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S50.E14: Shane Gillis / Tate McRae

Galileo908

By Galileo908
in Saturday Night Live

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Thalia

Thalia

17 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I did not have a vicious takedown of Shelby Foote on my bingo card. 

I'm a woman who watches Ken Burns and stays awake.  And having watched the Civil War more than once, I thought what he said about Shelby Foote was amusing.  But, but, but -- that documentary is from the 1980s.   I just kept thinking how weird it was for him to talk about it now.  

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Andyourlittledog2

Andyourlittledog2

(edited)

They rerun those docs, especially during pledge months. I only saw it a few years ago myself.

I loved the cold open. I thought it was the host playing Elon once I realized it probably wasn't Fallon. Fallon is an bottomless pit of look at me so I usually expect it to be him.

I thought the show was pretty funny generally but boy does he love to live on the edge and make people uncomfortable. The sketch with the coupla beers was good. I laughed out loud when the plane was sleepy and then snorted up a cloud for 'a little bump'.

Edited by Andyourlittledog2
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SoMuchTV

SoMuchTV

25 minutes ago, Thalia said:

I'm a woman who watches Ken Burns and stays awake.  And having watched the Civil War more than once, I thought what he said about Shelby Foote was amusing.  But, but, but -- that documentary is from the 1980s.   I just kept thinking how weird it was for him to talk about it now.  

 

3 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I think he's been dead for around 20 years.  It was a strange topic for a SNL monologue in 2025.

Oh I know who he was and that’s exactly why it was such a weird unexpected place to go. 

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Galileo908

Galileo908

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Cold Open: Yep, Zelenskyy meeting is first. "It's a big beautiful TRAP." And this is why Bowen as cast as JD Vance. It's weird hearing Pokemon references on this show. Charmeleon was not on the bingo card. Also not on the bingo card: Mike Meyers popping up as Elon Musk. I was wondering where I'd heard that impression before. It's his Mick Jagger. "You're speaking Esperanto, or some language twins teach each other."

This would've been funnier if everything that happened hadn't actually happened. They DID release the Epstein files, but the link led to a Rickroll.

Monologue: "Whew, the Cold Open's over, no more Trump stuff til Update." Shane Gillis: Now hold on there! That just went ON. Didn't help that most of his bit was about Ken Burns's civil war, which had been the butt of "incredibly long and boring" jokes since it first aired...in 1990.

Orange Tree: Very observational. "Your parents are ugwy" was the only fun part.

CouplaBeers: This was a good one. But even this felt long and awkward. "Moderate to Severe Italian Wife" got me.

Mid-Day News: Kenan and Ego celebrating that all the criminals were white, and Shane saying they're "two-nothing" and treating the news as a game was fun.

Dad's House: Ha, a PBS show about a divorced deadbeat dad. Delightfully depressing and dark. but also incredibly awkward. I wish there was more of Bridget the puppet. This was Steve Higgins's 1000th sketch, btw.

Please Don't Destroy: We finally get a Voice sketch, and it was the PDD guys. Shane's character should've been more pathetic even though, yes he claimed to be a 14 year old boy on snapchat. He shouldn't have been so clean looking. I liked that's what got Ego to drive her chair away.

WU: There sure was a lot of material from the last...48 hours to mine. Jost and Che didn't hold back, for the best. 

Wedding: "How is Shane gonna be a scumbag ex in this sketch?" Trying to redeem a hand job coupon at his ex's wedding was a funny premise. And then they revealed that Sarah wrote coupons for everyone. Even the judge priest!

Doctor's Office: Nice to see Emil lead a sketch. This definitely went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Then again, it started with a soaking joke (although I had no idea what that was), so I shoulda seen that coming.

Well, that was...a show. Lady Gaga does double duty next week.

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JeanJean

JeanJean

(edited)
48 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Who is Shane Gillis? I don't get out much, entertainment-wise.

