Bill Burr, Jim Jefferies Defend Shane Gillis Against "SNL Shooting"

Comedians such as Bill Burr, Jim Jefferies and Rob Schneider stand in place of Saturday Night Live cast member Shane Gillis after controversial jokes from the past have allowed this young comedian to get into the series comic sketches from NBC. "SNL" issued a statement on Sept. 16 claiming that it was separating Gillis just days after announcing it as one of three new cast members for season 45. Gillis hiring, racist and homophobic jokes that he had made began circulating on social media. and generate outrage.

Burr and Jefferies both appeared on David Spade's "Lights Out" (via The Wrap), Comedy Central, on September 16, and criticized "SNL" for making the decision to fire Gillis because of past jokes . "This is just canceling the crop," Jefferies said. "The guy should not have been fired. It was just one or two things in his story. We will review everyone's story? "

Burr was even more inflammatory, saying, "Do they go back and try to look at what the person was able to do, or are they just looking for the wrong things? I mean, you can honestly do that to anybody. We do not run for the office, when will it finish?

"You're millennial, you're a bunch of rats, all," Burr added. "None of them cares about it. All they want is to put people in trouble. "

Even Spade, a former member of the "SNL" cast, seemed hesitant with regard to people who dig in the past in search of inappropriate behavior. "I think when I was younger on 'SNL', when you were hired, the first step was not to delve into your past to make sure you were fired immediately," Spade said.

Schneider, another member of the cast of "SNL" for several years, has used social media to condemn "this era of cultural impregnation where comic missteps are subject to the intolerable inquisition of those who do not want to. have never risked being bombarded on stage. " The comedian said that "SNL" and NBC should have suspended Gillis for his past behavior but not sent him away.

"An honest and sincere apology, but also accepting it, also seems appropriate," Schneider added. "Destroy someone who does not want to."

"SNL" apologized for not having scrutinized Gillis' past when he was hired as a cast member for season 45. "We were not aware of his earlier remarks that re-made surface in recent days, "said a spokesman for the show. "The language that he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier and that our verification process does not live up to our criteria. "

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