Kenan Thompson isn't ready to write off Shane Gillis over his controversial Saturday Night Live monologue, but the longtime cast member thinks the comedian could use a conversation about the fallout. And if Gillis returns to Studio 8H, Thompson says he'd be willing to have the conversation himself.

Speaking at the Axios Media Trends Live summit, Thompson addressed the backlash surrounding Gillis' October 10 appearance, which included a joke about women dressing like "whores" at the gym.

"I know Shane, and I don't know him to be a mean person, necessarily," Thompson said.

That defense came with a qualification. Thompson suggested he would approach Gillis almost like a parent correcting a child.

"If he were to come back, I'm sure we would have a conversation of like, 'How do you think that went?'" Thompson explained.…