Bowen Yang, who has previously been linked to rumors about Shane Gillis’s 2019 exit from Saturday Night Live, has addressed his relationship with the comedian.
During a recent appearance on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Yang said he and Gillis have a “mutual respect” for each other and thinks Gillis is a “funny guy.”
“Both of us have had to navigate being used,” the Wicked actor told the podcast host. “I think there was like a recruitment going on either side of like, ‘If you like this guy, then this is what you stand for, and if you like this guy, then this is what you stand for.’ And I think both of us are probably a little more dimensional than that.”
Gillis was originally hired for the late-night sketch comedy show in 2019 alongside both Yang and Chloe Fineman, but he was fired before being able to make his debut after podcast clips of him making homophobic and racist jokes resurfaced.
At the time of Gillis’s firing, an SNL spokesperson explained: “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.
“We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days,” they added. “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.”
Since being fired from the show, the stand-up comedian was welcomed back to host an episode in 2024 and went on to host alongside musical guest Tate McRae in March.
However, when promoting the episode on social media, a stand-up comic named Michelle Best blamed Yang in the comments section for Gillis’s unceremonious exit.
“Can we acknowledge that Bowen Yang b****ed him off the show,” Best wrote, praising Gillis for “being the bigger man to come host after being unfairly ditched bc of a whiny queen.”
“SNL fired him as a hater,” she added. “He’s not. He’s very kind and has smart humor and stands up to bullying. Good for him!”
Yang later responded to the accusation, writing: “Didn’t do any of this but i wrote the sketch you were a background actor in [smiley face emoji].”
Following his firing, Gillis apologized to “anyone actually offended” by his comedy, posting on X that he is a “comedian who pushes boundaries.”
“If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses,” he added. “I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”
He later addressed his firing on social media, writing: “I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL. That can’t get taken away.
“Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction,” he continued. “I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity.”
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