“NBC has called for Shane Gillis to be fired from 'SNL,'” says Lorne Michaels

Lorne Michaels has spoken out again about the decision to fire Shane Gillis Saturday Night Live before he ever took the Studio 8H stage.

Gillis was fired in September 2019 ahead of the long-running NBC show's 45th season.

At the time it seemed to be a decision by creator Michaels, but in a new interview with the Wall Street JournalThe Canadian said it was the call from the station.

“That was very strong from those responsible. And of course I wasn't on that page, but I got it,” Michaels told the newspaper.

Gillis never made it SNL Cast after online comments surfaced in which he used a racial slur against Asians. In a statement at the time, Michaels said through a spokesperson: “After speaking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL.”

Three months later, then-NBC boss Paul Telegdy spoke about the decision. “How quickly Lorne acted and what happened afterwards is a testament to how we act as a company,” he said at the TCA press tour. “We acted quickly, Lorne did the right thing. We believe that we will rightly assume responsibility in the future.”

Gillis has had a promising career, releasing a number of stand-up specials including Beautiful dogs on Netflix, as well as sitcom Tires on the streamer, which has been renewed for a second season.

He also had the last laugh when he appeared as host SNL in February, where he joked about being fired.