Bowen Yang and Shane Gillis: Mutual Respect Amid Media-Fueled Rivalry!

Over half a decade after Shane Gillis’ controversial departure from Saturday Night Live, Bowen Yang finds himself at the heart of a cultural conflict.

Recently, the five-time Emmy nominee described Gillis as a “funny guy” and noted their “mutual respect,” despite the drama that unfolded during Gillis’ removal from the NBC variety show in 2019.

“We both found ourselves manipulated,” Yang shared with Marc Maron on the WTF podcast. “It seemed like people were picking sides, suggesting that supporting one of us meant endorsing specific values. I believe we both have more depth than what was portrayed.”

Gillis was introduced as a new cast member on SNL in 2019, alongside Yang and Chloe Fineman. He was quickly dismissed after his previous anti-Chinese and anti-gay jokes became public, none of which involved Yang.

During the podcast, Yang mentioned that he and Gillis had conversations back then and connected over their shared experience of being headline fodder. Yang has previously refuted claims that he played a role in Gillis’s firing.

In October last year, Lorne Michaels, the creator of SNL, told the Wall Street Journal that the decision to fire Gillis came from NBC executives. “It was a definitive choice from the top, and although I didn’t agree, I understood the reasons behind it,” Michaels explained.

Since his departure, Gillis has made a comeback to Studio 8H, hosting SNL twice, once in February 2024 and again in March of the same year.