 

If I remember correctly (which is a crap shoot), he was supposed to be in the cast a few years ago but was let go because of---maybe---certain statements/jokes he'd made on radio or podcasts.

This episode was okay, nothing bad but nothing outstanding. I liked Dad's House and the WANU News sketch, which I think is recurring.

Didn't like the songs. Here's why I'm an old fuddy-duddy, I guess. During the first song I remembered how Linda Ronstadt would just stand there (looking gorgeous) and sing and it would blow you away. I'm all for songs about sex if they're good but these were meh to me.

 

35 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

 

 

 

35 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

 

 

 

Edited by JeanJean
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vb68

vb68

(edited)
2 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

This would've been funnier if everything that happened hadn't actually happened. They DID release the Epstein files, but the link led to a Rickroll.

Yeah maybe it's too hard to do the whole thing justice, but it didn't work for me at all. The nastiness of it was too watered down. JAJ's impression has outlived any bite it ever had. And I didn't think Mike Myers added much.

I realize Lorne apparently wants to make it up to Gillis that he was axed as a cast member right after being hired and seems to love the guy, but he isn't all that from what I've seen. (FYI Lorne offered him the chance to play Trump this season, but Gillis ditched the whole idea to go to some festival at the time of the season premiere.)

I do like that Jane Wickline is finding her voice on the show. She seems very specific in what she wants to do. I'm not sure both she and Ashley Padilla survive to next season.   

Edited by vb68
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ruby24

ruby24

1 hour ago, vb68 said:

Yeah maybe it's too hard to do the whole thing justice, but it didn't work for me at all. The nastiness of it was too watered down. JAJ's impression has outlived any bite it ever had. And I didn't think Mike Myers added much.

I realize Lorne apparently wants to make it up to Gillis that he was axed as a cast member right after being hired and seems to love the guy, but he isn't all that from what I've seen. (FYI Lorne offered him the chance to play Trump this season, but Gillis ditched the whole idea to go to some festival at the time of the season premiere.)

I do like that Jane Wickline is finding her voice on the show. She seems very specific in what she wants to do. I'm not sure both she and Ashley Padilla survive to next season.   

This is what I cannot stand and why I can't watch the show anymore. It's all just so light and breezy and meaningless. 

They could so easily put fangs in this thing and for some reason they won't do it.

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JeanJean

JeanJean

1 hour ago, ruby24 said:

This is what I cannot stand and why I can't watch the show anymore. It's all just so light and breezy and meaningless. 

They could so easily put fangs in this thing and for some reason they won't do it.

I've long felt they played trump far too benignly, but I wonder if we're expecting too much from the show.

This is how the show's  always been and it's been funny; it's just never had to deal with real overt evil before.

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Ottis

Ottis

The theme of this ep must have been, "How annoying can every skit be?" That opening monologue was awful, perhaps the worst monologue I've seen in 50 years of watching SNL. Gillis was hesitant and unsure and his comments were dated and dull.

The cold open was more documentary than skit. That's basically what happened. And why did Mike Myers play Elon with an English accent?

The social media girl at the vineyard was like nails on a chalkboard. The topic itself is unfunny, but the actual skit was even worse.

Then "CoupleBeers" and "A Little Bump." Bro humor, lowest common denominator.

The newscast skit was better, which funny comments on both "sides" of the news that reflect common tropes. I wish American society would laugh like these guys do about it.

Calliou: The College Years was hilarious. Pity they didn't do that skit. Instead, we get another "disinterested, loser dad" skit.

"The Sound" ... more lowest common denominator. It would have been funny if we hadn't already actually had that happen with Susan Boyle.

That's as far as I've made it. Gillis is fine IRL, but man, did these writers hold a grudge.

5 hours ago, mikem said:

Shane Gillis's monologue was literally the worst-received Opening Monologue I have ever seen on SNL.  The live audience didn't like it at all.  I can't remember any other Opening Monologue that came close to bombing this badly.

Agreed. And I bet I'm way older than you (I watched the debut of SNL)!

