Laura Moore
Feb 05, 2024 - 12:05

Shane Gillis and 21 Savage Announced as Next Saturday Night Live Hosts

Shane Gillis to host SNL with 21 Savage as musical guest. Gillis was previously fired for racist, homophobic, and misogynistic comments.

Comedian Shane Gillis is set to make a return to Saturday Night Live as the host of the upcoming episode on February 24, with 21 Savage lined up as the musical guest.

This announcement comes after Gillis was previously fired from the show's cast in 2019 due to the emergence of footage showing him making racist, homophobic, and misogynistic comments. Despite never having appeared on the show, Gillis was let go following the release of audio from a previous podcast where he made a series of offensive jokes.

At the time of his firing, a representative for SNL stated, "After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL. 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. 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."

In response, Gillis defended himself, saying, "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses. I'm happy to apologize to anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said."

Gillis will be hosting the 12th episode of the current season of SNL, following in the footsteps of recent hosts Dakota Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Emma Stone, and Adam Driver.

In a recent episode, host Ayo Edebiri addressed previous comments she had made about musical guest Jennifer Lopez, acknowledging the impact of her words and expressing remorse for her past remarks.

The show has also taken aim at political figures, with impersonator James Austin Johnson poking fun at Donald Trump's controversial comments about sick voters during a skit on the show.

The upcoming episode of SNL is sure to generate significant attention and discussion, with Gillis' return to the show serving as a focal point for viewers and critics alike.