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What happened to Sean Hannity’s first marriage? All about political columnist Jill Rhodes

President-Elect Donald Trump Attends FOX Nation’s Patriot Awards – Source: Getty

62-year-old Sean Hannity, a Fox News host, got engaged to the co-host of Fox & Friends, 48-year-old Ainsley Earhardt. As the couple enters a new phase, let’s take a look at what happened in Sean Hannity’s first marriage to Jill Rhodes, with whom he shares two kids—son Sean Patrick and daughter Merri Kelly.

The Sun reports that Sean Hannity and his ex-wife Jill Rhodes separated for two years before finally divorcing in June 2019 after more than two decades of marriage. In an old interview, a close friend of the couple told the Daily Mail that Sean and Jill’s divorce was primarily attributed to Sean’s demanding work schedule and the strain it placed on their marriage. The friend said:

“Personally, the reason for the divorce, Sean does three hours of radio each day in the city, followed by TV in primetime; his workload created a lot of time away, and it was tough on the marriage. Sean’s a huge family man, this was hard on him.”

They further mentioned,

“Sean came from nothing, had a workaholic upbringing, and between his shows, books, speeches, he just didn’t slow down; it unfortunately broke his marriage.”

As a prominent media personality, Sean Hannity dedicated long hours to his radio show, primetime TV appearances, books, and public speaking engagements, leaving little time for family life. Despite Sean being described as a devoted family man, the intense workload created a significant imbalance, ultimately leading to their separation.

According to close friends, the split was amicable, and the former couple continues to maintain a strong co-parenting relationship for their two children, Patrick and Merri Kelly. They still spend time together as a family, and their dynamic remains friendly and supportive.

Additionally, Jill’s brother continues to work on Sean’s TV show, further highlighting the ongoing positive ties between the former partners and their families. Sources have also clarified that neither party was involved with other individuals during their separation.

Who is Jill Rhodes? More about Sean Hannity’s ex-wife

Jill Rhodes, born on August 27, 1962, in Alabama, is a journalist and editor best known for her long-standing relationship with conservative media personality Sean Hannity. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Alabama, setting the stage for a career that would intertwine with one of America’s most prominent political commentators.

In 1991, Jill was working as a political columnist for the Huntsville Times when she met Sean Hannity, who was hosting his first major radio gig at WVNN in Huntsville, Alabama. Their connection was immediate, with Hannity admitting he was drawn to her even before meeting her in person, saying he

“fell in love with the little picture in her column.”

Their relationship blossomed, and after Hannity relocated to Atlanta for a new radio opportunity in 1992, he asked Rhodes to join him. However, Jill set a condition: a proposal had to come first. They married in January 1993 despite early skepticism from friends, colleagues, and even their pastor, who questioned their compatibility after a heated debate during pre-marital counseling.

Jill played an integral role in Sean Hannity’s career. She worked as an advisor and editor for both his radio and television political shows, helping shape his media presence. Hannity has previously referred to Rhodes as “the brains behind his success” and acknowledged her pivotal contributions to his professional journey.

The couple shares two children: Sean Patrick and Merri Kelly. Both have pursued tennis careers, with Patrick playing for Wake Forest University and Merri Kelly currently competing at the University of Michigan. Despite their father’s public persona, the children and Jill herself have largely remained out of the spotlight.

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In his 2002 book, Let Freedom Ring: Winning the War of Liberty Over Liberalism, Hannity dedicated his work to Jill and their children, acknowledging their importance in his life.

Jill Rhodes has consistently kept a quiet presence in the public eye. She has stayed away from social media sites like Instagram and Twitter, and she has seldom appeared in public with Sean Hannity at Fox News events.

‘Fox & Friends’ Stars’ Behind-The-Scenes Secrets & Scandal Exposed!

Source: Getty Images (4)

The Fox and Friends team is all smiles on the top-rated morning show — but a RadarOnline.com investigation has revealed things aren’t always so rosy behind the scenes!

