What Are Shane Gillis’s Politics? Inside the ‘Tires’ Star’s Political Leanings
Shane was hired by SNL in 2019, but just as quickly as he began on the show, he was fired. His termination was due to racist remarks.
Published July 17 2025, 9:38 a.m. ET
There are some proud Republicans in Hollywood, but there are also those who purposely stop short of claiming the right-wing despite their actions to the contrary. Famously fired former Saturday Night Live cast member Shane Gillis falls into that category. Many of his fans are convinced his politics are of the Republican variety, while others believe it’s part of his schtick.
Shane was hired by SNL in 2019, but just as quickly as he began on the show, he was fired. His termination was due to racist remarks he made to members of the Asian community while on a podcast.
What are Shane Gillis’s politics?
There are a lot of conflicting opinions regarding Shane’s exact political leanings, an issue that is further highlighted because Shane has not come forward to specifically say what his political affiliation is. However, many are convinced that he is indeed Republican.
His brand of blue-collar comedy attracts a large Republican fan base who proudly proclaim Shane as one of their own, and his comments about Democrats further add to the perception.
What happened when Shane hosted 'SNL' in March 2025?
After being unceremoniously fired, Shane returned to host the show, and his jokes aimed at former President Joe Biden (as well as other liberal digs) did not go over well with the majority of the live liberal audience in attendance.
“My favorite thing about [Joe] Biden was that anytime he was giving a speech, in between teleprompters, his face would go back to being dead,“ he said to an unmoved audience. ”Do you remember that?”
Shane then proceeded to do an impression of the former president and picked up on the fact that the audience wasn’t engaging in his monologue. “Look, I get it, you guys are pretty liberal here,” he said to the tepid crowd.
“Look, I understand being liberal, dude. It feels good. It’s powerful. It’s too powerful, dude. It’s like the Sith … Sometimes somebody says something you don’t like at work and you’re like …” Shane said before launching into an impression of Emperor Palpatine and adding, “Do it.”
Laughing to himself, he continued the monologue, saying, “All right, now I’m going to lose you even more,” before launching into more anti-liberal content.
What’s going on with Shane now?
In June 2025, Shane was announced as the host of the ESPYs, which aired on Wednesday, July 16. “I’m excited to be at The ESPYS this year,” Shane said following the announcement. “I like sports so this should be a good time.”