Shane Gillis Is Making His ‘SNL’ Return — And It Reveals The Show’s Troubling Double Standard

Whether it’s due to being out of touch or desperate for a boost in ratings, scandal has trumped integrity on "SNL" in recent years.

“Saturday Night Live” is having a monumental year. The iconic sketch comedy show is in its 50th season, and the anniversary celebration has been years in the making.

In the past few months, features have been published in Vulture, Elle and People; commercial sponsorships have aired with CeraVe, T-Mobile and Volkswagen, and a four-part historical docuseries (“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night”) and full-length music documentary (“Ladies and Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music”) were released on Peacock.

The build-up culminated in a massive homecoming for “SNL” cast, crew and honorary affiliates earlier this month as they presented a live anniversary special celebrating half a century of the show and its impact.

It was an event of escapism, three or so hours to simply revel in nostalgia and joy.

Then, the show announced that stand-up comedian Shane Gillis would host the first show post-anniversary. As a longtime “SNL” fan, the cheer dissipated, and reality seeped back in.