Shane Gillis, the comedian who has been receiving flak for the past few days for using racist and homophobic slurs on his podcast, has been dismissed from Saturday Night Live.
Gillis was one of three cast members recently added to the show, which is all set to begin its 45th season. But the comedian was canned on Monday before even making an appearance on the show.
“After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining the show,” read a statement from the producers.
The statement also explained that Gillis’ earlier remarks were not known to the producers, who hired him on the strength of his talent as a comedian and his impressive audition.
Following the news of his dismissal, Gillis responded over Twitter, “It feels absurd for comics to be making grave public statements but here we are.”
A now-viral video posted by comedy reporter Seth Simons first brought Gillis’ controversial past to the mainstream, though many have distanced themselves from his brand of comedy for some time.
In the video clipping — an extract from the show ‘Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast’, which Gillis co-hosts with comedian Matt McCusker — Gillis says a racist slur and mocks Chinese accents during a discussion about Chinatown.
In another episode, he uses gay slurs to describe comedians he does not think are funny.
Gillis had attempted to alleviate the controversy in a tweet on Thursday.
He wrote that “I am a Comedian who pushes limits. I sometimes miss it. I am happy to apologize to anyone who has been offended by anything I have said. My intentions are never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”
On Monday, Gillis concluded his statement saying, “I was always a [Mad TV] guy anyway.”