Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for Clusterfest
NBC's "Saturday Night Live" says comedian Shane Gillis won't be joining the show after resurfaced clips showed him using racial slurs and homophobic language, Variety reports.
Why it matters: Gillis' removal from the show's incoming cast serves as yet another example of public figures facing increased accountability for past comments in the age of the internet.
Context: Gillis had been 1 of 3 new cast members added to the show last week. Not long after, segments of Gillis' past media performances and presentations began to resurface, featuring disparaging remarks against Asians, gay people, jokes about sexual assault and more.
What they're saying:
- An SNL spokesperson said in a statement: "We hired Shane on the strength of his talent as comedian and his impressive audition for SNL. We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. 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."
- Gillis has since offered his own statement: "I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL. That can’t be taken away. Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at SNL, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made."