Shane Gillis apologized after an awkward opening monologue and a surprise F-bomb on Saturday Night Live left the cast and studio audience visibly stunned.
The 38-year-old comedian hosted the latest episode, where he accidentally used the profanity during a Dr. Seuss-inspired sketch alongside Mikey Day and Andrew Dismukes.
And at the end of the show, Gillis gave a shout out to music guest Rosalia before adding, ‘And sorry about earlier. Thank you guys very much. I had a good time.’
Gillis played the son of Day’s Cat in the Hat, who confronted Dismukes’ Sam I Am over his insistence that his father try green eggs and ham.
“Hey, what the hell is wrong with you? My dad said he doesn’t like green eggs and ham. Drop it. Walk away,” Gillis said.
He then continued, “Bro, it’s a non-starter. He said he doesn’t f***ing—” before stopping abruptly and raising both hands in the air.
Shane Gillis, 38, apologized after an awkward SNL opening monologue and a surprise F-bomb left the cast and live audience stunned
The comedian hosted the latest episode but accidentally swore during a Dr. Seuss sketch with Mikey Day and Andrew Dismukes
“Jeez!” Gillis exclaimed as several audience members responded with startled gasps.
As the crowd began laughing, Gillis glanced at Dismukes, who placed a reassuring hand on his back and encouraged him to carry on.
Gillis shook his head and let out a breathy laugh before returning to the script: “He said I don’t like green eggs and ham.”
Day later referenced the slip during the sketch, declaring, “Zachary’s the one who’s going. I want you out of this house. You’re a loser, and you said a bad word!”
“Yes, I did,” Gillis answered, playing along with Day’s improvised line.
While the expletive was not censored during the initial live broadcast, the word was muted later on when the sketch was shared to SNL’s X account.
The FCC states that “it is a violation of federal law to air obscene programming at any time.”
The agency also says broadcasting indecent or profane material during certain hours violates federal law, meaning a network or station could potentially face fines or other penalties.
At the close of the show, Gillis thanked music guest Rosalia before adding, “And sorry about earlier. Thank you guys very much. I had a good time.”
Gillis looked toward Dismukes as the audience laughed, while Dismukes placed a supportive hand on his back and urged him to continue
Day returned to the accidental F-bomb later in the sketch, saying, “Zachary’s the one who’s going. I want you out of this house. You’re a loser, and you said a bad word!”
Gillis is not the first celebrity to swear during an appearance on the sketch comedy program. Paul Shaffer, Jenny Slate, Kristen Stewart and Sam Rockwell have also let an F-bomb slip over the years.
He began the episode with a seven-minute opening monologue.
During the routine, Gillis joked, “I’ll tell you the thing that I’m really bothered by is I’ve balded directly into an Adolf Hitler haircut.”
While some audience members let out gasps of surprise at the joke, others let out laughs.
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‘And it’s not good,’ he continued. ‘Because I give a lot of speeches and the front falls down a lot, and there’s no way to adjust it without looking exactly like [Hitler].
‘It’s the only way. I’m not going to do that,’ Gillis said while pretending to brush his hair to the side.
‘That’s gay. That’s it: You’re either gay or you’re Hitler, and isn’t that where we’re at as a country?’
The comedian also joked about how he needs to go to the gym to help him in losing weight.
At one point, the star said, ‘I’ll tell you thing that I’m really bothered by is I’ve balded directly into an Adolf Hitler haircut’
‘Also, I haven’t been to the gym in so long I didn’t know women just dress like w****s now?’
The joke caused some guests in the crowd to gasp, while scattered laughs were also heard.
‘Look, I’m sorry, there’s no other way to describe [it]. Have you seen it? I’ve seen it. You’ve seen the shorts?’
Gillis continued, ‘They’re those neon, like, artificial vape-colored [shorts], and the wrinkles go around the cheeks and all combine at the butthole. And don’t look! You’re not allowed to look.
‘For real, don’t look, because they are filming. I’m in the background of ten TikToks right now.’
The opening monologue also included Gillis recalling a failed hiking experience and how he also uses Joe Rogan’s sauna, which got a few cackles from the audience.
Gillis has previously hosted Saturday Night Live back in 2024 and 2025, after he was fired from the show in 2019.
The comedian had been cut from SNL as a cast member in 2019 after past videos emerged that showed him making racist and homophobic comments; seen in May
Gillis also spoke out and said it ‘feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements,’ but expressed that he ‘respected the decision they made’; seen hosting SNL in 2024
The comedian had been cut from the series after past videos emerged that showed him making racist and homophobic comments.
At the time, SNL released a statement condemning his ‘offensive, hurtful and unacceptable’ remarks while also apologizing for their ‘vetting process.’
Gillis also spoke out and said it ‘feels ridiculous for comedians to be making serious public statements,’ but expressed that he ‘respected the decision they made.’
He addressed being let go from SNL when he hosted for the first time in 2024.
SNL creator Lorne Michaels later said that he had been forced to let Gillis go during an interview with the Wall Street Journal; seen in 2025 in Hollywood
‘Most of you probably have no idea who I am,’ he said during his monologue at the time, while adding, ‘I was actually – I was fired from this show. Awhile ago. But, 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.’
SNL creator Lorne Michaels later said that he had been forced to let Gillis go during an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
‘That was very strong from the people in charge. And obviously I was not on that side, but I understood it.’
