Democratic Hopeful Andrew Yang Forgives SNL Castmember Shane Gillis For Racial Slur
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Asian American Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said that he doesn’t believe new Saturday Night Live cast member Shane Gillis should lose his job over past racial slurs.
Yang was called a “Jew ch**k on a May podcast by Gillis, whose SNL casting was announced this week. His past remarks denigrating Asians then surfaced.
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“For the record, I do not think he should lose his job,” Yang tweeted. “We would benefit from being more forgiving rather than punitive. We are all human.”
Yang added that he has experienced racial slurs and felt they can be “extraordinarily hurtful.” However, he noted, “But I took the time to watch and listen to Shane’s work. He does not strike me as malignant or evil. He strikes me as a still-forming comedian from central Pennsylvania who made some terrible and insensitive jokes and comments.”
Gillis made the remarks about Yang on the Real Ass Podcast in May. Vice News broke the story.
Gillis previously apologized to “Anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said,” and said he was a comedian who “pushes boundaries.” That apology came on the day he was cast, as another YouTube video with a racial slur surfaced.
NBC has not commented on the Gillis issue.
I’ve been called chink and gook any number of times in my life. It can be extraordinarily hurtful to feel like you are somehow not part of the only country you have ever known. I have certainly felt that – the churning sense of alienation, anger and marginalization.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) September 15, 2019
But I took the time to watch and listen to Shane’s work. He does not strike me as malignant or evil. He strikes me as a still-forming comedian from central Pennsylvania who made some terrible and insensitive jokes and comments.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) September 15, 2019
I understand those who have another point of view on this. Obviously the folks at NBC are the real decision-makers. But if I can forgive Shane, as the guy he called a slur, I hope others can as well. I also hope Shane is open to learning. We are all human, we’re all fallible. 👍
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) September 15, 2019
For the record, I do not think he should lose his job. We would benefit from being more forgiving rather than punitive. We are all human.
— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) September 14, 2019
— Shane Gillis (@Shanemgillis) September 13, 2019
EARLIER: The announcement of three new regulars for Saturday Night Live, including the show’s first Asian-American cast member, Bowen Yang, has been eclipsed by an old YouTube video that surfaced in which one of them made a racial slur against Asians.
Stand-up comic Shane Gillis is heard saying “Chinatown’s f*cking nuts,” on the YouTube video, called Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast. “Let the f*cking ch*nks live there.”
The video has been deleted but was shared by a third party on a Twitter account.
Gillis, Yang and Chloe Fineman were announced as new featured players for the upcoming season of SNL earlier today.
Gillis’s résumé includes Comedy Central radio show The Bonfire. He has performed stand-up at various New York clubs and was featured as a New Face at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
Calls for comment from NBC and Saturday Night Live were not immediately returned.
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