Shane Gillis

Shane Michael Gillis (born December 11, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. Gillis started performing comedy in 2012, and in 2016, along with fellow stand-up comedian Matt McCusker, began co-hosting Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, the most subscribed-to podcast on Patreon as of 2024. Gillis had a breakout year in 2019; the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal named him one of its "New Faces" in July, and in September he was announced as a newly-hired cast member on NBC's sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL). He subsequently became the subject of controversy and was fired after five days at SNL due to backlash over a 2018 clip from his podcast in which derogatory language was used.

In 2020, Gillis launched the online sketch series Gilly & Keeves in collaboration with filmmaker John McKeever, and he released his first comedy special, Shane Gillis: Live in Austin, on YouTube in 2021. In 2023, his second comedy special, Shane Gillis: Beautiful Dogs, was released on Netflix. As of 2024, Gillis has starred in the Netflix comedy series Tires, which he co-created with McKeever and Steve Gerben; the first season premiered in May 2024, a second season followed in June 2025, and Netflix renewed the show for a third season to premiere in 2026.

Gillis was born on December 11, 1987, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, a town located outside of Harrisburg. While attending Trinity High School in nearby Camp Hill, he played on the school's football team as an offensive tackle, graduating in 2006. He was recruited to play for the Army Black Knights at the United States Military Academy in West Point, but quickly transferred out during his first year and played a year of football at Elon University in North Carolina. Gillis ultimately graduated from West Chester University in Pennsylvania with a degree in history. Gillis began performing comedy in 2012, regularly performing in Harrisburg and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, before relocating to Philadelphia. In 2015, he placed third at Helium Comedy Club's annual "Philly's Phunniest" tournament, and he won the tournament the next year.