Shane Gillis Says He Turned Down Season-Long ‘SNL’ Trump Gig
It seems that Saturday Night Live’s “reinvention” of Donald Trump was originally supposed to involved a lot more than a simple fat suit.
During an appearance at the Skankfest comedy festival in Las Vegas that coincided with SNL’s 50th season premiere last weekend, comedian Shane Gillis told the crowd that he turned down an offer from Lorne Michaels to play Trump opposite Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris for the entirety of the 2024 campaign run—and possibly beyond.
“Nobody thought he was coming to this festival this year,” podcast host Luis J. Gomez says from the stage as he introduces Gillis in video footage from the event, adding that he “tried to cancel” a few days prior.