NYT: (New cast member) Shane Gillis's Jokes Went Too Far. Should That End His 'S.N.L.' Career?

[Miles Archer]

Shane Gillis’s Jokes Went Too Far. Should That End His ‘S.N.L.’ Career?

The new cast member’s offensive remarks about Chinese people and others raise questions about the show’s vetting and what, if anything, the show should do with him.



https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/13/arts/shane-gillis-snl-racial-slur.html

By Dave Itzkoff and Nancy Coleman
Sept. 13, 2019
Updated 10:33 p.m. ET

The new season of “Saturday Night Live” will not begin for two more weeks, but the long-running sketch comedy series is already drawing scrutiny for a new hire who has yet to appear on the show.

On Thursday, “S.N.L.” said that it had hired Shane Gillis, a 31-year-old stand-up comedian, to join the program as a featured performer. Within hours of the announcement, video recordings of Gillis in which he is seen using bigoted language were circulating widely on the internet and drawing criticism from other comedians and comedy fans alike.

In a video of one of his podcasts, Gillis used a slur for Chinese people while talking about Chinatown and adopted a caricature accent while mocking Chinese people who are learning to speak English. In another podcast recording, Gillis used homophobic slurs to describe Judd Apatow, the comedy filmmaker and producer, and the comedian Chris Gethard.

Gillis has said he had no intention of hurting anyone with his work, but criticism of him quickly overshadowed the praise that “S.N.L.” was receiving for elevating one of its writers, Bowen Yang, who is Chinese-American, to a featured performer’s position. Some performance spaces have said they will no longer work with Gillis, citing other material and language of his that they consider unacceptable.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. Yes. And SNL should do a better job vetting. And I would say that many of the things referenced

are not "jokes," as in stand-up work, but conversation on a podcast. "Remarks" is more accurate.

[Blue_true]

6. Word. That shit was out there. Why didn't people see that before he was hired.

As far as I am concerned, a person that has to use racist or homophobic it sexist language isn't remotely funny.

[Nature Man]

2. Don Rickles

[killaphill]

3. Don Rickles was a man of his time

And his brand of humor would never fly today. Look at old clips. It was often bitter and hateful. Good riddance. I think (hope) we've evolved beyond that type of "humor".

[Miles Archer]

4. There's a good exchange in the movie "The Rat Pack"...the one with Ray Liotta as Sinatra

Sammy Davis Jr, played by Don Cheadle, is with Mai Britt, and she asks him point blank "Why do you let them treat you like that?" (Sinatra and Martin). His reaction shows that he understands what's happening, and the jokes at his expense aren't acceptable. but he shrugs it off with something like "They don't mean it" and "It's only an act." And Rickles, while not a member of "The Rat Pack," was part of that time, that culture, that made it "OK" to venture into that realm.

The new guy ain't Rickles. I'm not comparing him or saying it was OK for one and not the other. The new guy just seems to be mean-spirited, an Andrew Dice Clay wannabe, excusing his past with "I never intended to hurt anyone, but sometimes you have to push the envelope." That's a weak and feeble excuse for perpetuating hateful stereotypes.

You could probably fill a stadium with "comedians" who are qualified for the SNL gig. Maybe it should go to one of them instead.

[NCLefty]

7. Never liked him but I'm not of that generation either.

[VarryOn]

5. There's no way that SNL management hadnt seen Gillis' stand up...

And apparently they were OK with it. I like stand up comedy and have seen him some on Netflix. I've found him fairly funny. However, it sounds like off-stage he's a racist. I predict he wont make it onto SNL after all, nor should he, if he's as bad as it sounds.

Having watched a lot of stand up in person and on screen, I dont always like where some of the comedy goes. I just stop watching if it gets too much.

After Dave Chappelle started catching hell a couple weeks ago over his new Netflix special, I made a special point to watch it ASAP. Given he is one of the best in recent years, I was happy to watch it. I cringed a few times! His defense of Michael Jackson was uncomfortable for sure. But, his Jussie Smollett bit was hilarious. I would recommend only a few of my friends and acquaintences to watch it. I would NOT recommend it to the vast, vast majority because I know they wouldnt find it the least bit funny or of any value.

Probably my favorite comedian is a Canadian of Indian descent named Russell Peters. His comedy largely centers on his Indian heritage and on sterotypes of various culters around the world. He constantly uses various accents throughout the act. If you look at his audiences, you'd think it was the UN Assembly!

There is a way to provide humor based on sterotypes cultures, races, religions, and other aspects of the human race without being mean-spirited and anti-whatever. The comedian who does it, however, has to accept some will be offended, no matter what, especially nowadays. If she or he goes too far, they lose their audiences, and they are done.

And btw, I loved Don Rickles and his schtick of playing the angry, curmudgeon on-stage. He had a reputation as a really nice guy otherwise.