The easygoing banter of co-hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt, Janice Dean and Brian Kilmeade hides a string of off-camera scandals, including a nasty divorce, a DUI arrest and ugly feuds, according to insiders.

“All four stars have distinctly different personalities. They barely talk when the cameras stop rolling and they don’t hang out together socially,” a source told RadarOnline.com.

Perhaps the most controversial of the bunch is Doocy, 62, who was included in the allegations in a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by former show co-host Gretchen Carlson against late FOX News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes.

According to her suit, “Doocy engaged in a pattern and practice of severe and pervasive sexual harassmentof Carlson.”

While Carlson’s suit was settled for $20 million in 2016, the allegations against Doocy were never substantiated.

Dean, the morning show’s meteorologist, remains in a sticky position since she also claimed to have been sexually harassed by Ailes, who died in May 2017 at age 77.

But the 49-year-old mother of two hasn’t been afraid to speak her mind about the sexual harassment scandals that roiled the network.

In 2018, Dean got into a Twitter spat with Darla Shine, the wife of ex-FOX News co-president Bill Shine — who was ousted for allegedly enabling Ailes’ behavior — after Darla accused former FOX superstar and Today show train wreck Megyn Kelly of lying about the network’s bad boys club.

“What lies are you referring to exactly, Mrs. Shine? Be careful what you accuse people of,” Dean tweeted.

Meanwhile, ambitious 55-year-old Kilmeade, who started as a sports reporter, harbors huge dreams, sources said.

“He’s trying to network his way into bigger and better things,” the snitch said.

“Brian feels he’s an intellectual because of the books he’s written, and he’s incredibly jealous of the network’s bigger stars like Sean Hannity.”

Kilmeade was arrested in 1988 for drunk driving after cops spotted his Honda “swerving over double yellow lines,” according to court records, which show he was given a “reduced plea” because of his clean record and was required to enter a program and pay a fine.

Earhardt, who’s considered the “sweetheart” of the group, is embroiled in a nasty divorce after her husband, former Clemson University quarterback William Proctor, allegedly cheated with one of her best friends — a claim he has vehemently denied.

He filed to end their six-year marriage in October. After the split, 42-year-old Earhardt stopped hobnobbing in power circles, sources said. She refused to comment on the divorce.

After a string of sordid sex scandals were exposed in 2016, FOX allegedly coughed up an estimated $70 million to buy the silence of sexual harassment victims.

But renowned attorney Gloria Allred, who represented several of the alleged victims, believes the network remains a toxic environment for women.

“There may still be questions in the minds of some female employees about FOX News Channel’s commitment to having a workplace that 
is not polluted by sexual harassment,” Allred told RadarOnline.com exclusively.

However, a FOX News spokesperson strongly pushed back on this allegation and pointed to numerous changes that have been made at the company, including appointing a new executive leadership team, an entire overhaul of the HR department with new procedures and policies in place and the implementation of an extensive sexual harassment training program.

Cash Cab returns to Canadian TV for the first time in almost 9 years — with a musical twist

New this season, contestants can ask for help on social media and participate in final round karaoke

Iconic Canadian game show ‘Cash Cab’ returns with a new twist

Nearly nine years after the beloved game show ended, ‘Cash Cab’ returns on March 4 with original host Adam Growe. Ahead of the premiere, CBC Toronto’s Haydn Watters sat down with Growe to learn more about the show’s triumphant return.

Canada’s Cash Cab is releasing new episodes for the first time in almost nine years, but this time with a twist.

The iconic game show is returning as Cash Cab Music, allowing unsuspecting customers to put their musical knowledge to the test and win cash for every trivia question they answer correctly while they get driven to their destination. The catch is, patrons risk getting dropped off mid-trip if they get three questions wrong.

Adam Growe, the show’s long-time host, said since many Torontonians are familiar with the show, it was harder to surprise customers during filming compared to previous years. But with this new season, he said enthusiasm for the show also helped many contestants stand out and will provide good TV to viewers at home looking to learn something new while having fun.

