Shane Gillis graced the set of Saturday Night Live (SNL) once again on March 1, 2025. He faced the crowd emboldened with confidence from surviving the fickle world of comedy, transitioning from being dismissed in 2019 for controversial past statements to returning as a host in 2024, and now taking the lead again in 2025—his trajectory in SNL has been filled with unexpected twists. His recent monologue was an eccentric cocktail of laughs, discomfort, and moments that left the audience second-guessing their own interpretations.
With no warning, Gillis jumped straight into the field of politics, opening the act with a punchline related to former President Donald Trump’s non-presence in upcoming presidential debates. However, he didn’t dissect policy details—instead, he mourned the loss of the vibrant unpredictability that Trump added to the comedy sphere. He then invoked a standout moment from Trump’s administration—his publicly expressed interest in acquiring Greenland, with a joke that seemed to resonate amusingly with the audience.
Moving onto a differing political figure, Gillis set his sights on ex-President Joe Biden. He humorously recalled how Biden’s expressions during speeches frequently became blank when switching lines on the teleprompter, ‘My favorite thing about Biden was, any time he was delivering a speech, his face would reset to a state of lifelessness between teleprompter lines.’ Gillis underscored the thought with a passable imitation of Biden, inducing a cocktail of laughter and hesitational silence from the audience as they navigated the social etiquette of the joke’s reception.
Attuned to the ambience of the crowd, Gillis made note of the liberal-leaning tendencies within the room. Adding unexpected pop-culture to the mix, he humorously likened being a liberal to becoming a Sith Lord from Star Wars, suggesting that although initially seductive, one eventually loses oneself.
He then introduced a delicate subject matter, drawing attention to what he labeled as ‘racist’—the practice of white men querying their partners about past relations with black men. The room resonated with scattered nervous laughs and gasps as he chuckled, swiftly moving on to the next topic.
Gillis certainly knew how to keep the audience on their toes, as he once again veered into controversial territories. This time, the subject was historical documentaries, particularly ‘The Civil War’ by Ken Burns. Suggesting these were sleep-inducing for women, he drew a deeply uncomfortable parallel involving Bill Cosby, resulting in an array of reactions from sheepish laughter to stunned silence among the audience.
The audience who were following Gillis’ journey from his dismissal and return to SNL, watched this monologue with a sense of déjà vu, as it echoed his previous return stint in February 2024. Back then, he opened with the self-referential joke: ‘Most of you probably don’t know me. I was sacked from here not long ago. I’d rather you didn’t look into that, thanks. There’s no need to Google.’, a quip that summarised his eventful story.
During that show in 2024, Gillis served up a gamut of personal stories about his father who coached a high school basketball team and his sister managing a coffee joint in Pennsylvania. He, however, didn’t shy away from engaging the audience with his controversial humor, chuckling about relatives with Down syndrome and dubbing young boys as their mothers’ ‘gay best friends.’
One joke from 2024 that pushed boundaries was about a café that his family set up in his hometown for people with Down syndrome to work at, ‘Don’t cheer! It’s exactly as complicated as you’d imagine. The service scenario is unique, to say the least. Somehow, everyone’s getting apple juice. That challenge is still under review.’ Fellow audience members found it a test to react to.
The mixed tapestry of reactions is clear evidence of Gillis’s approach—breaking societal barriers and pushing boundaries to extract laughs. Gillis maneuvered through Biden’s idiosyncrasies, keeping the atmosphere light, but also raised hard questions about societal norms and respect.
It’s clear that Gillis is not one to shy away from controversy. Throughout his monologue, he adeptly pushes societal boundaries to weave a complex tapestry of laughter and discomfort—using humor to shine a spotlight on the oddities and quirks of figures like ex-President Biden.
Despite the audience’s reactions—ranging from laughter to gasps and disconcerted quiet—Gillis’s monologue reveals his skill to navigate difficult subjects smoothly, testing the limits of the socially acceptable and using humor as a tool to bring light to significant issues.
Overall, Gillis’s act proved yet again his ability to redefine comedy norms. He dares to joke about controversial issues, sparking audience reactions ranging from giggles to nervous silence, and navigating these risky territories is undoubtedly part of his charm.
Taking into account the monologue in its entirety, Gillis reaffirmed his talent for extracting laughs in controversial fields—even if it does mean treading on risky ground. His comedic approach skilfully tests societal boundaries, eliciting a mixed reaction of laughter, gasps, and uneasy silence.