Bowen Yang Claps Back at ‘SNL’ Background Actor Accusing Him of Getting Shane Gillis Fired

Bowen Yang is setting the record straight.

In response to comedian Michelle Best, who appeared to have been a background actor on Saturday Night Live (SNL), the SNL cast member defended himself against her claims that he was responsible for firing Shane Gillis in 2019. Gillis, another stand-up comedian, was swiftly dismissed from NBC’s sketch comedy series following his use of racial and homophobic slurs on a podcast.

I tried to maintain the original meaning while making it more conversational and easier to read.

Let’s give credit where it’s due: Bowen Yang was let go from the show, but he showed grace by returning to host later on. Many felt he was unjustly dismissed due to a petty situation, but it seems he’s proven them wrong by being nothing but kind and displaying sharp wit. Plus, he stands against bullying – which is commendable. Kudos to him!

Yang replied to Best, saying, “I didn’t participate in any of this, but I was the one who wrote the script where you were a supporting actor,” followed by a smiling emoticon.

The actor from “Wicked” has been associated with Saturday Night Live (SNL) since 2018, first joining as part of the writing team before being promoted to the on-screen cast in the year following his arrival. Concerning Gillis, he came back to the NBC show last year as a host, and he will be hosting this weekend’s upcoming episode, with Tate McRae as the musical guest.

Last October, Lorne Michaels expressed his frustration to The Wall Street Journal over Gillis’ dismissal. He stated, “It was a foolish remark, but it became an apocalypse.” The boss of SNL recalled feeling angry. He said, “I thought, ‘You don’t know what we’re planning for him, and the potential I see in him, because I truly believed he had real talent.’

Michael expressed that NBC chose to dismiss the comedian. “That was a powerful move from those in authority,” he stated. “And although I wasn’t aligned with that decision, I could comprehend it.

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2025-03-02 05:54