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The funniest part of Shane Gillis's 'SNL' monologue was how hard it BOMBED — we're cackling
Not even the painfully obvious laugh track could save this.
Five years after getting the boot before even appearing on the show, Shane Gillis took an ill-advised turn as host on Saturday Night Live over the weekend…and it did not go well.
Gillis was initially announced as a cast member for the 2019-2020 season, but was fired from the show after racist and homophobic remarks he had made during podcast episodes the prior year were brought to light. At the time, he pulled the “I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries” card, and unfortunately, his SNL monologue on Saturday was about as uninteresting as that familiar excuse.
His topics ranged from mocking his dad for being a volunteer assistant girls’ high school basketball coach to talking about relatives with Down syndrome, and comparing spending time with his sister’s diverse family to “the craziest Uber pool you’ve ever been [in].”
He also talked about how boys stop being best friends with their moms the first time they masturbate, throwing in weird gay jokes in the process.
“You remember when you were a little boy and you loved your mom, you thought she was the coolest? You remember when you were gay?” he asked. “Do you remember when you were just a gay little boy? Every little boy is just their mom’s gay best friend. There’s literally zero difference. I was gay for my mom.”
For an allegedly boundary-pushing comic, Gillis’s jokes really just seemed to fall flat. More than feeling traditionally offensive, they were ultimately just so dull it was hard not to be offended on behalf of all the funnier comics SNL could have given the opportunity to instead.
And the studio audience appeared to feel the same way. Throughout his monologue, Gillis made overt references to the fact that they don’t seem to be laughing or enjoying his jokes — something those who watched the east coast feed live echoed online. But those who watched on the west coast, or caught clips uploaded by the show afterwards were treated to the unhinged dissonance of a sometimes raucous laugh track being added to the very moments where Gillis himself is making it clear that he’s bombing on stage.
“I don’t have any material that can be on TV, alright? I’m trying my best. Also, this place is extremely well-lit. I can see everyone not enjoying it,” he said at one point.
Of course, Gillis fans cheered him on and boldly declared “comedy is back” specifically because he used a slur in his monologue.
They also got absolutely furious at the the band members — and specifically, guitarist Maddie Rice — for not laughing at Gillis’s jokes.
Gillis clearly has a devoted fanbase online, but that doesn’t always translate to broader appeal. And honestly, it just doesn’t seem to have much to do with him being offensive or not — dude just didn’t bring the laughs.
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Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
