Shane Gillis' return to Saturday Night Live was... mixed, to say the least.
The comedian was always going to struggle to deliver an opening monologue that could overshadow the elephant in the room - but after taking to the stage of Saturday Night Live's latest episode, he had no problem addressing his controversial departure from the show in 2019.
Gillis was welcomed back to SNL as host alongside musical guest 21 Savage.
During his opening monologue, Gillis tackled his firing head-on, saying: "Thank you very much. I’m here... Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was fired from this show a while ago. But... 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." Check out some highlights below:
While the audience's reaction seemed mixed, Gillis pressed on, attempting to find his comedic stride despite the lingering controversy. "There’s my dad, the volunteer assistant girl’s high school basketball coach," he quipped, attempting to lighten the mood with a personal anecdote. "I thought that was funny. You don’t think that’s funny, to bring my dad here to make fun of him for being a girl’s basketball coach? I thought that was great.
"Nevermind. I thought that was going to be a big hit here."
As the monologue continued, it was evident that the comedian's return to the show wasn't going to be an overwhelming triumph - despite getting some laughs from the live audience. Nevertheless, viewers took to X to share their thoughts, with many pointing out that not even the live band behind him was laughing.
"Hot take: Shane Gillis kinda bombed," one viewer bluntly tweeted.
Another X user wrote: "Shane Gillis is hilarious, but his opening on SNL straight up bombed. Anyone saying otherwise isn’t being honest with themselves."
"Shane Gillis fan here - he bombed," another added. "He was literally missing punch lines for his first few jokes and then he ran back old material. The SNL fans bought tickets to see Shane and he told jokes they’ve seen 1000 times on tiktok."
"Shane Gillis bombing horrendously on #SNL right now. You know it’s bad when the entire band behind him is absolutely stock-still," one viewer wrote.
"Shane Gillis is so unfunny on SNL that the whole band is behind him grimacing. One woman guitarist looks like she’s trying to bore a hole in his head with her glare," another tweeted.
And another critic wrote: "When you're on SNL and the band behind you isn't laughing during your opening monologue that should tell you something. His name is Shane Gillis. I never heard of him either."
Of course, there were plenty of Gillis fans who thought the opening monologue was hilarious -- made even funnier by the fact that the live band didn't see the funny side.
Gillis's return to SNL came after his brief tenure was cut short due to outcry over his history of making jokes deemed racially insensitive and homophobic on his podcast, Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast.
Despite the uproar, Gillis remained steadfast, refusing to publicly apologize for his past remarks, despite The Guardian reporting that the comedian would have likely kept his job if he'd just acknowledged his wrongdoing.
Reflecting on the decision to part ways with Gillis, an SNL spokesperson stated at the time: "After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL. 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."
Gillis's return to the SNL stage serves as a testament to his resilience and determination to reclaim his place in the mainstream comedy world. While his monologue may have elicited mixed reactions, Gillis's willingness to confront his past with humor underscores his commitment to moving forward in his career.
But what did you think about his performance? Let us know in the comments section.
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