"I'm such a bad employee, I couldn't work in an office. I had to give it a shot."

There's something strange about Shane Gillis. He got fired from Saturday Night Live before his first episode aired, faced a nationwide cancel campaign, and then... just kept going. No public meltdown. No victim narrative. No dramatic reinvention. Five years later, he's hosting SNL, selling out arenas, and running the most subscribed-to podcast on Patreon.

How does someone turn professional humiliation into mainstream success without appearing to try? The answer lies in understanding how Shane's mind actually works. And why getting fired might have been the best thing that ever happened to him.

TL;DR: Why Shane Gillis is an Enneagram Type 9
  • Conflict avoidance that becomes stubbornness: After the SNL firing, Shane didn't fight back or create drama. He said "I respect the decision they made" and moved on, classic Type 9. But he also refused to fundamentally change his comedy, showing the stubborn streak beneath the easygoing exterior.
  • The everyman persona: Type 9s naturally merge with their environment rather than standing out. Shane's "regular guy from Pennsylvania" comedy style makes audiences feel he's one of them, not above them.
  • Going with the flow while building an empire: Shane claims he had no goals when starting comedy, he "just liked doing it." Yet somehow he's ended up with Netflix specials, a hit show, and arena tours. Type 9s often achieve big things while seeming not to try.
  • The 8 wing edge: His confrontational comedy material and physical presence (6'4", former football player) show the assertive 8 wing that gives his laid-back persona a bite.
  • Emotional depth hidden beneath jokes: Shane cried watching old Norm Macdonald clips. He and Matt McCusker both cried when Dave Chappelle picked them up in his Jeep. The feelings are there, he just processes them quietly.

What is Shane Gillis's Personality Type?

Shane Gillis is an Enneagram Type 9

Type 9s are called "The Peacemakers." They seek inner and outer peace, avoid conflict, and have a remarkable ability to see multiple perspectives. But there's a paradox at the heart of Type 9: they can be so committed to keeping the peace that they become surprisingly stubborn when pushed.

Shane embodies this contradiction. On stage, his delivery is relaxed and conversational, he's not demanding attention or forcing laughs. He meanders through stories, comfortable with pauses, never appearing to work hard for the audience's approval. Yet his material is often provocative, touching topics most comedians avoid.

This is the Type 9 with an 8 wing in action. The core 9 provides the easygoing demeanor, the "I'm just a guy" energy. The 8 wing adds edge: the willingness to push boundaries and the physical presence (Shane stands 6'4" and played offensive tackle in college) that prevents the laid-back personality from being pushed around.

Here's what most people miss about Type 9s: they hate being controlled more than they hate conflict. They'll agree on the surface while quietly doing exactly what they want. Shane quit West Point after two days. He got asked to leave Elon University. He got fired from a desk job at the State Theatre in Harrisburg. Every time someone tried to put him in a box, he found his way out. Not through confrontation, but through passive resistance until the situation resolved itself.

Shane Gillis's Upbringing and Pennsylvania Roots

Shane Michael Gillis was born on December 11, 1987, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, a small town outside Harrisburg. His father Phil worked as a food-packaging equipment salesman, and his mother Joan raised Shane alongside his two older sisters, Kait and Sarah, in a traditional Irish Catholic household.

But Phil Gillis wasn't just a salesman. In an interview with The New York Times, Shane revealed: "My dad was a Marine and a cop, so I grew up with a lot of discipline. He taught me the importance of hard work and never giving up."

This dual influence, blue-collar authenticity combined with military discipline, created an interesting tension in Shane's personality. He absorbed the work ethic without accepting the structure. His dad has appeared on Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, and Shane has spoken about how much he loves him. Phil taught him that vulnerability in comedy creates connection, that being true to yourself matters more than being polished.

Growing up in central Pennsylvania shaped Shane's comedy DNA. The area isn't known for producing entertainers. It's unpretentious and suspicious of people who take themselves too seriously. These values saturate everything Shane does.

At Trinity High School in Camp Hill, Shane was a football standout. Listed at 6'4" and 275 pounds, he played offensive tackle well enough to get recruited by the Army Black Knights at West Point.

The West Point Escape

Here's where Shane's Type 9 nature first became unmistakable.

West Point demands structure, hierarchy, and following rules without question. Shane lasted approximately two days. Some accounts say two weeks. Either way, he was gone almost immediately.

