Overview

• Yang called Gillis a “funny guy” and said they have mutual respect, adding that both have had to navigate being used by opposing camps.
• He said the two spoke during the 2019 controversy and connected over feeling instrumentalized by coverage and online narratives.
• Yang has denied claims that he got Gillis fired, including publicly refuting a background actor’s accusation earlier this year.
• Gillis was hired with Yang and Chloe Fineman in 2019 and was removed after clips of homophobic and racist jokes resurfaced.
• SNL creator Lorne Michaels has said NBC made the termination decision, and Gillis has since returned to host in February 2024 and March 2025.