“They’re seeing real people. They’re real emotions, whether they’re happy or not. And that’s what people were kind of longing for,” Growe told CBC Toronto, adding the return of the show means a lot to long-time fans.

“But once in a while there’s a group of people that get in and one person’s like, ‘I have no idea what’s going on.’ And I love those moments because it’s a new fan right away because they’re going to get a chance to win money.”

Cash Cab Music host Adam Growe said the show is coming back for the first time in almost nine years, but this time with a musical twist. (Submitted by Touchwood PR)

This time around, contestants can expect to be drilled on their knowledge of topics such as Canadian music, legends in the industry, movie soundtracks and even musical history. They can ask for the help of strangers on the street or friends via phone call and, new to this season, can also ask people to weigh in on social media.

In another new twist, contestants can double their money if they belt out the answer to the final question in what the show dubs the “Cash Cab Karaoke” segment — an example of a feature Growe said can be adaptable for different themes of the show in the future.

“We could really go anywhere,” said Growe, adding that he’s excited for the show to start airing in Canada.

“We could do another music season. We could do a movie and television season, a sports season or, you know, anything,” he said. “It just proves that the show, the format and Canadians in the Cash Cab are just a perfect match.”

Cash Cab premieres its ninth season on GameTV on Monday, March 4 at 8 p.m. ET. A full list of where to catch the show can be found here.

Reba McEntire Sitcom ‘Happy’s Place’ Cleverly References Her Role on ‘The Voice’

Reba McEntire may have exited The Voice, but she isn’t gone from our silver screens entirely. The “Queen of Country” is currently starring in the NBC sitcom Happy’s Place, which returned Friday (Jan. 3) after taking a break for the holidays. Happy’s Place centers around Bobbie, a woman who inherits a bar and learns she has a half-sister after her father’s death. Recently, Reba fans’ worlds collided when Happy’s Place referenced its star’s role on The Voice.

“Don’t Know Anything About Judging a Talent Contest”

During the Friday (Jan. 3) episode of Happy’s Place, Bobbie (Reba McEntire) and Gabby (Melissa Peterman) vie to see who will emcee for the Tavern’s anniversary party. At one point, Bobbie asked Emmett (played by her real-life partner, Rex Linn) for help.

“I realize you don’t know anything about judging a talent contest,” Emmett replied. “But decisions should be made on talent and talent alone.”

 

Xem bài viết này trên Instagram

 

Bài viết do Reba (@reba) chia sẻ

The joke here, of course, is that Reba knows plenty about judging a talent show. The “Fancy” singer had a brief stint on America’s Got Talent. She later joined The Voice in 2023, serving three seasons. In fact, she even won season 25 with Asher HaVon.

‘The Voice’ Returns Next Month

Reba McEntire exited The Voice after season 26, which wrapped up Dec. 10 with Sofronio Vasquez of Team Michael Bublé taking home the crown. Coaches Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani also bowed out, leaving Bublé as the defending champion and sole returning coach for season 27.

OG fan favorite Adam Levine will also make his comeback when season 27 premieres Monday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. Eastern on NBC. John Legend is back for his 10th season, and country-pop sensation Kelsea Ballerini will take her “big red seat” for the first time.

 

Xem bài viết này trên Instagram

 

Bài viết do NBC’s The Voice (@nbcthevoice) chia sẻ

Reba told Houston Life in a May 2024 interview that she was “having a blast” on her third season of The Voice.

“It’s very meaningful, to me, to have that responsibility,” she said. “The first time they asked me to do The Voice, I said, ‘Oh no, I never could tell anybody that they’re terrible.’ So thank God we don’t have to, because nobody’s ever terrible. They’re all wonderful.”

Featured image by Faye Sadou/MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Price Is Right host Drew Carey mocks a product’s price — and it doesn’t go well

Price Is Right host Drew Carey couldn’t contain himself with shock over a product’s price during a recent episode of the long-running game show.

The Price Is Right player celebrates after winning car

The Price Is Right’s host Drew Carey couldn’t contain his shock over a product’s price during a recent episode of the long-running CBS game show.