He's told the story on multiple podcasts, Are You Garbage, The Honeydew, Pardon My Take, turning his brief military career into comedy material. The boot camp experience wasn't "the most fun he's ever had." Type 9s, despite their agreeable exterior, resist being controlled at their core. They'll comply superficially while internally maintaining their autonomy. For Shane, the rigid military environment was suffocating.

He transferred to Elon University in North Carolina, where he played football for a year before being "asked to leave." Then he moved back to his parents' house and attended community college before finally graduating from West Chester University with a history degree.

This wandering educational journey looks like failure on paper. But it was actually a Type 9 finding his way by process of elimination, figuring out what he didn't want until what he did want became clear.

The Lost Years Before Comedy

After graduating, Shane didn't have a plan. He worked as a Honda salesman at a dealership in Mechanicsburg. Picture a 6'4", 275-pound former football player trying to convince people they need extended warranties. It wasn't exactly his calling.

Then he did something random: at age 24, he moved to Madrid to teach English for six months.

On Ari Shaffir's podcast "You Be Trippin'," Shane told the full story. He got blackout drunk following in Hemingway's footsteps. He fell in love. He didn't get laid. He made friends with the other teachers, one of them later visited him in Philadelphia and watched him do an open mic at the Raven Lounge.

Years later, when Shane got canceled from SNL, those Spanish friends saw it on the news. They reached out: "Shane, you're racist?"

When he came back to Pennsylvania, he got a job at the State Theatre in Harrisburg. They fired him quickly.

"When I got fired from that job, I knew it was time to go," Shane explained in an interview. "I'm such a bad employee, I couldn't work in an office. I had to give it a shot."

That firing was the push he needed. Type 9s often need external circumstances to force them out of inertia. Getting fired from a desk job freed Shane to pursue the thing he actually enjoyed.

Shane Gillis's Rise to Comedy Fame

Shane started doing stand-up in 2012, grinding at rough open mics in Harrisburg and Lancaster. He washed dishes at a restaurant while performing anywhere with a microphone and a stage.

"There was only one club you could do five minutes a week on. And it was rough. It was a rough open mic, but it was fun."

Notice the word "fun." Type 9s are motivated by what feels good, what flows naturally. When asked about early goals, Shane said: "I don't think I had a goal. I just liked doing it. Of course, in your head you're going to do a theater, but if anything was the goal it's to be good enough to host at the club."

No master plan. No five-year vision. Just showing up because he enjoyed it.

By 2015, he placed third at Helium Comedy Club's "Philly's Phunniest" tournament. He won the whole thing the next year. He moved to Philadelphia, living near University City with fellow comedian Matt McCusker, and the two began Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast in 2016.

The podcast's name says everything about their ambitions, or lack thereof. It was a "secret" podcast, almost apologizing for existing. Today it's the most subscribed-to podcast on Patreon. Type 9s often build empires while insisting they're just hanging out.

Shane Gillis's Inner World

Shane's comedy exists in a strange space. Critics call him a "blue-collar everyman" but also note he's "very thoughtful, educated and precise." His persona seems simple, but the architecture of his jokes is sophisticated. This disconnect confuses people trying to categorize him.

The Man Who Hates Compliments

On the Flagrant podcast with Andrew Schulz, Shane admitted something revealing: he hates compliments.

This is textbook Type 9. They're uncomfortable being singled out, even positively. Praise creates pressure. It sets expectations. It separates them from the group. Shane would rather deflect attention through self-deprecation than accept that he might be special.

His Netflix special Beautiful Dogs opens with material about his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend being a Navy SEAL. The entire bit is about his own inadequacy, following a literal elite warrior in the dating lineup. It's hilarious because Shane commits fully to his own humiliation, but it also reveals genuine insecurity.

Imposter Syndrome at 30 Rock

During his first SNL hosting monologue in February 2024, Shane opened with: "I probably shouldn't be up here. I should be home. I should be a high school football coach."

This wasn't just a joke. Throughout the monologue, Shane seemed increasingly uncomfortable under the bright studio lights. "This is the most nervous I've ever been," he admitted. "This place is extremely well-lit. I can see everyone not enjoying it."

Type 9s don't seek the spotlight. They end up there and then wonder how it happened.

The Pandemic Broke Something

On Joe Rogan's podcast (episode #2074), Shane got unexpectedly candid about how COVID affected him psychologically.

"It fucked me up as far as like, because for like a year I was afraid of talking close to people. I was afraid for quite a few months... I feel like until I got to Texas I was afraid."

