Summary
- Shane Gillis navigated his
SNL
return with mixed success, balancing edgy humor with audience sensibilities. - Some sketches, like “Rock Bottom Kings”, hit the mark, while others, like a Black History Month joke, missed.
- The comedian faced rough moments but showed perseverance, leaving viewers divided on his performance.
Shane Gillis‘ return to Saturday Night Live was a very hit and miss affair for the host, who found himself at the center of a controversy in 2019 that resulted in his firing from the cast. Gillis first time back in Studio 8H became another memorable moment in the history of the comedy show, and saw the comedian attempting to deliver the kind of edgy humor that the series has made its hallmark, without slipping into the kind of territory that has landed him in hot water five years ago. The return was one that was certainly not without its rough moments, but was also not the disaster that some suggested.
Gillis’ performance followed the regular SNL formula that usually results in some sketches landing and others leaving just the sound of crickets. At the beginning of the show, Gillis’ nervousness was clear to see as he opened the episode with a monologue that included several jokes about his own family that his fans claimed were “hilarious”, while everyone else, including notably the show’s band, failed to see the funny side of. While some hosts would have taken this as a sign of things to come, Gillis persevered on and managed to turn things around with some of the sketches that followed.
A spoof advertisement for “Rock Bottom Kings”, a betting platform focusing on the misfortunes of friends, showcased Gillis’ ability to turn dark humor into a commentary on the absurdity of modern gambling culture. Similarly, his portrayal of a young Gordon Dwyer in a mock movie trailer for “White Men Can Trump” – which took plenty of shots at the unique hairdo of the former President of the United States, also hit the mark.
However, not all sketches landed as intended. Some segments, like the overly extended HR and workplace dating sketch, seemed to drag for both those present and fans who took to social media to discuss the show. Other moments, including the usually popular Weekend Update, were also less than successful in the main, and joke aimed at Black History Month came across as a little misjudged considering the reasons for Gillis original sacking from the show.
Why Shane Gillis Became Too Controversial for SNL
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Gillis’ return to SNL, five years after his controversial exit, is a strange and complex moment in the show’s history, and once again points out the difficulties for comedians attempting to find a balance between edgy humor and jokes that are unacceptable to audiences with modern sensibilities.
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Back in 2019, Gillis came under scrutiny for using racial and homophobic slurs on his own podcast, which only came to light after he was added to the SNL cast. As the old remarks made by the comedian flooded the internet, the decision was made to cut Gillis from the show, something that he responded to at the time by agreeing that his presence on the show would have only served as “a distraction”
Whether this will be his only return to SNL is something that only time will tell. Although not a complete disaster, it is clear that there are some people who were just not feeling Gillis attempts to get laughs, and that, in the end, is what Saturday Night Live is all about. You can see some of the divided posts shared on X/Twitter following the episode below.
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