Three-time Saturday Night Live host Shane Gillis accidentally dropped an F-bomb on live television during his latest appearance.
Gillis starred in a Dr. Seuss-inspired sketch that parodied Green Eggs and Ham before his character stormed in and berated Sam-I-Am for refusing to take no for an answer.
“He said he doesn’t f---ing…” Gillis began, before breaking character as he realized what he’d just said.
The on-air slipup drew big laughs from the audience, especially as Gillis took a beat to recover.
Sam-I-Am, played by cast member Andrew Dismukes, also appeared to break character, giving Gillis a supportive pat on the shoulder.
Gillis addressed the F-bomb during the episode’s goodnights. “Sorry about earlier,” he said, as the credits rolled.
Accidental F-bombs have occasionally slipped through on SNL. The most recent previous incident came from host Sam Rockwell in 2018, when his character similarly lost his temper and swore at another character.
In that sketch, the child characters (played by Mikey Day and Cecily Strong) reacted to the surprise profanity by covering their ears, as children might.
In 2009, new cast member Jenny Slate let the F-word slip in her very first episode. Although it was never confirmed that the incident led to her dismissal, she was let go after just one season.
Gillis doesn’t have to worry about suffering Slate’s fate, as he was fired from SNL in 2019.
Gillis was hired as a cast member for the show’s 45th season, but fired before the premiere after backlash over controversial comments he had made on podcasts. Since then, Gillis’ stand-up career has skyrocketed, and the show has repeatedly invited him back to host.
Gillis joked about the controversy during his first monologue as host in 2024. He told viewers, “I was fired from this show a while ago, but don’t look that up, please.”
