Shane Gillis made his debut as host on "Saturday Night Live" and kicked it off with a joke. He urged the audience not to Google why he was previously fired from the show.
"I'm here," he admitted, acknowledging that many might not recognize him. Gillis humorously requested the audience to avoid looking up his past controversy.
"If you don't know who I am, please don't Google that. It's fine. Don't even worry about it."
He was announced as a host for the show in February, despite being fired in 2019 for controversial comments made on a podcast.
Shane Gillis humorously remarked he was more cut out to be a "high school football coach" than standing on the "Saturday Night Live" stage.
He then made a controversial joke about having "family members with Down syndrome," suggesting it nearly affected him too.
Gillis admitted to struggling with finding TV-appropriate material. He commented on the bright lighting and his nervousness, noticing the audience's lackluster reaction.
NBC had initially hired Gillis in 2019, but a video of him making offensive remarks led to his firing. "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels admitted the show was unaware of Gillis's past comments, describing them as "offensive, hurtful and unacceptable."
The decision to let Gillis go was based on these remarks, with the show apologizing for not catching them sooner and acknowledging a lapse in their vetting process.
"After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL," the show stated at the time.
