Rob Schneider, David Spade, Norm McDonald, And More Comedians Defend Shane Gilis Against 'SNL' Firing
The Briefest Tenure
Comedian and podcaster Shane Gillis was supposed to be joining the cast of Saturday Night Live ngs inspired a public outcry. He was eventually fired before he could even start, prompting a statement from the SNL team that they would be changing their vetting process to avoid a similar incident in the future.
Gillis released an apology that wasn't really much of an apology on his Twitter account.
Some Former Cast Members Spoke Up
Some former SNL cast members and other comedians are speaking out, claiming that Gillis firing wasn't fair. Rob Schneider tweeted extensively about it, saying:
"As a former SNL cast member I am sorry that you had the misfortune of being a cast member during this era of cultural unforgiveness where comedic misfires are subject to the intolerable inquisition of those who never risked bombing on stage themselves."
The thing is, it's not like Gillis merely had a rough set. He repeatedly leaned upon horrifically racist tropes in his podcast. This isn't edgy like many seem to think. It's lazy at best.
Norm McDonald Weighed In
Norm Macdonald also offered his opinion on Twitter, blaming others for the opportunity that Gillis lost due to his own behavior.
"Hey Shane, I am so sorry. I can't even imagine how you must feel. The work it takes to get that show and to have it snatched away by some guy who does "Spoken Bird" poetry. Unacceptable. Please DM me, pal, when you have a moment. I am so sorry."
Other White Male Comedians Offer Their Opinions
On David Spade's Comedy Central Talk Show Lights Out, comedians Bill Burr and Jim Jeffries blamed cancel culture for Gillis hiring, seemingly forgetting about a thing called "consequences for one's actions." Jeffries said,
"This is just cancel culture. The guy shouldn’t have been fired. It was just a couple things back in his history. We’re gonna go through everyone’s history?"
Burr agreed.
"Do they go back and also try to look at things the person might’ve done, or are they just looking for the bad stuff? I mean you could honestly do that to anybody. We’re not running for office, when is this gonna f*cking end? You millennials, you’re a bunch of rats, all of you. None of them care. All they want to do is get people in trouble"
David Spade lamented how times were changing since he was on SNL.
"I think when I was younger on SNL, when you got hired the first move wasn’t to rifle through your past to make sure you get fired right away."
This seems like an odd hill to die on.
