A comedian from the United States has been challenged by Australians after his bizarre claim that the country ‘does nothing’ and has ‘no exports’.
Shane Gillis, 35, references Australia in his new stand-up special Beautiful Dogs, now streaming on Netflix.
In a viral clip shared on the Netflix Is A Joke social media pages promoting the special, the comedian explains why Australia is a good country and what he loves about it.
“Australia is good, Australia could be number two, it’s a good country,” he said.
“It’s just a whole country doing nothing. That’s what I like about them. They’re just there – zero exports, nothing creates, man.
“The only export I’ve seen from Australia is just this YouTube video of this guy punching this kangaroo in the face,” he adds with a laugh.
Australia actually exports many things.
They include iron ore, coal, natural gas, gold, agricultural products like beef and wheat, and minerals like aluminum and copper.
Our university system, which attracts students from all over the world, is also considered an export because it brings in money from abroad.
Australia is also the source of many inventions and innovations that shape the modern world, including Wi-Fi, the black box flight recorder, hearing aids, the polymer banknote, the vaccine against HPV and the ultrasound.
Gillis’ light-hearted joke sparked fury from patriotic Australians, who lambasted the skit on Instagram.
One user said: “‘Australia could be number 2’ – Pretty bold coming from someone who lives in a country with no free ambulance, no free hospital cover, four weeks sick leave and of course , without the fact that we can send children to school without fear of being slaughtered.
Comedian Shane Gillis, 35, references Australia in his new stand-up special Beautiful Dogs, currently streaming on Netflix. The comic bizarrely claims the country ‘does nothing’ and has ‘no exports’
“So grateful to be ‘second place’ in this country hole.”
Some users have commented listing several exports provided by Australia.
“Wi-Fi, cervical cancer vaccines, inflatable airplane slides, ultrasounds, power drills, cochlear implants, pacemakers, black boxes,” one wrote.
“Uh, uranium, coal, meat, wool, gas, gold, wheat, copper, iron ore, alcohol, aluminum, petroleum raw. No, we don’t export anything,” added another.
This lighthearted joke sparked the fury of patriotic Australians. And this isn’t the first time Gillis has faced backlash for his callous jokes.
Someone simply added, “The most American comment ever.”
This isn’t the first time Gillis has faced backlash over his callous jokes.
The comedian has previously spoken of being “destroyed” online after Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels fired him for offensive remarks he made in 2018.
Gillis was fired from SNL in 2019 after clips of his 2018 appearance on Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast surfaced just five days after the casting announcement.
Shane Gillis was fired from Saturday Night Live and canceled by the media in 2019. However, the comedian made a comeback after a string of guest appearances and his new comedy special, Beautiful Dogs.
The comedian used homophobic slurs on the podcast and referred to Asians as “ch***s,” an ethnic slur directed at people of Asian descent, particularly those from China.
After the offensive videos and podcasts surfaced, Gillis said, “I am happy to apologize to anyone who is genuinely offended by anything I have said. My intention is never to hurt anyone, but I try to be the best actor possible and sometimes that takes risks.
The apologies didn’t land well, but the damage was already done. Not only was it canceled by the live sketch show, but it was also ripped off by part of the media and celebrities such as Sandra Oh.
Not only did Gillis apologize, but he continued to be open about the subject years after it happened, focusing on how he was “destroyed” by Twitter.
Shane Gillis was originally set to be a featured cast member on Saturday Night Live in Season 45. However, he was fired five days after the casting announcement.
“It was a bad joke,” he said during an April 28, 2022 episode of Bussin’ With The Boys. “I’m not saying I shouldn’t have been fired.”
Gillis continued, “Everything blew up…It was number one on Twitter for about three days.”
He claimed that SNL tried to keep him on the show, but part of him knew he would be fired by the time the clips surfaced.
He said: “I had a feeling…I knew it would happen the second I got in trouble.”
“I understood the rules, but why do we have these rules?
