Enjoy stand-up comedies and bone-breaking jokes? Then you must have heard of Shane Gillis. His comics are insanely hilarious. But the famous comedian has recently been involved in controversies due to being cast and fired from Saturday Night Live(SNL).
So, does that incident make a significant impact on his growing career? We have investigated the real truth and noted every single detail of his early career, the fluctuations, and his comeback here.
Keep on reading to unveil the real person behind the comic show with us!
Brief Wiki
| Shane Gillis | Bio Details |
| Real Name | Shane Michael Gillis |
| Nickname (Industry Name) | Shane Gillis |
| Date of Birth | 11th December, 1987 |
| Age | 37 [as of 2025] |
| Birth Place | Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Current Residence | New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Gender | Male |
| Profession | Comedian, Actor, Writer |
| Net Worth | $8 million [as of 2025] |
| Status | Unmarried |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Hobbies | His professional work |
| Schooling | United States Military AcademyElon UniversityWest Chester University (BA) |
Appearance & Looks
| Physique | Details |
| Height | 6’4” [(1.93 m)] |
| Weight | Around 275-pound |
| Eye Colour | Blue |
| Hair Colour | Brown |
| Shoe Size | Not officially known |
| Style | Casual retro-inspired fashion designs |
| Common Outfits | Graphic t-shirts, vintage concert tees, hoodies, and jeans |
| Accessories | Baseball hat, casual athletic shoes |
| Tattoos | Yes |
Family Info
Born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, Shane Gillis never shared much information on his family members and relationships with them. He has kept it a secret from the media to protect his beloved. Here’s a breakdown of his family members:
| Family Members/ Relatives | Details |
| Parents | Father: Phil GillisMother: Joan Gillis |
| Siblings | Older Sisters: Kait Gillis, Sarah Gillis |
| Spouse | Not married yet. Girlfriend: Grace Brassel |
| Children | None |
Early Life Stories
Before pursuing his career as a comic, Shane Gillis was quite an enthusiast of football. He started playing on the school football team as an offensive tackle at Trinity High School. After his graduation in 2006, he was recruited to the United States Military Academy to play for the Army Black Knights team.
After a year, Gillis was transferred to Elon University in North Carolina and started playing football there. Transferring to several universities, ultimately, he graduated from West Chester University.
But Shane Gillis didn’t switch to a career as a stand-up comedian right after his graduation. He worked for a salesman at a Honda shop and then moved to Spain and started teaching English there.
Follow the section below to find a detailed breakdown of his career highlights and achievements:
Career Highlights
Career Startups (2012 to 2019)
Shane Gillis’s career as a comedian started in 2012 when he decided to perform in Harrisburg and Lancaster on a regular basis. Later, he moved to Philadelphia with a friend, McCusker, who is another fellow comedian.
In 2015, Shane Gillis participated in “Philly’s Phunniest” annual tournament at Helium Comedy Club and came in third place. But next year, he won the tournament. In 2016, he started his first podcast with friend McCusker and named the show “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast”.
As Gillis started to get recognition by fans, he became a consistent guest on The Bonfire with fellows Dan Soder and Big Jay Oakerson. As his fame increased, he also became a co-host on A Fair One with Tommy Pope. It was a weekly show on Compound Media.
That same year, Shane Gillis relocated to New York City. There, “Comedy Central” named him an Up Next comedian. Since then, his career took a complete U-turn, and he started to gain millions of followers around the world.
Saturday Night Live (SNL) Hiring and Firing
In September 2019, Saturday Night Live (SNL) announced Shane Gillis as a new featured cast member alongside Bowen Yang and Chloe Fineman. But, the same day, numerous old clips from a 2018 episode of his podcast, “Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast,” started to resurface on social media.
Those clips included Gillis and Matt McCusker making jokes about Chinatown in New York. They were mocking the Asian accents and also used racial slurs for Chinese people. They also had other conversations where they ranked comedians based on their race, gender, and sexual orientation, sometimes using offensive language.
Even though Gillis later explained that the jokes were taken out of context, the criticisms didn’t stop easily. He also said that he was imitating a stereotype from the 1940s rather than expressing his own views. Shane Gillis admitted the jokes were “bad misses” and posted on Twitter that he was truly sorry.
Four days later, SNL announced that he would not be joining the cast.
After his removal, Gillis said the clips were misrepresented, describing himself as a “comedian who pushes boundaries.” Gillis expressed that his comment was something he regretted, calling it “corny” and written under pressure.
Years later, in 2024, SNL producer Lorne Michaels revealed that the decision to fire Gillis had not been his choice. It was a determination made by NBC executives.
