UPDATED 9/16, 5:53 p.m. ET: It looks like Andrew Yang will sit down and chat with embattled comedian Shane Gillis.
Shane Gillis reached out. Looks like we will be sitting down together soon.
Earlier in the day, it was announced that Gillis will not be joining the cast of SNL.
A spokesperson for Saturday Night Live says that Shane Gillis will not be joining its cast this fall. pic.twitter.com/qh0B4cbdQO
See original story below.
Andrew Yang said that he doesn't believe recent Saturday Night Live hire Shane Gillis should lose his position over offensive remarks he made in the past, some of which were directed at the presidential hopeful.
After footage from Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast surfaced online of Gillis disparaging Asian Americans and calling Yang a "Jew c***k," many social media users were calling for Gillis to be removed from the show. Gillis offered a sort of half-hearted apology where he pointed out the (true) fact that comedians whiff frequently, without addressing the fact that his statements were racist.
"I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss," Gillis wrote. "I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said.”
Yang retweeted the apology with a critique before adding that he doesn't agree with calls for Gillis' removal.
"Shane - I prefer comedy that makes people think and doesn’t take cheap shots. But I’m happy to sit down and talk with you if you’d like," he wrote.
"For the record, I do not think he should lose his job,” Yang continued. “We would benefit from being more forgiving rather than punitive. We are all human.”
The controversy comes after SNL announced Bowen Yang would be added to the show's 45th season roster, along with Chloe Fineman.
