Who is Shane Gillis?
Shane is the co-host of "Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast" with Matt McCusker and one half of the sketch comedy duo "Gilly and Keeves" with John McKeever. Watch his stand-up special "Beautiful Dogs" on Netflix, and catch him as "Gilly" on Peacock's "Bupkis." www.shanemgillis.com
TLDR — Key Topics and Moments
- 01Shane discusses his comedy career trajectory from getting fired at SNL to building success with his podcasts and sketch comedy
- 02Conversation covers the current state of comedy and how cancel culture has affected comedians' willingness to take risks
- 03Shane talks about his creative process for writing sketches on Gilly and Keeves and what makes comedy land
- 04Discussion about the comedy podcast landscape and competing with established platforms while maintaining creative control
- 05Shane shares insights about performing stand-up versus sketch comedy and the different skill sets required
- 06Joe and Shane discuss fame, social media, and the pressure of staying relevant in entertainment
The Show
JRE 2074 brings Shane Gillis onto the podcast to talk about his rise in comedy and the unique path he's carved out for himself. Shane's story is interesting because he didn't follow the traditional comedy ladder. Getting fired from SNL actually seems to have pushed him toward doing more interesting work rather than crushing him. He built Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast with Matt McCusker into something genuinely successful by just showing up and being funny without worrying too much about appeasing a giant network.
The conversation dives into what's different about comedy now versus ten years ago. Shane talks about how comedians are more cautious because the internet never forgets and one joke can tank your whole career. There's this tension between wanting to push boundaries, which is what makes comedy actually funny, and knowing that anything you say will be screenshot and used against you. Joe and Shane explore how this affects what comedians are willing to try on stage and in their writing.
Shane's sketch comedy work with John McKeever on Gilly and Keeves comes up and he explains the collaborative process. It's clear he loves the immediacy of stand-up but there's something about having a writing partner and doing characters that scratches a different creative itch. They talk about how hard it actually is to make sketch comedy work because timing has to be perfect and you need the right setup and payoff.
There's real talk about podcasting as a medium. Shane's found that doing a podcast with a friend is way more sustainable than trying to chase corporate gigs. You build a real audience that actually gives a shit instead of chasing numbers for some algorithm. The freedom of just talking about whatever without corporate oversight is huge. Joe definitely relates to this having done JRE independently.
The episode touches on how different platforms have changed comedy. Peacock, Netflix, YouTube all have their own lanes and politics. Shane's navigated these spaces without completely selling out, which is rare. He seems to understand that the money and fame stuff is cool but it's not worth making bad art. That's the throughline of his whole career really. He'd rather do something weird with his friends than do something boring that pays better.
Key Moments
Best Quotes
"Getting fired from SNL was honestly the best thing that could have happened to me because I wasn't going to make it in that system anyway"
"The internet changed everything about comedy because now you can't just do a joke and move on, it's there forever"
"Doing a podcast with your friend where you just talk is way more honest than anything I ever did on a network show"
"Sketch comedy is harder than stand-up because you have no safety net, every beat has to hit or the whole thing falls apart"
"I'd rather make weird stuff with people I like than make safe stuff that pays better"
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Full Transcript (click to expand)
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