 

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baldryanr

baldryanr

4 hours ago, vb68 said:

I do like that Jane Wickline is finding her voice on the show. She seems very specific in what she wants to do. I'm not sure both she and Ashley Padilla survive to next season.   

I think Padilla has had more of a presence so far.  However, Wickline's the one whose mom used to work for Lorne and whose dad is a fairly prolific TV writer, so we'll see.

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cinsays

cinsays

(edited)
7 hours ago, mikem said:

Shane Gillis's monologue was literally the worst-received Opening Monologue I have ever seen on SNL.  The live audience didn't like it at all.  I can't remember any other Opening Monologue that came close to bombing this badly.

i found him disgusting, unkind and unfunny. who thought he was a good idea for the show? 

 

Edited by cinsays
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peeayebee

peeayebee

2 hours ago, Ottis said:

The cold open was more documentary than skit. That's basically what happened. And why did Mike Myers play Elon with an English accent?

I'm sure he was going for a South African accent. I was surprised he didn't do a good one.

I kinda liked the CO. Bowen as Vance was good. Accurate and yet a bit exaggerated. I appreciated that Mike as Zelensky was low key. I thought Myers was pretty good as Musk, and the Big Ballz guy was welcome, though I wonder how many people watching realize there really is a guy working at DOGE called that.

Still, SNL's political stuff lacks bite.

Quote

Calliou: The College Years was hilarious. Pity they didn't do that skit.

Yes, an opportunity squandered. 

The monologue... Sheesh. What a bomb. Absolutely awful. I think the few times the audience laughed was out of pity. Hasn't Shane Gillis been on before?

Oh, and I watched Ken Burn's Civil War series when it first came out. It was not boring at all, so I didn't think Shane's jokes about it was funny. Now, Nate Bargatze could make jokes about it, but it would be about how stupid he is not to appreciate the show, and that would be funny. Shane was making fun of the show itself.

I thought he was good in the sketches.

The winery one went on too long with not enuf variation. 

CouplaBeers was ok.

I really liked the Mid-Day News sketch. That was fun.

I also really liked Andrew and Sarah in the Dad's House sketch. 

Please don't destroy was also good. I esp liked when Ego drove her chair away.

I don't think there was much I liked in WU. I did like when Colin said about the Elon pic, "Seen here letting Ketamine take the wheel." 

The wedding sketch could have been better. I liked the concept, but the execution wasn't good, though Kenan repeatedly saying he wasn't a judge was funny.

And then the doctor's office. Ugh. What was the joke at the beginning when Shane said he just got into soaking?

As for the music, not a fan, though I did like the choreography in the first song. Just the men, not her.

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wonderwoman

wonderwoman

after friday’s events, had to see the cold open.

stuck around for the monologue, which while not in the least funny, reminded me of something i heard years ago about shelby foote. 

i knew that foote and his wife were devoted fans of ‘as the world turns.’ i had crossed paths with his literary agent who told me that every day, foote and his wife would repair to their bedroom with a pitcher of martinis to drink while they watched the show and smoked cigarettes. 

would love to hear ken burns thoughts. 

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MrWhyt

MrWhyt

(edited)
11 hours ago, mikem said:

Shane Gillis's monologue was literally the worst-received Opening Monologue I have ever seen on SNL.  The live audience didn't like it at all.  I can't remember any other Opening Monologue that came close to bombing this badly.

i think the monologue the last time/first time he hosted got an even worse  reception.

3 hours ago, peeayebee said:

What was the joke at the beginning when Shane said he just got into soaking?

soaking = mormon "not really sex cause we're just putting the p into the v and not moving around" sex

Edited by MrWhyt
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cathaireverywhere

cathaireverywhere

9 hours ago, vb68 said:

Yeah maybe it's too hard to do the whole thing justice, but it didn't work for me at all. The nastiness of it was too watered down. JAJ's impression has outlived any bite it ever had. And I didn't think Mike Myers added much.

