Saturday Night Live: NBC Executive Discusses Show’s Casting Snafu Earlier Last Year

Saturday Night Live has become a bit of an institution over the past few decades, bringing viewers an irreverent look at the news and popular culture. Last fall, the 45th season of the long-running NBC series courted controversy, when multiple video clips resurfaced of newly-hired cast member Shane Gillis using racial slurs. The clips led to calls for Gillis to be fired from the show, something that eventually happened four days later. NBC Entertainment Chairman Paul Telegdy recently addressed the controversy surrounding Gillis during an appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour (via SlashFilm). Telegdy praised the media for finding Gillis’ problematic material, as well as SNL exec Lorne Michaels for quickly dealing with the controversy.

“What happened very quickly when I think one of the smart people in this room or one of the organs you work for, Googled the names of the cast,” Telegdy explained. “What happened next, it was a learning moment for a lot of people. How quickly Lorne acted and subsequently what happens I think again is a testament to how we act as a company. What you do to prevent future accidents goes to the heart of the people at NBC minding the shop, so always looking to do better.”

The main clip surrounding the controversy came from a 2018 episode of Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, a show hosted by Gillis and comedian Matt McCusker. In the clip, Gillis went on a rant about how “Chinatown [is] f-cking nuts”, and ultimately dropping a derogatory term for Asian people. Gillis later complained about Chinese restaurants, claiming that “the translation between you and the waiter is just such a f—ing hassle.” Later on in the video, Gillis proclaimed “nice racism, good racism. I love to be f—ing racist.”

A lot of the controversy – from the comments themselves to the amount of time it took SNL to respond to them to Gillis’ self-deprecating response – was met with ire. Telegdy addressed questions about whether or not SNL‘s initial vetting process was thorough enough, while also arguing that the censorship shouldn’t be too extreme.

“I’m sure there are specific practices being put into place and vetting, what the V-word means, vetting, is very triggering for people who live in a world of free speech and comedy,” Telegdy added. “I just ask all of you who care about what’s truthful and what’s funny, what performers are given permission to do, that it is an enormously fine line ad a great area. Who polices that is normally the performers that throw their careers under a bus if they make the wrong decision. Again I’m reminded of what Ellen Degeneres said at the Golden Globes, which is how much you sacrifice. This is the exact reversal of that if you look at it one way.”

“We’ve all got to learn lessons about what you shake down in someone’s past and what we hold them accountable for,” Telegdy continued. “I thank you again for predicting the backlash that would come up and I’m really proud we acted fast. Lorne did the right thing. Going forward we think we’ll be able to rightly be accountable.”

Saturday Night Live will return on Saturday, January 25th, with host Adam Driver and musical guest Halsey.