As Shane Gillis makes another return to Studio 8H this weekend, speculation abounds once again about his 2019 ousting from Saturday Night Live.
After a background actor from the NBC sketch comedy show accused cast member Bowen Yang of getting Gillis fired, the four-time Emmy nominee responded to the allegation in the comments section of an Instagram post.
“Can we acknowledge that Bowen Yang bitched him off the show- and he’s the bigger man to come host after being unfairly ditched bc of a whiny queen,” comedian Michelle Best commented video from the show. “SNL fired him as a hater. He’s not. He’s very kind and has smart humor and stands up to bullying. Good for him!”
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“Didn’t do any of this but I wrote the sketch you were a background actor in,” wrote Yang in response with a smiley face.
Best recently noted that she’s “been cut from more sketches than I’ve made it into” in a post marking SNL‘s 50th anniversary.
Gillis was announced as a featured cast member on SNL in 2019, along with Yang and Chloe Fineman. He was removed from the cast shortly afterward when his past anti-Chinese and anti-gay jokes resurfaced.
In October, creator Lorne Michaels told the Wall Street Journal that Gillis’ termination was NBC’s decision. “That was very strong from the people in charge. And obviously I was not on that side, but I understood it,” he said.
After making his SNL hosting debut last February, Gillis returns this weekend with musical guest Tate McRae.
The post Bowen Yang Slams ‘SNL’ Extra Who Accused Him Of Getting Shane Gillis Fired: “Didn’t Do Any Of This” appeared first on Deadline.