I realize Lorne apparently wants to make it up to Gillis that he was axed as a cast member right after being hired and seems to love the guy, but he isn't all that from what I've seen. (FYI Lorne offered him the chance to play Trump this season, but Gillis ditched the whole idea to go to some festival at the time of the season premiere.)

I do like that Jane Wickline is finding her voice on the show. She seems very specific in what she wants to do. I'm not sure both she and Ashley Padilla survive to next season.   

I think getting canned was the best thing to ever happen to this guy.  Based on his performance in the sketches, he would have been a 2-year featured player at the most, and then continued down his path of comedy mediocrity.  But getting fired brought the incel bros, Rogan fans, et al to him.  And clearly he is his own #1 fan based on how much he laughed at his own terrible jokes.  

On an unrelated but much funnier (at least to me) note was the place names used in the news sketch as they were Maryland locations (Reisterstown Road, Hunt Valley, Harford County).  Earlier this season, Towson (where I grew up) was used in a sketch so that caught my attention.  The Maryland Easter Eggs were definitely the best part of this episode.

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meep.meep

meep.meep

13 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Other than the cold open and a couple of update jokes, that was the unfunniest show I've seen in a really long time.

I would take out the cold open.  Mike Myers had no business being there if he can't even do a decent Musk imitation.  And he can't.  Why do they keep bringing these guys back?

I liked the news show and update but the rest, including the "musical" guest were total dreck.  I bet that means the same in Africaans as in German.

Kel Varnsen

Kel Varnsen

14 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Dad's House: Ha, a PBS show about a divorced deadbeat dad. Delightfully depressing and dark. but also incredibly awkward. I wish there was more of Bridget the puppet. This was Steve Higgins's 1000th sketch, btw.

That was so weird. Other than the puppet showing up I am not really sure what made it a PBS show.

Ottis

Ottis

2 hours ago, baldryanr said:

It's debatable how much influence he had on the sketches, but why do you think the writers wrote the monologue?  A lot of comedians write their own because it's what they do all the time when they hit the clubs. 

Not the monologue... the skits. Which almost featured Gillis as a loser of one type of another. My vague recollection was he was not liked at SNL because of something he said and/or his political beliefs. 

SomeTameGazelle

SomeTameGazelle

14 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Dad's House: Ha, a PBS show about a divorced deadbeat dad. Delightfully depressing and dark. but also incredibly awkward. I wish there was more of Bridget the puppet. This was Steve Higgins's 1000th sketch, btw.

Bridget the puppet was underused and I was excited to see JAJ and Ashley but they got short shrift as well.

15 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

We finally get a Voice sketch, and it was the PDD guys.

I was delighted to see the PDD boys as characters! with different accents! but confused as to why Shane's character was apparently ripped off from Little Britain. 

6 hours ago, peeayebee said:

CouplaBeers was ok.

The structure was very solid and I liked the fact that they just made it plain he was at an intervention and left it there.

I FF'd through the monologue, Marcello's WU bit, and the doctor visit sketch. Then I saw comments online praising the escalation in the doctor visit sketch so I went back to give it another chance but could not make it through.

The first sketch with Heidi wanting photos also seemed to be very one-note with nowhere to go.

I laughed at Che's joke about being the only black news anchor left for NBC to fire, but then he annoyed me by being indignant about the audience reaction. 

9 minutes ago, Ottis said:

Not the monologue... the skits. Which almost featured Gillis as a loser of one type of another. My vague recollection was he was not liked at SNL because of something he said and/or his political beliefs. 

Gillis' whole shtick appears to be that he gets to say terrible things because he is playing at being a terrible person. I don't think the writers forced anything on him or tried to make him look bad. He went for the loser characters because that's where he sees the jokes.  