Present Career Expansion
➤ Popular Stand-Up Appearances
| Stand-Up Name | Year | Directed by | Credits |
| Shane Gillis: Live in Austin | 2021 | John McKeever | Self |
| Gilly and Keeves The Special | 2022 | John McKeever | Screenwriter, Executive Producer |
| Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs | 2023 | John McKeever | Self |
| Kill Tony: Kill or Be Killed | 2025 | Anthony Giordano | Self |
➤ Famous TV Shows
| Show Name | Year Appeared | Creator | Credits |
| Delco Proper | 2016 | John McKeever and Tommy Pope | Voice |
| Saturday Night Live | 2024-2025 | Lorne Michaels | Host |
| Jimmy Kimmel Live! | 2025 | Jimmy Kimmel | Guest |
| Late Night With Seth Meyers | 2025 | David Letterman | Guest |
| Tires | 2024-2025 | Shane Gillis and Steve Gerben | Creator, Actor, Executive Producer, Writer |
Net Worth in 2025
| Shane Gillis | Details |
| Net Worth in 2025 | $8 million |
| Earning Sources | Stand-up comedies, tours, and other ventures |
| Investments | No public records |
| Commercial Properties | No public records |
Likes and Dislikes
| Likes | Dislikes |
| Doing stand-up comedy and cracking hilarious jokes is the only thing he likes most. | The overcrowded city life of New York City |
| Since high school, he has had a special affection for football | He hates taking himself too seriously |
| He likes to keep his personal life behind the camera | Gillis also dislikes unwanted attention for past actions |
| He has a “meat closet” where he ages beef |
Interesting & Lesser-Known Facts
While going through his career and life events, I have found some interesting facts about Shane Gillis that probably few know. Don’t miss a second and uncover them below:
- Before pursuing a career as a comic, in 2006, Shane Gillis initially committed to and even got enrolled at the U.S. Military Academy. But he eventually left the school after only three weeks.
- Gillis used to run a historical podcast show with humor called “Brofessor Shane Gillis Teaches History”.
- Shane got the opportunity to portray Fonal Trump for the 5th season of SNL, but had to decline it due to scheduling conflicts with other shows.
Social Media Engagement
| Platforms | Username | Followers |
| Shane Gillis | 101K | |
| shanemgillis | 2.5 million | |
| X (Twitter) | Shane Gillis | 752.9K |
| YouTube | Gilly and Keeves | 1.6 million subscribers |
| TikTok | Shane Gillis | 43.7K |
Career Challenges & Rise to Fame
Within days of Shane Gillis’ SNL casting announcement, he got fired from the popular show. This incident took his rising career to a new turn. However, Shane was clever enough to address these issues asap and made a public apology.
During this time, Shane Gillis struggled to overcome the pub scrutiny and controversies. He was determined to stand independently. Gill started his own podcast, independent stand-up shows, arena tours, and made a successful deal with Netflix. Soon after, he got millions of followers around the world.
The interesting part is that his career experienced a significant shift after he was invited back to the SNL, but not as a cast member, as a host. His return demonstrated that, despite having a controversial past, he is a mainstream success. The network addresses him as a profitable talent.
Controversies
- Racial and homophobic slurs (2019): In 2019, many of Gillis’s podcast clips got viral, featuring him and his co-host mocking Eastern Asian accents. People criticized his use of the ethnic slur for Chinese people. Also, his portrayal of addressing other comedians based on race and sexuality caused a huge controversy.
- Asian American community protest (2024): The SNL hosting gig was another mess. Different Asian-American groups held a press conference in Los Angeles, calling on Shane Gillis to apologize for his “offensive racial remarks”.
- ESPYs monologue (2025): Presenting the ESPY Awards, Shane made a series of jokes. They got a mixed reaction from the public, creating an awkward atmosphere. His jokes included Donald Trump, WNBA player Caitlin Clark, and the Epstein list. Even here, he couldn’t escape public criticisms and controversies.
Personal Relations & Affairs Stories
Shane Gillis has always kept his dating life private. In March 2023, he mentioned being in a two-year relationship with his now ex and tried very hard to keep their relationship hidden from the public eye.
Shane Gillis and Grace Brassel relationship rumours first sparked in July 2024 when they were both captured together at McCaffrey and Culpo’s wedding. The moment Brassel posted the photo on her Instagram, the internet went crazy.
After that, they have attended several events together and shared photos online.
Global Fame and Recognition of Shane Gillis
Shane Gillis’s global fame is clearly a result of a major controversy. His career shifted from mainstream to independent online success within years. Here are the core reasons for his global fame and recognition:
✦ Shane Gillis took the SNL controversy and the firing as a challenge. He proved his independent ability for global success.
✦ His strategic use of online platforms helped him expand global reach to a wide range of fan bases without reliance on television networks.
✦ The use of dark, closely observational, and somewhat cringeworthy humor was enjoyed by millions of people.
✦ Shane Gillis’s global arena tour set a record-breaking ticket sales in North America and European cities, confirming his dedicated international following.
Conclusion
As we can see, the journey of Shane Gillis has been filled with both struggle and success. Even though his growing career experienced a major setback in 2019, he rebuilt his career on an independent term instead of stepping away. Through podcasts, stand-up specialism, and live tours, he showed his ability to connect with audiences with raw and unapologetic humor.
Today, Shane Gillis stands as an example of how to redefine your career by turning every struggle into a new opportunity. He is an inspiration for the coming generation. He showed us a lesson on how you can carve your own path in the modern landscape by believing in yourself.
FAQs
Shane Gillis was fired from SNL in 2019 due to his offensive language use and mocking of East Asian accents on old podcast clips that the public started to mention on different social media platforms.
You can watch Gillis’s comedy videos on Gilly and Keeves YouTube channel and other streaming platforms like Netflix.
Shane and his girlfriend Grace Brassel have not declared their wedding news yet. But we are really excited for them to get together officially.
Outside of comedy, Gillis also enjoys sports, especially football. He has played football during his days in high school and university.