Andrew Yang Doesn’t Think Shane Gillis Should Lose ‘SNL’ Job Over Racist Remarks
Written by SOURCE on September 15, 2019
Andrew Yang said that he doesn’t believe recent Saturday Night Live hire Shane Gillis should lose his position over offensive remarks he made in the past, some of which were directed at the presidential hopeful.
After footage from Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast surfaced online of Gillis disparaging Asian Americans and calling Yang a “Jew c***k,” many social media users were calling for Gillis to be removed from the show. Gillis offered a sort of half-hearted apology where he pointed out the (true) fact that comedians whiff frequently, without addressing the fact that his statements were racist.
“I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss,” Gillis wrote. “I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said.”
Yang retweeted the apology with a critique before adding that he doesn’t agree with calls for Gillis’ removal.
“Shane – I prefer comedy that makes people think and doesn’t take cheap shots. But I’m happy to sit down and talk with you if you’d like,” he wrote.
“For the record, I do not think he should lose his job,” Yang continued. “We would benefit from being more forgiving rather than punitive. We are all human.”
The controversy comes after SNL announced Bowen Yang would be added to the show’s 45th season roster, along with Chloe Fineman.
