Shane Gillis is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, and writer who has gained fame and infamy for his edgy and provocative humor. He is best known for his brief stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live, which ended abruptly after his racist and homophobic jokes surfaced online. Despite the backlash, Gillis has continued to perform and create content, earning a loyal fan base and a decent income. But how much is Shane Gillis net worth, and what are his main sources of revenue?
Early Life and Career
Shane Gillis was born on December 11, 1987, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, according to Wikipedia. He grew up in a small town near Harrisburg and played football in high school. He attended West Point, Elon University, and West Chester University, but did not graduate from any of them. He also spent six months teaching English in Spain.
Gillis started doing comedy in 2012, performing regularly in Harrisburg and Lancaster. He moved to Philadelphia to pursue his career and won the Philly’s Phunniest contest at Helium Comedy Club in 2016. He cited Louis C.K., Norm Macdonald, Dave Chappelle, Patrice O’Neal, Bernie Mac, and Bill Burr as his main influences.
In 2016, he also launched Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast with his friend and fellow comedian Matt McCusker. The podcast features the duo’s unfiltered and often offensive opinions on various topics, such as current events, pop culture, history, and sports. The podcast has become one of the most popular comedy podcasts on Patreon, with over 10,000 subscribers and $50,000 per month in revenue, according to Patreon.
Gillis also appeared on several other podcasts and radio shows, such as The Bonfire, The Joe Rogan Experience, and KFC Radio. He also wrote and starred in a web series called Delco Proper on Comedy Central’s website, and co-created, wrote, and starred in another web series called Gilly and Keeves on YouTube.
Saturday Night Live Scandal
In 2019, Gillis achieved a major breakthrough when he was announced as one of the new cast members of Saturday Night Live, the iconic sketch comedy show on NBC. However, his dream job turned into a nightmare when clips of his past podcast episodes surfaced online, showing him making racist remarks about Asians, using homophobic slurs, and mocking other comedians and celebrities.
The backlash was swift and severe, with many people calling for his firing and boycott of the show. Gillis initially issued a half-hearted apology on Twitter, saying that he was a comedian who pushes boundaries and sometimes misses. He also said that he was happy to apologize to anyone who was actually offended by his jokes.
However, his apology did not appease the critics, and SNL’s creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels decided to cut ties with him, stating that his comments were not aligned with the show’s values. Gillis then responded by saying that he respected the decision and that he was a mad TV guy anyway. He also retracted his apology and defended his jokes as being taken out of context and misquoted.
