Shane Gillis: From SNL Firing to ESPY Hosting, Vegas Headlining, & Hollywood's New Favorite Comic

Shane Gillis BioSnap a weekly updated Biography. Shane Gillis just grabbed national headlines with the announcement that he will host the 2025 ESPY Awards on ESPN, marking a major milestone in his career just years after his 2019 SNL firing, a story widely recounted by AOL and other outlets. As of August 18th, Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas officially revealed Gillis will headline back-to-back shows on October 17 and 18, 2025, capping off a record-smashing year on the road with ticket sales for these dates opening to public fanfare on August 22. Social media buzzed with excitement from both Vegas and national comedy accounts after the reveal, and demand appears high according to Resorts World Theatre’s Instagram post confirming presale details. Baltimore’s CFG Bank Arena, Tucson Arena, and PHX Arena in Phoenix are also touting new fall and winter tour stops, with recent social media posts noting additional dates added due to overwhelming demand. In a sign of his current box office draw, The Garden in New York hinted that a second show in January 2026 was just added in response to rapid ticket sellouts. Behind the scenes, Gillis remains a dominant digital presence, with Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast staying number one on Patreon and consistently ranking atop major US comedy podcast charts. Recent news from the comedy world further cemented his mainstream status with the announcement of a new partnership with Spotify to bring exclusive video content to the platform, a business move already drawing coverage from entertainment trades. Industry insiders are calling this a pivotal leap for independent comics leveraging podcasting empires into multi-platform stardom. Meanwhile, critical and commercial success has continued for Gillis’s own scripted series; the second season of Tires debuted earlier this summer in Netflix’s Top 10, maintaining the momentum from his game-changing 2023 Netflix special Beautiful Dogs. Hollywood is also paying attention, as Gillis’s name has been attached as an upcoming supporting actor in David O Russell’s Madden with Christian Bale and Nicolas Cage, and in Nic Pizzolatto’s Easy’s Waltz, set to premiere at TIFF with co-stars Al Pacino and Vince Vaughn. Industry buzz on these projects, especially given the TIFF slot, indicates a shift for Gillis into higher-profile film territory. In the brand world, Anheuser Busch’s new Bud Light college football campaign landed with Gillis as its comedic face, rolling out a series of ads and social media tie-ins, leveraging both his sports-friendly image and his reach with young audiences. The past week’s news cycle positions Shane Gillis not as a comeback story but as a force now defining his own lane in stand-up, digital media, streaming, and mainstream entertainment, with every indication that his upward trajectory is only accelerating. Speculation remains around unannounced tour stops and possible new media deals, but the confirmed activity already secures his spot as one of This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.