Shane Gillis responds to firing in first appearance since being removed from SNL

Just a few days after Shane Gillis was hired by Saturday Night Live, Gillis was fired after his racist remarks against Asians were unearthed. In a new comedy appearance on Wednesday night, he seemed unapologetic of his remarks.

“I’m fine with the consequences. I’m not arguing. F*ck it,” Gillis said. “But I do want everyone to know that I’ve been reading every one of my death threats in an Asian accent.”

Later on, Gillis discussed the impact of the controversy surrounding his remarks. Variety reported that he also discussed how his hometown Philadelphia has addressed racism and politics differently than New York.

“It’s funny to hear so many people these days be like, ‘I’m not racist,’ ” he continued. “Are you sure? Being racist isn’t a yes or no thing. It’s not like you have it or you don’t have it. Being racist is like being hungry. You’re not right now but a cheeseburger could cut you off in traffic and you could get hungry real quick. You didn’t even know you were hungry for that type of cheeseburger. The cheeseburger’s not Asian in that joke.”

When news first broke of Gillis’s racist remarks, he had first said that it was just his artistic freedom.

After his firing, many celebrities applauded the decision including Sandra Oh, Simu Liu , George Takei, and Jimmy O Yang. Presidential candidate Andrew Yang, however, maintains the firing never should have happened. He made his comment on CNN’s Van Jones Show which airs tonight.

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