Kenan Thompson discusses Shane Gillis' SNL monologue and comedic license

• Gillis was fired from the show in 2019, just days before his debut, after clips resurfaced of him using racial slurs and homophobic language.

What he's saying: Thompson noted, "I can't really say like if they're gonna have him back or not. That's not my decision."

• "But if he were to come back, then yeah, I think we would have to have some sort of real chat where people's actions don't overly wave pull the rest of us," he said.
• "Everybody's focusing in on this one specific word or one specific part of the monologue, and then the rest of the monologue or even the rest of the show is getting overshadowed."

Zoom in: Peter Micelli, CEO and co-founder of Range Media Partners, argued that most of Gillis' monologue was self-deprecating and that people don't watch comedians who don't test boundaries.

• "We need to support artists more than ever to push those boundaries, let us loosen up a little bit. It's a balance we desperately need," he told Axios on Tuesday at Media Trends Live.

The big picture: Thompson said it's a "more scrutinized" time for comedy as society becomes more "responsive to every single little thing."

• Thompson said, "I don't think jokes are necessarily harmless just because they're jokes and you didn't intend it to be a certain kind of way. I think you need to educate yourself on how things might impact people."
• The Emmy-winning actor and comedian said criticism of jokes that didn't land well makes him rethink his approach, adding he prefers ribbing people on things he thinks they would also laugh about.

What to watch: Asked about what SNL would look like in a post-Lorne Michaels era, Thompson said the show would likely still be in good hands with people like Tina Fey, Seth Meyers or Steve Higgins.

• "We don't want to think about those days, but I think it's a strong foundation that he's established, and there are always talented people to be platformed and it'll just continue."
• Even if Fey didn't take the job, Thompson said, "I'm sure there's plenty of backups, and I'm sure she'll be peripherally around if we need her for sure, if I'm still there."