Carey, who took over hosting duties after long-time host Bob Barker retired in 2007, has seen a lot of contestants come through and guess the prices of tons of products but one truly baffled him during a recent Plinko game.

During the special Christmas-themed episode, couple Kathleen and Stephen, who were dressed as Santa’s helpers had to guess the cost of a gravy boat and candles and their price tags truly shocked.

The moment came when the couple were about to play the game of Plinko with $50,000 up for grabs.

The game features a slanted board with different dollar amounts, starting from $0 to $10,000 at the bottom, and the players drop Plinko Chips down the board which drop down to the bottom.

Whatever number the chip lands on, it’s added to the winnings of the players.

The obstacles on the board make it difficult for the chip to land on the big prizes, but before the game, the contestants get to play a guessing game where they can win up to four Plinko chips which increases their chances of winning big.

To win the chips, the players have to guess the price of some items and a clue with two numbers on the board is given for each item.

The contestants need to guess if the price of the item starts with the first number or ends with the second.

Kathleen and Stephen were presented with the first item as Carey revealed a gravy boat with a warming base that keeps it warm.

On the board were the numbers two and zero and the couple guessed that the price started with a two.

However, the price was revealed to be $80 which was much higher than not only the players had thought but also the host, too.

“What? 80 dollars? I’m just gonna squeeze my gravy out of the bottle, thanks,” Carey exclaimed.

Drew Carey couldn’t believe the price of a gravy boat on Price Is Right. (Image: CBS)

The gravy boat wasn’t the only thing Carey was shocked by during the game.

The couple was presented with the second item, which was a set of “assorted candle sticks,” and had to guess if the price started with a one or ended with a four.

They chose the latter and to their disappointment, the price of the item was $18, which shockeda again.

Carey was so stunned he called out the producers who picked the items. “I see what you’re doing,” Carey said looking dead into the camera.

Kathleen and Stephen went on to guess the price of the next item correctly but failed to get the last one.

With two chips, one for each to drop down the Plinko Board, Kathleen luckily landed on the biggest prize of $10,000 right in the middle.

While the chances of hitting $10,000 again were low, the couple dropped the second chip together to smash the odds and land on a big prize.

Ultimately, they won a total of $20,000 from the Plinko game.

In a new interview with TV Insider, Carey revealed that some contestants compete on the long-running game show while under the influence.

“Oh, that happens here all the time,” he said. “They’ll have a gummy or I’ll smell alcohol on their breath. Not unusual.”

Carey went on to detail a particularly memorable encounter with a player, explaining: “There was a guy here that was tripping on mushrooms. He came with a bunch of friends. He was a sketch [comedy] guy.”

However, the contestant didn’t reveal his true occupation after competing to win a trip to the Atlanta Jazz Festival.

“I asked him what he did for a living,” Carey said. “And he goes, ‘I’m a skateboarding rabbi.’ He didn’t think he was going to get picked, and he totally tripped.”

‘Wheel of Fortune’: Vanna White Reveals Contestant Blunders That Made Her Laugh

Disney/Eric McCandless

Wheel of Fortune has kept viewers laughing over the years with some hilariously wrong answers, but one person who is supposed to keep a straight face through even the most ridiculous responses is Vanna White.

White has served as Wheel‘s letter-turner for over 40 years and is a consummate professional through and through. However, there have been moments throughout the game show’s history when even she couldn’t hold in her laughter.

In an interview with People, White said, “I feel for our contestants because they’re so nervous,” before admitting, “But I do chuckle on the inside at some of the wrong answers.”

“Half of the time, I don’t think they even realize what they’re saying,” she added. “Like the time the answer was ‘More Fun Than a Barrel of Monkeys,’ and the contestant guessed, ‘More Fun Than a Barrel of Vikings!’”

White opened up about some of her favorite wrong answers, including, “The guy who thought it was a ‘Styrofoam Hat’ instead of ‘Styrofoam Cup’” and “A famous one where the answer was ‘Gone With the Wind,’ and the answer the contestant gave was ‘Done With One Hand.’”

