Shane Gillis Won't Be Banned From 'SNL' After Dropping F-Bomb on Air

Shane Gillis won't have to worry about getting punished for dropping an F-bomb while hosting "Saturday Night Live" ... because we're told the show is not gonna hit him with a ban.

The stand-up comedian hosted 'SNL' this weekend and, during a Dr. Seuss themed sketch, Shane let the f-word rip ... and slipped in an apology at the end of the sketch.

A source close to the show tells us ... "Shane was very apologetic for dropping the F-bomb, and he even apologized to producers backstage." The source said the incident was "purely an accident" and "accidents happen."

We're told, "Shane will not be banned from the show."

During the sketch ... Shane played the son of the Cat in the Hat, played by Mikey Day, and Shane got into a back and forth with Sam I Am, played by Andrew Dismukes. Dismukes and Day got into it over green eggs and ham, triggering the funny, foul-mouthed confrontation. 

Shane defended his father, saying ... "Hey, what the hell is wrong with you? My dad said he doesn't like them." But Dismukes kept pushing Shane, prompting Shane to say, "Bro, it's a non-starter. He said he doesn't f***ing ... Jeez -- like 'em." The censors couldn't catch the F-bomb in time for the live show, but it has since been edited out.

The swearing slip isn't the comedian's first controversial moment at 'SNL' -- Shane was famously fired as an cast member in 2019, just a few days after he was hired, after clips from his old podcast surfaced showing him making anti-Asian slurs.