Shane Gillis Turned Down Saturday Night Live’s Funniest Role
Though it doesn’t have the same industry cache as years past, it’s still weird for someone to turn down a recurring or regular role on Saturday Night Live. But when it comes to Shane Gillis, one could understand why the actor and comedian wouldn’t be all that into taking a gig there. After all, this is the same group that fired him before he even stepped foot in the building a few years back.
Shane Gillis As Donald Trump
So Shane Gillis turning down the role of Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live isn’t all that surprising, though it is disappointing. Seeing Gillis take over that part heading into the November election could have been appointment television, considering how well he pulls off the role. But it isn’t to be.
Shane Gillis was a guest on a podcast at Skankfest (yes, that’s the name) and talked about why he was able to make it there with his schedule. The Real Ass Podcast host, Luis J. Gomez explained Gillis’s schedule opening saying, “…he was offered to play Trump on the entire season of SNL and he turned it down…”
Shane Gillis responded, “They (SNL) said, ‘Are you serious? You’re going to say no? I said, ‘Lorne, I’ve got to go to Coke Magic.’” The latter is a reference to Gomez’s podcast.
Saturday Night Live Election Content
Saturday Night Live‘s coverage of the U.S. Presidential Election has long been one of the more popular and recognizable gigs, even though the show’s ratings and cultural impact have declined over the years.
This year is shaping up to be a big one with Kamala Harris and Donald Trump squaring off.
With Shane Gillis apparently turning down the gig, James Austin Johnson will take the part of Donald Trump again. He’s played the character in the past. Maya Rudolph is Kamala Harris, Andy Samberg is her husband, Doug Emhoff, Jim Gaffigan is Tim Walz, and Bowen Yang is JD Vance.
Shane Gillis And Saturday Night Live
As far as Shane Gillis is concerned, he has a complicated history with Saturday Night Live. In 2019, as a lesser-known comic, he was hired as a cast member for the 45th season.
But within days Gillis was fired from the role (before even appearing) after clips from his podcast came to light where he used inappropriate language and slurs.
He Returns To SNL
Then, in 2024, Saturday Night Live did a (kind of) about-face, having Shane Gillis “return” and host the show. His popularity had grown tremendously, partly on the back of the coverage he received following the SNL ouster.
Shane Gillis poked fun at the situation in his opening monologue, saying, “Yeah, I’m here. Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was actually — I was fired from this show a while ago. But if, you know, don’t look that up, please, if you don’t know who I am. Please, don’t Google that. It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it.”
Not To Be
Shane Gillis would have been a tremendous Donald Trump, seeing as how he already does bits related to the former President in his standup act.
Having him weekly for Saturday Night Live would have been a huge win. But it isn’t to be, and the show will have a lot of work to do this fall.