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Joimiaroxeu

Joimiaroxeu

Cold Open
Mikey Day was not the best person to play Zelensky. He's too tall and thin. I would've brought back Beck Bennett for that role.
They went in on JD. Wow.
Tom Petty catching strays. Guess he'll never know though.
Mike Myers was perfect casting! A little bit of Dr. Evil in his portrayal, which might have been deliberate.
The DOUCHE joke was already out in the internet wilds last week.

Monologue
Still have no clue who Shane Gillis is.
And again, this host is not great, especially having to laugh at his own so-called jokes. Does he have wrongful termination lawsuit against Lorne or something and this is the settlement?
But ya are, Blanche, Shane. Ya are racist. (And misogynistic too, in my opinion. Ugh.)

Michael Cera also catching strays. Narcissistic social media model was insane.

An argument over Kendrick vs. Drake in a barbershop. Yeah, that's a losing bet. TSA agent too, although British actor Taron Egerton recently starred in a Netflix movie as a TSA agent who's White.

Maple syrup on vienna sausages. Kill. Me. Now. Was Bridget the puppet actually there or were the kids only humoring their bad dad?

Tate McCrae seems like a cookie cutter pop princess in the Taylor Swift cohort, with a touch of Lady Gaga on the side. She can dance though. I can see the Britney Spears comparisons.

Weekend Update
Letting ketamine take the wheel. Yikes. Is that true or just speculation?
SNL's Cuomo jokes will write themselves. The writers probably have a back supply they haven't used yet.
More Belichick's girlfriend jokes? Yawn.
I wouldn't put a wager on your job security, Che. Just sayin'.
I like Marcello but he mostly just does the bad Spanglish accent in different costumes.
Whoever wrote that Beyond the Gates joke clearly hadn't watched the show. It's not who got beyond the gates, it's who hadn't.
Nepo baby Jane Wickline's WU bits continue to make no sense to me. Her TikTok act does not translate well to TV.

Ew on those taking payment in trade coupons. Angela has nasty credit all over town.

Meh on Tate's second performance. Low energy.

"Beef to teeth." OMG no. Wonder what the source of that skit was? I pretty much heard it all on a radio show last week.

Surprised they let Mike Myers wear that shirt during the sign off.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

1 hour ago, heatherchandler said:

Shane Gillis is HUGE.  My 15 yo son and his friends (and all of their dads) love him.  

What amazes me is that this guy was hired as a cast member when he really seems to struggle in the sketch comedy format.  Maybe it's a situation where had he not been fired (years ago) before his first season started, he would have improved, but it seems like his particular schtick is fairly limited. 

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Galileo908

Galileo908

  • Author
13 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

What amazes me is that this guy was hired as a cast member when he really seems to struggle in the sketch comedy format.  Maybe it's a situation where had he not been fired (years ago) before his first season started, he would have improved, but it seems like his particular schtick is fairly limited. 

He's got that Danny McBride energy, and that kind of male castmember type is missing these days, like Beck Bennett or Jason Sudeikis. But most of his roles this week were "How can be a scumbag boyfriend in THIS sketch?"

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peeayebee

peeayebee

(edited)
7 hours ago, MrWhyt said:

soaking = mormon "not really sex cause we're just putting the p into the v and not moving around" sex

Uh, thanks? I had no idea.

5 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

And he was mouthing “Elbows up!” at the camera.

What does that mean?

Quote

Letting ketamine take the wheel. Yikes. Is that true or just speculation?

True. Musk has said he uses it. Probably the reason he wears sunglasses so much is that ketamine makes your eyes sensitive to light.

Edited by peeayebee
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SomeTameGazelle

SomeTameGazelle

1 hour ago, peeayebee said:

What does that mean?

"As the episode's closing credits rolled, Myers also clearly mouthed the words "elbows up" as he pointed to his bent elbow and moved it into the air. Myers, a famous hockey fan, was likely referring to when players go into the corner to fight for the puck, they keep their elbows up to help them win the battle."

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/mike-myers-sports-a-canada-is-not-for-sale-tee-on-saturday-night-live/article_b7867fda-f756-11ef-b0f7-975040573005.html

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