The show has seen some spectacular wrong answers in recent months, including the December 30 episode, where a contestant answered “New York Cheesesteak” instead of “New York Cheesecake.”

There was also a contestant on the December 17 episode who answered “Chocolates, Chestnuts & Chickens” instead of “Chocolates, Chestnuts & Chimneys.”

Most memorable of all was the November 11 episode, when police officer Will Jordan gave the meme-worthy answer, “Treat Yourself A Round of Sausage,” instead of the correct response, “Give Yourself A Round of Applause.”

White had another favorite, telling the outlet, “We had a puzzle where the answer was Streetcar Named Desire. And only the ‘m’ was missing. The contestant answered, ‘Streetcar Naked Desire!’”

What is your favorite wrong Wheel of Fortune answer ever? Let us know in the comments section below.

Wheel of Fortune, Weeknights, Check your local listings

Wheel of Fortune fans shocked after Pat Sajak makes complete surprise return

Pat Sajak made a surprise cameo on Wheel of Fortune during the show’s 50th anniversary episode and fans were shocked as they thought they were ‘seeing things.’

Wheel of Fortune guest looses $1m on game

He continued: “I want to introduce you to some of the amazing people who make this thing come together and happen every single night.”

Seacrest took fans through the set and introduced them to several crew members like the audience coordinator, camera operator, production team and art department.

Just before he closed the tour, fans were quick to notice one of the only familiar faces: Pat Sajak.

“This is our former host… Hey Pat,” Seacrest pointed out, waving over to Sajak who was in the middle of eating a sandwich.

Viewers were ecstatic as they took to the comment section.

One said: “Y’all are not doing this to me. Y’ALL ARE NOT DOING THIS TO ME!!”

Another responded: “I KNEW I wasn’t seeing things! Nice to see Pat’s cameo!”

A third added: “Oh, my gosh Pat Sajak is back again!! Hahaha.”

Sajak spent over 40 years as the host of Wheel of Fortune. He was first hired in December of 1981 to replace the original host Chuck Woolery. Sajak originally started with Susan Stafford but she was replaced after a year by Vanna White.

The former host will take his place next to White one last time as he is set to host the upcoming season of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune. This year’s contestant lineup includes Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Josh Gad, among others. The series was delayed because of Monday Night Football but will return after football season is over.

A lip-syncing scandal hit the October 23, 2004 episode of Saturday Night Live when pop singer Ashlee Simpson was caught using backing vocal tracks instead of singing live.

The Saturday Night Live staff, including longtime producer Lorne Michaels, later said they were never told of Simpson’s plan to use backing tracks. She also became the first guest to walk off the show while it was live on the air.

Simpson later explained that she had lost her voice prior to the show due to a battle with severe acid reflux, and had been pressured by her record label to lip-sync while previously recorded tapes of her singing were played along with her band’s live instruments.

The plan worked fine during the first song Simpson performed, “Pieces of Me.” But as you can see in the video below, when she returned to perform a second song entitled “Autobiography,” her drummer reportedly pressed the wrong button, causing the vocals for “Pieces of Me” to play again.

Watch Ashlee Simpson’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ Lip-Sync Malfunction

SNL Ashlee Simpson – Clean SDTV Video Capture

Simpson was caught totally off guard, with the microphone nowhere near her face. As her band gamely tried to keep things rolling, she looked around in confusion, briefly danced a jig, then dejectedly walked off stage. Her now-abandoned musicians continued to play for another 30 seconds before the broadcast mercifully cut to commercial.

During the traditional end of show group farewell segment, host Jude Law addressed the malfunction. “Ladies and gentleman, what can I say… live TV!” “Exactly, I feel so bad,” a clearly embarrassed Simpson explained. “My band starting playing the wrong song. And I didn’t know what to do so I thought I’d do a hoedown. I’m sorry!”

Watch Ashlee Simpson’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ Apology

Goodbyes with Jude Law, Ashlee Simpson – Saturday Night Live

By sheer luck, the revered CBS news program 60 Minutes was documenting the filming of this particular SNL episode for a feature that ran later that month. Their cameras captured Simpson’s difficulties during rehearsals, the staff’s shock at the on-air malfunction, and a tearful Simpson rushing off the set.

