Shane Gillis on SNL: Jokes about presidents, calls liberals Sith Lords, questions white men, and drops a Cosby reference

Shane Gillis made his return to Saturday Night Live (SNL) on March 1, 2025. He took the stage with the swagger of a man who had fought the comedy war and survived to make fun of it. Fired in 2019 for past remarks, brought back as host in 2024, and now hosting again in 2025—his SNL trajectory has been anything but predictable.

His latest monologue was a mix of humor, tension, and moments that had the audience probably questioning what they just heard.

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Shane Gillis on Donald Trump and the 2024 election

Gillis wasted no time diving into political territory, opening with a joke about President Donald Trump’s absence from future presidential debates.

But rather than focusing on policy, he lamented the entertainment factor, quipping that Trump’s unpredictable style was a loss for comedy.

Then, Gillis resurrected one of the most bizarre moments from Trump’s presidency—his publicized interest in purchasing Greenland.

“Greenland? Ooh. Now I want Greenland. I never even thought about Greenland; now it’s all I think about.”

The audience responded with laughter, likely because Gillis tapped into something oddly relatable. But just as the chuckles settled, Gillis shifted gears.

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Shane Gillis jokes about Joe Biden

Switching political targets, Gillis turned his attention to former President Joe Biden. He reminisced about Biden’s signature expression during speeches, describing how his face would go completely blank between teleprompter lines.

“My favorite thing about Biden was, anytime he was given a speech, in between teleprompters his face would go back to being dead.”

To make the point, Gillis gave a not-so-bad Biden impression, his face freezing for a moment as if buffering mid-sentence.

The reaction was a combination of laughter and hesitation, as though the audience was still measuring whether or not it was socially acceptable to laugh.

Picking up on the room’s energy, Gillis addressed it head-on, acknowledging:

“I get it, you folks lean pretty liberal here.”

Then came an unexpected reference—he compared being liberal to being a Sith Lord from Star Wars, joking that it might feel empowering at first, but eventually, one loses oneself.

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Shane Gillis and the racial joke that had the audience holding their breath

Just as the audience settled in, Gillis pivoted to an even riskier topic.

He called out a particular behavior he described as “racist”—white men asking their partners if they had ever been with a Black man.

A pause. Scattered laughs. A few audible gasps.

Gillis giggled to himself before quickly moving on, throwing in:

“Now that I’ve got your attention…”

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Shane Gillis mentions Bill Cosby: The controversial reference that shocked viewers

Just when it seemed like the monologue was coasting toward safer ground, Gillis took another sharp turn.

While discussing historical documentaries—specifically Ken Burns' The Civil War—he jokingly called them “kryptonite for women,” suggesting they induce sleep.

Then, he went there.

“You know, they’re yapping a little, you go, ‘How about some Ken Burns?’ That’s a little Cosby tip for you, actually. Who needs roofies?”

The audience's response ranged from anxious laughter to apprehensive gasps, and absolute silence.

The mention of Bill Cosby—a name that is forever linked with one of the most notorious scandals in entertainment history—was greeted with immediate discomfort.

Gillis didn't linger on it, allowing the tension to settle in the air before moving on to his next point.

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Shane Gillis’ first SNL monologue

For those who followed Gillis’ SNL journey, his March 2025 monologue was reminiscent of his first return to the show in February 2024.

That night, he opened with a self-aware quip, saying:

“Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was fired from this show a while ago. Don’t look that up, please. Please don’t Google that. It’s fine.”

During that monologue, Gillis shared personal anecdotes, including stories about his father coaching a girls’ high school basketball team and his sister running a Pennsylvania coffee shop.

But he also tested the audience with more provocative material, joking about family members with Down syndrome and describing young boys as their mothers’ “gay best friends.”

“My family and I, we actually opened a coffee shop in my hometown for people with Down syndrome to work at and it’s going — Don’t clap! It’s going exactly how you think it would go. It’s still well actually … Not because there’s a ton of people getting good service. Everyone’s getting apple juice. We don’t know how to fix that problem.”

These jokes received a range of reactions—some laughed, some cringed, and some likely took to social media immediately.