Lorne Michaels has stated that NBC was responsible for the firing of Shane Gillis from “Saturday Night Live.”

In a recent profile in the Wall Street Journal, the creator of “SNL” expressed his frustration about the decision.

“He said something inappropriate, but it became a huge issue,” Michaels, 79, mentioned in the interview published on Thursday. “I was upset. I thought, ‘You haven’t yet seen what we could have done, and how I was planning to develop him, because I believed he had real talent.’

Gillis was let go from “SNL” in 2019 before he ever took the stage. Just days after being cast, he faced scrutiny for a 2018 podcast segment in which he used a derogatory term towards Asians, mimicked stereotypical accents, and commented that “an Asian learning English annoys me.”

YSL News has reached out to NBC for their response.

A representative from the show previously stated that they weren’t aware of Gillis’s past comments that came to light shortly before his hiring. They added: “The remarks he made are offensive, hurtful, and unacceptable. We regret that we did not catch these clips earlier, and that our vetting process did not meet our standards.”

However, Michaels now asserts that the decision was made by NBC: “That was a firm stance from the leadership, which I wasn’t part of, but I understood their perspective.”

In a September interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Michaels remarked amidst the controversy, “200 Asian organizations were on the verge of boycotting the show.”

After the incident gained attention, Gillis expressed regret and described himself as a “comedian pushing boundaries,” stating he would be “glad to apologize to anyone genuinely offended by my words.”

“If you look back at my decade in comedy, much of it wasn’t great, and you’ll find plenty of mistakes,” he continued. “I never intend to offend anyone, but I strive to be the best comedian I can be, which sometimes involves taking risks.”

Gillis made a return to host the show in February, nearly five years later, receiving mixed feedback from the audience.

“Many of you probably don’t know who I am,” Gillis said during his opening monologue. “I was fired from the show some time ago, so please don’t look that up. If you’re unaware of me, please don’t Google it. It’s okay. Just move on.”

He then added, “Honestly, I probably shouldn’t even be up here.”