This vulnerability surprised listeners used to Shane's unbothered persona. But it makes sense for a Type 9. They absorb the anxiety of their environment. During the pandemic, the ambient fear of society seeped into Shane, creating a social anxiety that took months to shake.

Moving to Austin helped. The city's more relaxed attitude matched Shane's natural energy, and the comedy scene there gave him space to decompress.

Ayahuasca and Clarity Through Absence

On Theo Von's podcast, Shane discussed doing ayahuasca: the intense psychedelic ceremony that's become popular among comedians seeking insight.

He compared the experience to a powerful mushroom trip, explaining that it "enabled him to gain clarity by not being mentally present."

This description is profoundly Type 9. Where other personality types might seek ayahuasca for revelation or transformation, Shane found value in temporary absence from his own mind. For 9s, who often feel foggy or disconnected from their own desires, the relief of not thinking can itself be therapeutic.

He Said He Hated Therapy

In a clip from the Flagrant podcast that went viral on TikTok, Shane discussed his experience with therapy. And how much he hated it.

This tracks with Type 9 psychology. Traditional talk therapy asks you to articulate your feelings, identify your desires, and advocate for yourself. These are precisely the things 9s struggle with most. The therapy framework can feel like pressure to have emotions they're not sure they're having.

Shane found other ways to process. Comedy itself became his therapy, a way to examine his life and feelings from a safe distance, through the protective layer of jokes.

The Comedy Legends Who Reached Out

When Shane got fired from SNL in September 2019, he was devastated. He had nightmares about negative articles. The trauma of achieving his dream and losing it in four days left marks.

But something unexpected happened. The comedians he admired most: the ones at the absolute top of the industry, started reaching out.

"Norm, Louis, Dave: these guys reached out and were like 'hang in there,'" Shane told Bert Kreischer. "A lot of them just wanted to get to know me better, like, 'who is this dude getting cancelled? Is he a bad dude?'"

Norm Macdonald's Phone Call

Norm Macdonald publicly defended Shane on Twitter, calling the firing "WAR." But more importantly, he reached out privately.

"I got to talk to Norm on the phone for a while and got to know him slightly," Shane shared. "It was awesome. And he said some really encouraging things. It was really nice."

Shane's emotional connection to Norm runs deep. He once told Kreischer about the time his girlfriend caught him crying while watching old clips of Norm.

"She was in the other room and just heard me. She came out, and I was like, 'Fine, I'm fine.' Yeah, Norm got me."

For a guy who presents as emotionally unflappable, this admission reveals the depth underneath. Type 9s feel intensely: they just process it internally, often alone.

Crying in Chappelle's Jeep

Dave Chappelle eventually invited Shane to perform at his club in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The trip became legendary among comedy fans who caught glimpses on the podcast.

Post-show fried chicken and waffles at 1:30 a.m. Dancing in a private barn. Chappelle picking up guests from the airport himself, offering private gear shopping sprees.

But the detail that stuck with listeners: both Shane and Matt McCusker admitted to crying after Chappelle picked them up in his Jeep.

Shane was so nervous about asking Dave to appear on the podcast that he almost didn't do it. "I was so scared to ask," he admitted. "Literally rather shit my pants than be like, 'Hey can you do my podcast?'"

That mix of gratitude and disbelief, being welcomed into the inner circle of comedy royalty, overwhelmed the careful emotional management that Type 9s usually maintain.

Shane Gillis's SNL Saga and Public Struggles

In September 2019, Shane was announced as a new SNL cast member alongside Bowen Yang. Four days later, he was fired after clips surfaced from a 2018 podcast episode where he used ethnic slurs and mock accents.

The irony wasn't lost on anyone: Shane was fired the same week SNL hired its first full-time Asian American cast member. The optics were catastrophic.

How Shane Handled the Cancel Moment

His public response was minimal. "Of course I wanted an opportunity to prove myself on SNL, but I understand it would be too much of a distraction. I respect the decision they made."

Notice what's missing: no lengthy apology, no counterattack, no victim narrative. Type 9s instinctively de-escalate. They create space rather than fill it with noise.

On Theo Von's podcast, Shane went deeper into the aftermath: the nightmares, the anxiety, the surreal experience of becoming nationally famous for the worst reason.

Type 9s under stress move toward Type 6 patterns, anxiety, worst-case thinking, seeking reassurance. Shane experienced this internally. But externally, he maintained the 9's characteristic stillness.

