Bowen Yang And Shane Gillis Talked After SNL Firing. Now, He’s Opening Up About Being ‘Used’ For Cancel Culture

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Following Shane Gillis’ dismissal from Saturday Night Live due to resurfaced jokes perceived as offensive towards Asians and LGBTQ+ communities, numerous media outlets and online fans attempted to tie Bowen Yang, a member of these communities who was simultaneously promoted from writer to cast member, into the narrative. However, years later, Yang now expresses feelings of being “used” by both Gillis and the cancel culture movement to serve specific agendas.

The first event took place as far back as 2019. At that time, Gillis, Yang, and Chloe Fineman were all introduced as new cast members. However, shortly after, some old jokes from Gillis resurfaced, leading to criticism. In spite of protests from the show’s creator Lorne Michaels, NBC ultimately decided to part ways with Gillis. Recently, Yang shared his thoughts on the situation during an interview on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, discussing the series of events and how he feels now that over five years have passed.

According to Bowen’s point of view, everything kicked off once they were both unveiled as the new cast members. It seemed he headed to the park for some reflection on the life-altering events upcoming, only to receive a message from his agent. The media was filled with tales about Gillis’ past humor, and many people mentioned Yang, though he had no direct connection. Intrigued, Bowen reached out to Gillis and they ended up talking over the phone a few days later, discussing the madness of becoming part of a nationwide narrative.

Following our discussion, I found myself out of a job, much to my dismay. Reflecting upon the situation now, it seems that both Gillis and I served as mere pawns in a narrative far more intricate than originally perceived – the underlying truth was indeed complex and layered.

We’ve both found ourselves in situations where we were misrepresented or manipulated. It seems like there was an unspoken agreement: “If you align with this person, then these are your beliefs,” and similarly, “If you align with this other person, then these are your beliefs.” However, I believe that we are both more complex than being defined solely by our associations with these individuals.

Thanks to their dismissals, both men have seen remarkable growth in their careers. Gillis is now among the world’s top stand-up comedians, with a Netflix show of his own. Yang has become one of SNL‘s most sought-after cast members and boasts an expanding film career, starring in both “Wicked” and its sequel. They’ve even collaborated off-screen, as Gillis has come back to host the show on several occasions during recent seasons.

Yang conveyed to Maron that they share little similarities, yet there exists a “reciprocal admiration” and he considers him quite amusing. On numerous occasions, he has emphasized that he was not involved in any past events.

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is set to come back for its 51st season in October. The team is yet to make final decisions on who among the current cast members will continue and who might be leaving.

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2025-09-01 15:09