Watch the ’60 Minutes’ Report on Ashlee Simpson’s ‘SNL’ Mishap

Ashlee Simpson SNL lip sync fail explanation [rare 2004 behind the scenes footage]

When interviewed for the segment, Michaels said he was “absolutely not” told of the lip-syncing plan, but did concede that some artists had previously employed backing tracks when appearing on the show: “I think the only time is during dance breaks, where if it was all about dance… and that’s a relatively recent development.”

He also declared that he wasn’t too worried about the negative feedback the incident garnered – which, granted was mostly aimed at Simpson, not the show. “I don’t have any big welts or bruises. Life goes on, the great part about Saturday Night Live is there’s always next week.”

During a 2015 appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Simpson declared that she was “completely” responsible for what went wrong. “I should’ve said ‘No, I will not go on. I will not do this.’”

Looking back at the incident in 2024 on Broad Ideas With Rachel Bilson and Olivia Allen, the singer added that she knew right away that she should have resisted the pressure from a label executive to use the tapes: “My band’s never practiced this, this is not going to go well.”

Overall, Simpson said the experience taught her an important lesson. “It was a humbling moment for me. I had the No. 1 song. It was like, everything was about to go somewhere and then it was just, like, ‘Whoa!’ The humility of not even understanding what grown-ass people would say about you. Awful, awful things. I had to learn to tune that out.”

Simpson was invited back to Saturday Night Live as a musical guest the following year, appearing without incident on the Oct. 8, 2005 episode.

Elon Musk Takes Issue With Dana Carvey’s ‘SNL’ Impression: “They Are So Mad”

Elon Musk responds to Dana Carvey’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ impression of him. Will Heath/NBC via Getty Images/Jim Watson/AFP

Thin-skinned as usual, Elon Musk is doing his best impression of Donald Trump in his ire over Dana Carvey‘s newly unveiled impression of him.

Hours after the comic legend appeared on Saturday Night Live‘s mock boot-licking cold open on this weekend’s post-election episode, the world’s richest man took to the social media platform he owns to whine about the roasting and the state of the long-running Lorne Micheal‘s show in general.

He wrote on X, “SNL has been dying slowly for years, as they become increasingly out of touch with reality. Their last-ditch effort to cheat the equal airtime requirements and prop up Kamala before the election only helped sink her campaign further.”

Watch on Deadline

 

“They are so mad that @realDonaldTrump won,” added Musk in another post with two cry laughing emojis, in response to images of Carvey wearing his “dark gothic MAGA hat.”

Musk, who previously hosted the show with impressive ratings during Season 46 in 2021, also took issue with Carvey’s impression of him. “Dana Carvey just sounds like Dana Carvey,” he added in another post.

SNL has been dying slowly for years, as they become increasingly out of touch with reality.

Their last-ditch effort to cheat the equal airtime requirements and prop up Kamala before the election only helped sink her campaign further. @nbcsnl

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2024

Dana Carvey just sounds like Dana Carvey

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 10, 2024

Carvey’s impression came during the episode’s cold open, in which the cast jokingly pandered to Trump after the president-elect threatened his opponents, calling Democrats the “enemy from within.” They then introduced James Austin Johnson‘s flattering new “Hot Jacked Trump,” as well as Carvey as “the other man we love and trust, Elon Musk.”

“Alright!” said Carvey as he jumped and danced around the stage, pointing at his hat. “Check it out, dark MAGA. Yeah! But seriously, I run the country now. America’s gonna be like one of my rockets that’s super cool and super fun. But there’s a slight chance it could blow up, and everybody dies.”

Carvey laughed in character as Musk before jumping up and down more, chanting, “I’m dark MAGA! Steal the White House! USA! USA!”

