Yang and Gillis joined the cast of SNL at the same time in 2019, but Gillis was abruptly fired just a week later when videos resurfaced of the stand-up comedian performing offensive and homophobic jokes. Yang found himself getting swept up in the news cycle as well, as the show’s first-ever Chinese-American cast member and third openly gay male cast member.
In a candid profile with The New Yorker Magazine , Yang admitted that he felt like it was “incidental to this big national story about cancel culture” at the time.
SNL exec Lorne Michaels reportedly texted Yang after the news of Gillis’ controversial past broke. “I don’t need you to be the poster child for racial harmony,” Michaels told him.
Yang added that he spoke to Gillis just before it was announced that he was being fired from the show. Yang reportedly texted Gillis, who called him back and “apologized for the mess,” The New Yorker reports.
“I ended the call by saying, ‘I guess I’ll just see you at work,’ ” Yang recalled. “He laughed and said, ‘Sure,’ and hung up. Then they announced that he was fired.”
After his firing, Gillis issued a public statement noting that he’s a “comedian who pushes boundaries.”
Photo: Will Heath/NBC
“I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said,” he wrote in a statement on X. “My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”
Gillis later returned to the show to host in February 2024. He and Yang notably shared a hug during the show’s goodbyes.
Yang did not comment further on Gillis’ firing, but he did address how fans on social media “dissected” his body language during controversial moments, including when he kept his distance from Chappelle after he jumped on the SNL stage earlier this year.
“I was just uncomfortable on other people’s behalf,” Yang said. “It wasn’t this big protest.”
He added that seeing how fans responded to the moment “taught me about my place on the show being kind of strange and unique.”
Yang spoke openly about how much he struggled with picturing himself on the Saturday Night Live stage at first. But, five years later, the comedian has proven himself to be a one-of-a-kind talent.
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