Shane Gillis accidentally dropped an F-bomb during a Dr. Seuss-inspired sketch during his “SNL” hosting stint.
The comedian was playing Zackary, an aggressively protective son who interrupts a reading of “Green Eggs and Ham” to defend his elderly father from the relentless questioning of Sam-I-Am. When Andrew Dismukes’ character repeatedly pressures his dad to try the titular dish, Gillis steps in to put an end to the interrogation.
“He doesn’t f—–g like them!” Gillis blurted out, apparently going off-script.
The slip didn’t go unnoticed by Mikey Day’s Lorax, who later worked the blunder into the sketch. During a heated argument with his son, he kicked Zackary out of the house, declaring, “You’re a loser and you said a bad word!”
“Yes, I did,” Gillis responded, acknowledging the mishap.
The on-air slip adds another chapter to Gillis’ complicated history with “SNL.” The comedian was famously hired as a featured player in 2019 before being fired days later when podcast clips resurfaced featuring racist and homophobic remarks. He eventually returned to Studio 8H as a host in Feb. 2024, joking about his dismissal in his opening monologue.
“I was fired from this show a while ago. But, you know, don’t look that up, please,” he told the audience at the time. He returned for a second hosting stint in March 2025, making Saturday’s episode his third time leading the NBC sketch comedy series.
The Dr. Seuss sketch began innocently enough, with Dismukes reciting the familiar rhymes of “Green Eggs and Ham” before Gillis’ character intervened to question his intentions.
“What’s the end game? Why do you want him to eat that stuff?” Zackary demanded. “Is this a money thing? My dad is older, gets confused.”
The exchange quickly spiraled into a full-blown family feud, with Zackary accusing his father of being susceptible to scams, including a previous incident in which he sent $9,000 worth of Target gift cards to someone in Mumbai. His father fired back by mocking Zackary’s career at Jimmy John’s, which his son insists on referring to by the more sophisticated-sounding “James Jonathon.”
Things got even more personal when Zackary brings up his parents’ failed marriage, revealing that his mother left his father for the Lorax.
“Have you seen the Lorax? Two feet tall and his whole face is a mustache,” Gillis says. “And right now that dirty hippie is railing your wife.”
The sketch eventually returns to its original premise, with the father finally agreeing to try the green eggs and ham — only for Sam-I-Am to reveal that Zackary’s suspicions were justified all along.
“Yes, I’m happy to comply, just send five grand in Walmart gift cards to my friends in Dubai,” Dismukes’ character said.
“I told you he was a scammer,” Zackary declared.
Gillis hosted the Oct. 10 episode alongside musical guest Rosalía.