Elon Musk jumps on stage as he joins Donald Trump during a campaign rally at site of his first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania on Oct. 5, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The sketch comes after Musk campaigned for Trump in the black MAGA cap, giddily jumping up and down at the twice-impeached president’s Pennsylvania rally last month. He also began offering daily $1 million giveaways to swing state voters.

Trump has since said that although Musk “doesn’t want to be in the cabinet,” he’s “dying” to be “in charge of cost-cutting.”

Oddly, while Musk complained about being mussed up by SNL, the 45th and soon-to-be 47th POTUS has said nothing so far. Perhaps Trump appreciated the pledges of alleigence, even in jest, or James Austin Johnson’s now shirtless, bandana wearing Trump.

Having said that, we will update this post if Trump does respond

Lorne Michaels says ‘the people in charge’ forced Shane Gillis’ firing from Saturday Night Live: ‘I was angry’

“You haven’t seen what we’re going to do, and what I’m going to try to bring out in him, because I thought he was the real thing,” Michaels remembered thinking.

Lorne Michaels didn’t want to fire Shane Gillis from Saturday Night Live.

The top dog at SNL revealed that the decree to dismiss the controversial comedian from the variety series came from his superiors in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “That was very strong from the people in charge,” he said. “And obviously I was not on that side, but I understood it.”

Lorne Michaels and Shane Gillis.Jamie McCarthy/Getty; Roy Rochlin/Getty

Michaels acknowledged that Gillis’ racist and homophobic comments weren’t necessarily appropriate, but he didn’t think they were enough to constitute his removal from SNL. “He said something stupid, but it got blown up into the end of the world,” Michaels said. “I was angry. I thought, You haven’t seen what we’re going to do, and what I’m going to try to bring out in him, because I thought he was the real thing.”

Gillis was originally announced as one of three new featured players who would debut in SNL‘s 45th season in 2019. After his hiring, footage from a 2018 podcast appearance went viral, wherein Gillis used multiple slurs and made homophobic and racist jokes.

The comedian released a statement on social media after the footage generated significant controversy. “I’m a comedian who pushes boundaries,” he wrote. “I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses. I’m happy to apologize to anyone who’s actually offended by anything I’ve said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks.”

The controversy prompted SNL to dismiss Gillis from the cast before he ever appeared in an episode. “After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL,” the show said in a statement at the time. “We want SNL to have a variety of voices and points of view within the show, and we hired Shane on the strength of his talent as comedian and his impressive audition for SNL. We were not aware of his prior remarks that have surfaced over the past few days. The language he used is offensive, hurtful and unacceptable. We are sorry that we did not see these clips earlier, and that our vetting process was not up to our standard.”

Gillis released another statement following his firing. “I’m a comedian who was funny enough to get SNL,” he wrote on social media. “That can’t be taken away. Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself at SNL, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made. I’m honestly grateful for the opportunity. I was always a [Mad TV] guy anyway.”

Shane Gillis hosting ‘Saturday Night Live’ in February 2024.Will Heath/NBC via Getty

The comedian has enjoyed a successful career despite the controversy — he launched a popular standup special, Beautiful Dogs, in 2023, and starred in the comedy series Tires on Netflix this year. The show was renewed for a second season, and the streamer also commissioned a second standup special from Gillis earlier this year. Gillis also had a recurring role on Pete Davidson’s Bupkis, which Michaels executive produced in 2023.

SNL tapped Gillis to host the show in February, and he joked about his firing from the show in his monologue. “I was fired from this show a while ago,” he said. “Don’t look that up, please. Please don’t Google that. It’s fine. Don’t even worry about it. I probably shouldn’t be up here honestly. I should be at home. I should be a high school football coach.”

Michaels defended the decision to collaborate with Gillis in September.  “When he came back to the show last year [to host], we saw, ‘Oh right, he’s really talented, and he would’ve been really good for us,’” the producer told THR. “His life turned out well without SNL, but my point with it is everything became way too serious. It was like a mania. And the velocity of cancellation — and lots of people deserved to not be liked — it just became not quite the Reign of Terror, but it was like you’re judging everybody on every position they have on every issue.”