Pouch Patrons #1: Shane Gillis

While these pages typically celebrate smoking alternative advocates, it’s time to shine some light on some of the well-known men and women who love pouches just as much as we do. The first of these new regular features is the US comedian Shane Gillis.

The death of the great Norm Macdonald left an unfillable hole in American comedy. At the same time, it’s unfair to expect anyone to plug the gap that such a singular voice leaves. Perhaps the closest we can get is some combination of Mark Normand, Nathan Fielder, and the focus of this article, Shane Gillis.

For those unfamiliar with Gillis, he is a stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and podcaster from Pennsylvania. He shot to worldwide fame when he was briefly appointed to Saturday Night Live, only to quickly get fired due to some past spicy jokes.

While most people would let that get the better of them, Gillis pressed on and self-funded a comedy special in 2021, produced a sitcom titled Tires on Netflix, and even hosted SNL in 2024.

In a world where most comics are overly sanitised or excessive edgelords, Gillis sits in the sweet spot. Yes, his jokes ride close to or over the line on occasion, but it’s always in the service of the joke.

Gillis on pouches

Gillis is a very public pouch user. He has a podcast with the hilarious Matt McCusker called Shane and Matt’s Secret Podcast, where he habitually talks about using pouches. Indeed, it forms part of his comedic persona as a “nicked up” maniac who often puts in three pouches at a time, which is something that we’d never recommend over at the Daily Pouch.

While his excessive use might be a bit wild, he’s a big fan of ZYN. Indeed, when he appeared on the “Your Mom’s House” podcast, hosted by Tom Segura, Gillis was given a huge stack of ZYN as a gift. On the same show, he admitted his favourite flavour was Spearmint.

On another podcast co-hosted by Segura, called “2 Bears, 1 Cave, Gillis talks about experimenting with super strength rogue pouches from Russia. There, he claims that taking these wild pouches has some novel side effects, such as making him immediately go to the bathroom because the buzz is too strong. These types of experiences are why sensible regulation of pouches is essential and why it’s worth signing up to the 20isPlenty campaign in the UK.

Nicotine v Caffeine

Additionally, Gillis and McCusker have also compared nicotine and caffeine on their podcast. Gillis says he can take or leave caffeine, but gets twitchy when he gets down to his final pouch. McCusker, on the other hand, says nicotine is a huge part of his creative output, and he finds the stimulant helps him write better.

Final thoughts

Many people dismiss Shane Gillis as a comedian because of his association with Joe Rogan. But I’m not sure people should be damned by association. Sure, Rogan is a guy with an excessive fixation on conspiracies, such as Bigfoot. Similarly, he advanced unproven theories about alternative COVID vaccines and threw his support behind Trump during the latest presidential election. He’s also, for me anyway, a substandard comic.

However, he’s a pretty curious guy and often has interesting guests on his show, even if the calibre has slipped a bit in recent years.

Gillis is a cut above many of the comics that form part of what is often called the Rogan-sphere. Sure, he’s not politically correct or afraid to offend, but he’s really funny, human, and relatable to many people.

So, if you love pouches but you don’t know Gillis, pop a ZYN and settle into one of his specials or sketches. Start with this one from a few years ago.