“Saturday Night Live” is going back on their word.
In 2019, Lorne Michaels’ venerated sketch program hired and then quickly fired stand-up comedian Shane Gillis after word got out that he’d spewed a litany of “offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable” slurs on his podcast.
“I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get ‘SNL,” he said in a press release shortly after. “That can’t be taken away. Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at ‘SNL,’ but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a ‘Mad TV’ guy anyway.”
Now, a mere five years later, Gillis has been asked back to host the show with musical guest 21 Savage on Feb. 24.
The move, while surprising, isn’t without precedent. According to Entertainment Weekly, former cast members Damon Wayans, Robert Downey Jr., Norm Macdonald, Sarah Silverman, Chris Rock and Adam Sandler had all been unceremoniously let go from the show and asked back to host years later.
However, none of them — save for Macdonald — were cut loose for politically incorrect material.
In the half decade since losing the gig, the 36-year-old comic’s podcast and stand-up grew in popularity exponentially. The Pennsylvania native found an audience that embraced “conservative” and “anti-woke” values, which is at odds with “SNL’s” typically left of center sensibility.
And if you want to see the guileless Gillis live, he is currently on tour.
As of now, he has 31 shows lined up all over North America from February through May.
That includes three back-to-back-to-back gigs at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on March 1-2.
While we can’t predict what the loose cannon comic will bring to the stage, it’s likely he will discuss his “SNL” experience.
Want to catch the controversial, anything goes Bud Light spokesman live this year?
We’ve got everything you need to know and more about his 2024 stand-up tour below.
A complete calendar including all tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
Note: The Feb. 22-24 shows will likely be rescheduled due to “Saturday Night Live’s” schedule.
From May 2-12, 2024, the Netflix is a Joke Festival is returning to Los Angeles for over 300 (!) shows spread out across 35 venues.
And yes, many your favorite comedians will be there along with Gillis.
Just a few of the mega names on this year’s lineup include Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Bill Burr, David Letterman and Katt Williams.
They’ll be joined by household names John Mulaney, Jon Stewart, Ali Wong, Seth Rogen and Sarah Silverman.
Best of all, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady will be on hand for ‘The Greatest Roast of All Time,’ where Jeff Ross and celebrities will poke fun fun at the former NFLer.
As of now, over 100 acts have been announced for the sprawling, mega event, the first since 2022.
You can get tickets for the show of your choosing here.
Many edgy acts will be taking their jokes on the road this year.
Here are just five you won’t want to miss live.
• Theo Von
Who else is out and about? Check out our list of the 107 biggest comedians on tour in 2024 here to find out.