Seconds into his first Saturday Night Live opening monologue almost 5 years after being fired from the present for his racist and homophobic slurs on his podcast, slapstick comedian Shane Gillis opened the previous jar of misfires. “I was actually – fired from this show a while ago. But, you know. Don’t look that up, please. If you don’t know who I am, please don’t Google that,” began the comic.
Shane Gillis returns to Saturday Night Live after being fired from the show nearly five years on receiving backlash for using racist and homophobic slurs.(YouTube / SNL)
While playfully taking a jab at the controversy, he remarked how fitting it would be for him to have been a high school football coach, given the perpetuating vocally violent stereotype about the character. “Thought that was going to be a big hit here”, added Gillis after a gap joke. And paradoxically sufficient, that set the tone for the Shane Gillis SNL comeback.
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Soon drifting from the controversial backlash that got him axed from the show, he quickly switched lanes to set the comic tone ahead. In certain moments, you catch him stuttering, almost fearing another interjection, and then continuing in his self-aware, self-deprecative way: “Look, I don’t have any material that can be on TV, all right?”
He played on familiar notes that people with Down Syndrome are some of the happiest people he knows (some being his relatives), similar to his reference to the case in his 2023 Netflix special, Beautiful Dogs.
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Netizens react to Shane Gillis’ SNL comeback after 5 years
The content is overtly toned down from what his fanbase may be accustomed to. On the other hand, the unversed, who’ve encountered him for the first time, may wonder why SNL headlines were brimming with his name these past weeks before his final re-introduction to the show. The internet’s Shane Gillis SNL reviews are evidently a mixed bag of confusion.
While his fans are off celebrating that he’s finally back and has seemingly made ‘America great again’, the other side is still perplexed about the fuss.
Positive reviews:
Some netizens admitted to noticing how played down his comedic content was. Yet the other side just had fun with him on stage.
“That was the best monologue on SNL in over 20 years. It’s not even a debate,” stated one remark underneath the SNL tweet.
A Twitterati added: “Solid despite the fact that you may inform it was SUPER toned down.” A second one who seen his nervousness stated, “Uncomfortably funny but funny.”
More appreciation poured in with feedback like: “Man he didn’t sacrifice his material at all. Good on him for not shying away and just letting it rip. I can’t remember the last time I watched SNL until last night.” and “About time that man got his seat at the top table.”
Negative opinions:
A commenter recalled the previous and wrote: “This man is garbage! Could’ve found someone else instead. There’s a very good reason he was fired. He sucks!”
Another X (previously Twitter) remark agreed: “This was so bad”.
More customers chimed in, “Shame on snl for having such an unfunny and frankly upsetting guy like this on. It’s 2024. Do better @snl.” and “Now I see why he got kicked off the show”. While one other reiterated from distant reminiscence: “Isn’t that the racist guy?” and others could not assist however name out his mentions of slurs like “re*****d” and “cra***r”.
In addition to opening the present, he starred in a number of SNL skits of the day together with a parody crossover of the film White Men Can’t Jump that includes Trump’s ‘magical’ golden sneakers and others.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
