Shane Gillis: An Inside Look into His Hilarious World of Comedy
Meet Shane Gillis, the funny guy who does it all! He is an American comedian who does stand-up, hosts on the radio, writes sketch comedy, and even has his own podcast.
You might remember him from when Gills was chosen to join the cast of "Saturday Night Live" in 2019, but unfortunately, the 35-year-old comedian got let go shortly after due to some controversial videos where he made racist and homophobic comments. Now let’s find out about his personal and professional life.
Early Life
Shane Michael Gillis was born in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania on December 11, 1987. Growing up near Harrisburg, he attended Trinity High School in Camp Hill. During his time there, he played as an offensive tackle on the football team.
In 2006, Gillis successfully completed his high school education. Following that, he initially pursued studies at the United States Military Academy but decided to discontinue during his first year. Subsequently, Shane enrolled at Temple University in Philadelphia and successfully earned a degree in history.
Career Highlights
Shane Gillis embarked on his comedy journey in 2012, starting his career in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, before eventually relocating to Philadelphia. It was there that he gained notable recognition for his remarkable stand-up comedy performances.
In 2015, Gillis achieved the third position in the esteemed annual tournament Philly's Phunniest held at Helium Comedy Club. Collaborating with fellow comedian Matt McCusker, Gillis co-developed the innovative stand-up format known as Digital Graffiti and co-hosted the podcast "The Bonfire with Big Jay Oakerson and Dan Soder," which began airing in 2016.
Comedy Central recognized Gillis as an Up Next comedian in 2019, and he was also honored as one of the New Faces at the renowned Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
While Gillis received an exciting opportunity in 2019 to join the cast of NBC's sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live", unfortunate circumstances followed. Within five days, he was dismissed from the show due to backlash stemming from controversial clips of a 2018 podcast episode that contained racial slurs.
Controversies
Shane Gillis has faced significant controversy due to his previous remarks and behaviors, which have been widely criticized as offensive by certain individuals. In a video that has since been deleted, Gillis made derogatory comments targeting Chinese Americans, LGBTQ individuals, and women.
Additionally, Gillis resorted to mocking a Chinese accent and made various other offensive statements. In response to the backlash, he expressed his apologies to those who were offended by his words.
Despite the ensuing controversy, Andrew Yang, a Democratic presidential candidate for the 2020 election, expressed his belief that Gillis should not lose his job. Yang stated that he felt racial slurs targeting Asian individuals were not taken as seriously as slurs against other groups.
However, he also noted his belief that society has become excessively punitive and vindictive when it comes to offensive or racist remarks. Eventually, Yang and Gillis had a meeting to discuss the situation.
Shane represents a recent example of a comedian whose past comments and actions have garnered renewed attention in the online sphere. Notable figures such as Trevor Noah, Kevin Hart, and Sarah Silverman have also faced similar backlash for their previous remarks and behaviors.
Success of Shane Gillis after Saturday Night Live
Even though it was a major setback for his career, Shane Gillis didn't give up. He continued performing and received a lot of praise. In 2020, he was honored as the Stand-Up Comedian of the Year at Theinterrobang's Sixth Annual Comedy Awards. Gillis then started a web series called "Gilly and Keeves", which had some really great skits.
In 2021, Shane released his first live comedy special titled "Shane Gillis: Live in Austin". He put it up on YouTube for free, and it ended up getting over 3 million views. Critics loved it too, and it came in second place on "The Laugh Button" rankings.
Net Worth
As per Celebrity Net Worth, Shane Gillis has an estimated net worth of $400,000 in 2023. He accumulates his wealth through various sources such as his career as a stand-up comedian, radio personality, sketch comedy writer, and podcaster.
In 2021, Shane gained a lot more fame by appearing on "The Joe Rogan Experience."
Who Is Shane Gillis' Girlfriend?
Shane Gillis has managed to keep his romantic relationships private, leaving people curious about his girlfriend. But there are different speculation about his love life.
One of the rumored girlfriends of Gillis is Shih Ryan. According to sources like Odessy, Shih and the comedian have been close friends since they were 16 years old. They share a strong bond and enjoy spending time together. Speculation even arose about an engagement between the two, with plans for a wedding in 2020.
Another rumored romantic interest of Gillis is Claire. Allegedly, there have been several sightings of the comedian and Claire together, suggesting a close relationship between them. However, neither Gillis nor Claire has officially confirmed.
Furthermore, there have been rumors of Gillis being involved with Tara Pavlovich, the manager of a radio station. This gossip emerged during his time as a cast member of The Bachelorette, indicating a supposed relationship between the two.
In the past, Gillis was also linked to Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, a former Miss Universe Africa from South Africa. However, there has been no official clarification from either party regarding these alleged relationships.
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