It feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements but here we are. I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get on ‘SNL.’ That can’t be taken away. Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at ‘SNL,’ but I understand it would be too much of a distraction.”
Adding that he “respect[s] the decision they made,” and is “honestly grateful for the opportunity,” he then cracekd, “I was always a MAD TV guy anyway.”
Gillis, a Pennsylvania native, has performed in major clubs across the country. Two clubs in Philadelphia confirmed in recent days that they refused to continue booking him because he frequently relied on jokes that are “racist, misogynistic, xenophobic and homophobic.”
The comic was hired alongside two other “SNL” newcomers, Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang. Yang will be the show’s first Asian cast member.
It’s unclear whether “SNL” will hire an additional person to round out the cast without Gillis.
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Evolution of Saturday Night Live monologue set
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SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 1 — Pictured: Steve Martin during the monologue on October 13, 1979 — (Photo by: Fred Hermansky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 3 — Pictured: Hugh Hefner during the monologue on October 15, 1977 — (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 11 — Pictured: (l-r) Garrett Morris and Cicely Tyson during the monologue on February 10, 1979 — (Photo by: Al Levine/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 2 — Pictured: Malcolm McDowell during the ‘Opening Monologue’ on November 22, 1980 — Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 13 — Pictured: Host Ray Sharkey during the monologue on April 11, 1981 — Photo by: Fred Hermansky/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 11 — Pictured: Charlene Tilton during the monologue on February 21, 1981 — Photo by: Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 13– Pictured: Host Alec Baldwin during the monologue on February 13, 1983 (Photo by Al Levine/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 6 — Pictured: Jerry Lewis during the Monologue on November 19, 1983 — (Photo by: Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 15 — Pictured: Host Billy Crystal during the monologue on March 17, 1984 (Photo by Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 2 — Pictured: Malcolm-Jamal Warner during the monologue on October 10, 1986 — Photo by: Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 18 — Pictured: Geena Davis during the monologue on April 22, 1989 (Photo by Raymond Bonar/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 17 — Pictured: Dolly Parton during the monologue on April 15, 1989 — (Photo by: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 15 — Pictured: Mary Tyler Moore during the monologue on March 25, 1989 (Photo by Raymond Bonar/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 14 — Pictured: Oprah Winfrey during the monologue on April 14, 1986 (Photo by Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 20 — Pictured: Candice Bergen during the monologue on May 19, 1990 — Photo by: Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 19 — Pictured: Tom Hanks during the monologue on May 9, 2010 — Photo by: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 18 — Pictured: Jerry Seinfeld during the monologue on April 18, 1992 (Photo by Al Levine/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 17 — Pictured: (l-r) Sharon Stone during the monologue on April 11, 1992 — Photo by: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 15 — Pictured: Nancy Kerrigan onstage during the monologue March 12, 1994 — (Photo by: Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 17 — Pictured: Steve Forbes during the monologue on April 13, 1996 — (Photo by: Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 9 — Aired 01/23/1988 — Pictured: (l-r) Host Robin Williams during the Opening Monologue on January 23, 1998. (Photo by Alan Singer/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 25 — Pictured: (l-r) Will Ferrell as Steven Seagal, Jackie Chan during the monologue on May 20, 2000 — (Photo by: Mary Ellen Mathews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 19 — Air Date 05/11/2002 — Pictured: Host Kirsten Dunst during monologue on May 11, 2002 — Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 13 — Air Date 03/02/2002 — Pictured: Host Jonny Moseley during the monologue on March 2, 2002 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 4 — Aired 10/30/2004 — Pictured: Kate Winslet onstage during the Monologue (Photo by Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 17 — Air Date 04/10/2004 — Pictured: Host Janet Jackson during the monologue on April 10, 2004 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 8 — Aired 12/10/2005 — Pictured: Alec Baldwin during the monologue on December 10, 2005 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 2 — Aired 10/06/2007 — Pictured: Actor Seth Rogen during the monologue on October 6, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 15 — Aired 03/17/2007 — Pictured: Julia Louis-Dreyfus during the monologue on March 17, 2007 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 22 — Pictured: Will Ferrell during the Monologue on May 16, 2009 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Episode 22 — Pictured: Justin Timberlake during the Monologue on May 9, 2009 (Photo by Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Zooey Deschanel” Episode 1612 — Pictured: Zooey Deschanel during the monologue on February 11, 2011– (Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — Jimmy Fallon/Justin Timberlake Episode 1651 — Pictured: Jimmy Fallon — (Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Lady Gaga” Episode 1647 — Pictured: Lady Gaga — (Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Chris Hemsworth” Episode 1691 — Pictured: Chris Hemsworth during the monologue on December 12, 2015 — (Photo by: Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Tina Fey” Episode 1746 — Pictured: (l-r) Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan during the “Opening Monologue” in Studio 8H on Saturday, May 19, 2018 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Amy Schumer” Episode 1745 — Pictured: Host Amy Schumer during the Opening Monologue in Studio 8H on Saturday, May 12, 2018 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE — “Adam Sandler” Episode 1765 — Pictured: Host Adam Sandler during the “I Was Fired” Monologue on Saturday, May 4, 2019 — (Photo by: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
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