Andrew Yang Says He's 'Happy to Sit Down And Talk' with SNL's Shane Gillis Regarding Racial Slur

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang is weighing in on Saturday Night Live newcomer Shane Gillis‘s resurfaced racial slurs.

On Thursday, just hours after the comedy show revealed its newest stars, who also include Chloe Fineman and Bowen Yang, a clip from September 2018 began to circulate online, showing Gillis using racial slurs in his comedy.

On Saturday, the Democratic presidential candidate retweeted Gillis’ response to the backlash of the clip. “My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks,” Gillis had tweeted in a message.

The politician addressed Gillis in his retweet, writing “I prefer comedy that makes people think and doesn’t take cheap shots.”

He added, “But I’m happy to sit down and talk with you if you’d like.”

Gillis used a slur against Yang in his comedy before. In an episode of the Real Ass Podcast, which aired in May, the comedian calls Andrew a “Jew ch—.” (The episode has since been taken down.)

RELATED: New SNL Star Shane Gillis Offers to Apologize to ‘Anyone Who’s Actually Offended’ Over Racial Slur

While the clip immediately outraged SNL viewers and social media users with many of them calling for him to be fired, Yang expressed that he does “not think he should lose his job.”

“We would benefit from being more forgiving rather than punitive. We are all human,” he explained.

The resurfaced video of Gillis shows the comedian using racial slurs toward Chinese people and making homophobic comments.

“Chinatown’s f—— nuts,” Gillis says to Matt McCusker in the clip. “Let the f—— ch— live there,” he adds.

Gillis continues his remarks when talking about eating at Chinese restaurants. “The translation between you and the waiter is such a f—— hassle, I’m pointing at it,” he says in the clip, mimicking Chinese accents.

Reps for both NBC and SNL did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.