Later, Lorne Michaels revealed that firing Shane was NBC's decision, not his. "He said something stupid, but it got blown up into the end of the world," Michaels told The Wall Street Journal. Advertisers had threatened to boycott—"200 Asian companies were going to boycott the show."

When Shane finally returned to host SNL in February 2024, he told the audience not to Google why he was fired, a joke that acknowledged the history without relitigating it. Then he moved on.

This is Type 9 wisdom: don't ignore the conflict, but don't feed it either.

The Physical Transformation

Shane's weight loss in recent years, approximately 40 pounds, reflects deeper changes. He quit alcohol and changed his diet. He tried the carnivore diet briefly and joked about the digestive consequences.

But the real shift was discipline. For Type 9s, inertia is the enemy. They can coast for years on autopilot. Shane's decision to get healthy suggests he's moved into his security point, Type 3, where 9s become more goal-oriented and driven.

Shane Gillis's Major Accomplishments

The Netflix Empire

His 2023 special Beautiful Dogs reached Netflix's Top 10 in five countries. The streaming platform then picked up Tires, which debuted at number seven on the English-language TV charts with 3.8 million views in its first few days.

Tires is a workplace comedy Shane co-created with longtime collaborators John McKeever and Steve Gerben. Set in a tire shop, it reflects Type 9 values: community, friendship, low-stakes conflict, finding humor in ordinary situations. It's the opposite of high-concept. Just people navigating relationships and absurdity.

The show earned a second season (June 2025) and has already been renewed for a third. Shane's career goal of working with friends, "similar to Adam Sandler's approach," is becoming reality.

It's worth noting: Shane briefly worked as a Honda salesman before comedy. Now he's created a hit show set in an auto shop. Type 9s circle back to their experiences, finding meaning and material in the jobs that didn't work out.

Record-Breaking Tours

In 2024, Shane set the all-time ticket record at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena. He achieved historic sell-outs at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Arena and San Antonio's Frost Bank Arena, each venue's largest comedy show ever.

For someone who claims he never had ambitious goals, these are extraordinary achievements. But Type 9s often accomplish big things precisely because they're not gripping too tightly.

Shane Gillis's Current Projects and Legacy

Shane hosted the 2025 ESPYS, bringing his characteristic style to a live sports audience. The reception was mixed, his jokes about Caitlin Clark and Diana Taurasi didn't land with everyone. He acknowledged it in real-time: "I see a lot of you don't like me and that's OK. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don't know why this happened."

This self-awareness is classic Type 9 with an 8 wing. He's not desperate for approval, but he's not oblivious. He sees the room and names what's happening.

He appeared in a Bud Light Super Bowl ad with Peyton Manning and Post Malone in February 2025. He declined an offer to impersonate Donald Trump for SNL's entire 50th season, choosing instead to attend "Coke Magic" at Skankfest in Las Vegas.

The choice reveals his priorities: he'd rather hang with the comedy community than chase prestige.

Understanding Shane Gillis Beyond the Controversy

Shane Gillis became famous for getting fired. He became successful by not caring, or at least appearing not to care, about that narrative. This isn't a strategy he consciously chose. It's how Type 9s naturally operate. In this way, he shares DNA with fellow Type 9 comedian Dave Chappelle, who similarly weathered cancel campaigns by simply continuing to work.

They absorb hits without shattering. They keep moving without rushing. They build communities rather than personal brands. They'd rather be one of the guys than the guy.

But here's what the public persona obscures: Shane Gillis is someone who cried watching Norm Macdonald clips alone in his apartment. Who cried when Dave Chappelle picked him up in a Jeep. Who had nightmares for months after getting canceled. Who was afraid to talk to people during COVID. Who hates compliments and feels like an imposter hosting SNL.

The feelings are all there. He just processes them differently than most people expect.

Type 9s at their best become a unifying presence, people who make everyone around them feel included and accepted. Shane's comedy, despite (or because of) its edge, creates this effect. Audiences feel like they're in on the joke together, not being lectured or impressed.

What drives someone to keep telling jokes after public humiliation? What makes a person stay calm when the internet wants them destroyed?

Maybe it's simply that Shane Gillis found something he liked doing, and he never stopped liking it. He was a bad employee everywhere else. Comedy was the only thing that fit.

For Type 9s, that's often enough.

Disclaimer: This analysis of Shane Gillis's Enneagram type is speculative, based on publicly available information, and may not reflect his actual personality type.