Comedian Shane Gillis was definitely funny as the most recent guest host on “Saturday Night Live,” but it’s pretty clear why corporate media seems to absolutely hate him.
Gillis made headlines in 2019 when he was fired almost immediately after being hired as an “SNL” writer. The unfunny mob erupted at his past jokes, which they thought were “racist,” “homophobic” and “sexist.” So Gillis didn’t really seem to hold back during his opening monologue Saturday night, which featured what felt like organic commentary and some of his viral stand-up routine.
In the span of just eight-ish minutes, Gillis said “bitch,” “retard” and “cracker,” and made fun of little boys for being “gay” best friends with their mothers, so obviously corporate news media absolutely hated it. NPR claimed Gillis “disappointed” with the monologue, which he definitely didn’t. He admitted to being nervous and yelled at the audience, and it was utterly hysterical.
“Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I actually was fired from this show a while ago. Don’t look that up, please. If you don’t know who I am, please don’t Google that. It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it,” he joked. “I probably shouldn’t be up here.” (RELATED: Dave Chappelle Invites Cancelled ‘SNL’ Comic On Stage. What Comes Next Is Pure Gold)
The Hollywood Reporter and Vulture felt Gillis was “cringey.” But even if he was, that is kind of his brand of humor. Cringe works for him because he’s good at making fun of himself. People who take themselves too seriously can’t really grip this type of comedy because they lack the self-awareness to reflect upon their own shortcomings in a humorous fashion.
As for the skits, by far the most unpredictably funny one, in my opinion, was “Church on Vacation,” featuring an Ohio family in an extremely stereotypical Jamaican Sunday service.
If irreverent humor is your thing, then Gillis will definitely not disappoint you with his performance in some of the other skits, like “HR Meeting” and “Trump Sneakers.”
But the skit which made me scream laughing was definitely “Rock Bottom Kings,” a fake advertisement for a betting site which lets you bet on your friend’s gambling addiction.
It felt like Gillis learned most of his lines for the show. He didn’t seem to rely on the prompt cards as much as the castmembers, and clearly put in the time and effort to do a good job. The cold open and some of the skits around Gillis felt like they’d been written in protest of his more Republican-leaning fanbase, but they weren’t really clever enough to offend. (RELATED: Saudi Comedians Roast Biden And Harris Like ‘SNL’ Never Would)
I’m sure a lot of people will make known their feelings about his appearance on the show, but I can’t fathom how anyone has the time to worry about stuff like this. No one is going to turn to Gillis to solve the world’s problems. And Gillis isn’t going anywhere. His job is literally to just make us laugh. So sit down, shut up and enjoy the hour he spent doing just that.