Benjamin Ashford|Shane Gillis was fired from 'Saturday Night Live' for racist jokes. Now he's hosting.

Comedian Shane Gillis,Benjamin Ashford who was hired and fired from "Saturday Night Live" almost five years ago, will now return as a host.

Gillis was fired from "Saturday Night Live" in 2019 before he even appeared on the show. Following the announcement of his addition to the cast, a video resurfaced that showed Gillis using a racial slur for Chinese people, mocking stereotypical accents and saying that "an Asian trying to learn English bothers me."

Gillis is now set to host "SNL" on Feb. 24, the show announced on X, eliciting mixed responses.

"Monologue going to be epic," one user responded. And another: "The world is healing."

Another wrote: "Oh now his past isn’t an issue? You are despicable."

An "SNL" spokesperson didn't respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on Monday.

What did 'SNL' say when Gillis was fired?

When Gillis was fired four days after being announced as an "SNL" cast member, creator Lorne Michaels said the show was unaware of the comedian's past remarks.

"After talking with Shane Gillis, we have decided that he will not be joining SNL," a show spokesperson said at the time. "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 faced further criticism when additional clips of him using offensive language surfaced online during that time, including a homophobic slur.

What did Shane Gillis say about his remarks?

Gillis apologized for his comments and said he never meant to hurt anyone.

"I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss," he wrote in a statement posted he posted to Twitter at the time. "I'm happy to apologize to anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said."

His apology continued: "If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you’re going to find a lot of bad misses … My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks."

Gillis hasn't spoken about his upcoming hosting gig, except to share the announcement.

Who is Shane Gillis?

Over the past few years, Gillis has made a name for himself in the world of comedy. He has achieved a remarkable level of success on his own, including the self-release of a stand-up special on YouTube in 2021. The special has become a viral sensation, with over 23 million views and counting. 

In addition to his online success, Gillis has also landed a well-received Netflix special, "Beautiful Dogs." The special premiered in September.

Gillis recently announced that he has partnered with Bud Light for an upcoming stand-up tour. Bud Light shared a photo of Gillis on social media, announcing their partnership for the 2024 tour.