Shane Gillis finally took the "Saturday Night Live" stage more than four years after being hired then fired from SNL before his first episode ... and fans are pretty split on his hosting performance.

The comedian stepped out centerstage of Studio 8H in New York City to host the legendary sketch show, and he barely addressed the scandal that got him fired back in 2019 ... instead launching into material that drew the ire of some fans.

SG started, "Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was fired from this show a while ago. Don't look that up, please. If you don't know who I am, please don't Google that."

And, then he just moved on -- not addressing or apologizing for comments he made back in 2018 about Asian-American people that got him axed.

Instead, Shane decided to launch into a whole new set of jokes that seemingly alienated part of his audience.

He performed several minutes on Down Syndrome before using a pair of words pejoratively which have become taboo in recent years. You can check out the clip for yourself to hear what Gillis said.

Shane seemed to feel the tension in the room, mentioning multiple times that he thought certain jokes would get bigger laughs and adding he could see people clearly not enjoying his set.

He performed in a few noteworthy sketches BTW ... one parodying Donald Trump's new golden sneakers and another alongside cast member Bowen Yang -- the first full-time Asian American on the show who was vocal when Shane was fired.

As for fan reactions ... they're pretty split. Just look up Gillis' name on X. Some people are obviously calling Gillis out for his non-PC comments while others are saying they loved his irreverent set.

Seems like only one way to settle this ... let us know what you think below!