Norm Macdonald

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Lore & Background

Macdonald's first performances in comedy were at stand-up clubs in Ottawa, regularly appearing on amateur nights at Yuk Yuk's in 1985. Not appreciating how well his first performance at the club had gone, he bolted out, saying he would never do it again. The club's owner, Howard Wagman, had to persuade him to come back for more. Six months later he performed at the 1986 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, and he was heralded by the Montreal Gazette as "one of this country's hottest comics." In August 1989, 29-year-old Macdonald made his U.S. network television debut by appearing on The Pat Sajak Show. By 1990, he performed as a contestant on Star Search. He also appeared on Late Night with David Letterman in May 1990, and the host became a huge fan, saying: "If we could have, we would have had Norm on every week." In 1992, Macdonald served as a writer for the only season of The Dennis Miller Show. He was hired as a writer for television sitcom Roseanne for the 1992–93 season before quitting to join Saturday Night Live. Macdonald joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1993, where he performed impressions of Larry King, Burt Reynolds, David Letterman, Quentin Tarantino, Clint Eastwood, Charles Kuralt, and Bob Dole, among others. The following year, during the show's twentieth season, Macdonald began anchoring the news satire segment Weekend Update. His version of Weekend Update often included running jokes about prison rape, "crack whores," and the success of American actor-singer David Hasselhoff in Germany. He commonly used actor-singer Frank Stallone as a non-sequitur punchline and absurdly blamed him for such events as toxic waste or high unemployment rates. On the Weekend Update aired on February 24, 1996, Macdonald joked about John Lotter's sentencing for the murders of Brandon Teena and two others, saying: "And finally, in Falls City, Nebraska, John Lotter has been sentenced to death for attempting to kill three people in what prosecutors called a plot to silence a cross-dressing female who had accused him of rape. Now, this might strike some viewers as harsh, but I believe everyone involved in this story should die." The comments were met with sharp criticism from activist groups, including The Transexual Menace, who threatened to picket SNL. After the announcement that Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley planned to divorce, Macdonald joked about their irreconcilable differences on Weekend Update: "According to friends, the two were never a good match. She's more of a stay-at-home type, and he's more of a homosexual pedophile." He followed this up a few episodes later with a report about the singer's collapse and hospitalization, adding: "But don't get any ideas: Michael Jackson is a homosexual pedophile."

In early 1998, Don Ohlmeyer, president of NBC's West Coast division, had Macdonald removed as Weekend Update anchor, citing a decline in ratings and a drop-off in quality. He was replaced by Colin Quinn at the Weekend Update desk beginning on the January 10, 1998, episode. Macdonald believed at the time that the true reason for his dismissal was his series of O. J. Simpson jokes during and after the trial, in which he frequently called him a murderer; Ohlmeyer was a good friend of Simpson and supported him during the proceedings. After being removed from the role, Macdonald went on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman and Howard Stern's syndicated radio show. In both appearances, the hosts accused Ohlmeyer of firing him for making jokes about Simpson. The jokes were written primarily by Macdonald and longtime SNL writer Jim Downey, who was fired from SNL at the same time. Macdonald remained on SNL as a cast member, but he disliked performing in regular sketches. On February 28, 1998, in one of his last appearances on SNL, he played the host of a fictitious TV series titled Who's More Grizzled?, who asked questions from "mountain men," played by that night's host Garth Brooks and special guest Robert Duvall. In the sketch, Brooks' character says to Macdonald's character, "I don't much care for you," to which Macdonald replies, "A lot of people don't." He was dismissed shortly thereafter. The situation re-ignited in early June 1998 when Ohlmeyer prevented NBC from airing advertisements from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer for Macdonald's new film Dirty Work out of retaliation for what he saw as Macdonald's disparaging SNL and NBC with Letterman and Stern. Robert Wright, Ohlmeyer's boss, later overturned the decision not to show ads for the movie on NBC, but did leave in place the ban on playing it during SNL. Macdonald complained to the New York Daily News about NBC's removal of advertising for his film, calling Ohlmeyer a "liar and a thug."

After being fired from SNL, he wrote and starred in the 1998 film Dirty Work and headlined his own sitcom, The Norm Show, from 1999 to 2001. Macdonald was also a voice actor, and provided voice acting roles for Family Guy, The Fairly OddParents, Mike Tyson Mysteries, The Orville, and the Dr. Dolittle films. Between 2013 and 2018, Macdonald hosted the talk shows Norm Macdonald Live (a video podcast) and Norm Macdonald Has a Show (a Netflix series), on which he interviewed comedians and other celebrities. In 2016, he authored Based on a True Story, a novel that presented a heavily fictionalized account of his life. Macdonald died of leukemia in September 2021, a condition he had not publicly disclosed.

Reader's Guide

Norm Macdonald's significance lies in his distinctive comedic voice—deadpan, understated, and often absurd—that influenced a generation of comedians. His tenure on SNL's Weekend Update is remembered for its willingness to mock controversial figures, including O. J. Simpson, which led to his dismissal and sparked debate about censorship and network interference. Macdonald's later work, including his talk shows and novel, showcased his ability to blend storytelling with comedy. His legacy endures through his unique style and the loyalty of fans who appreciated his refusal to conform to conventional comedic norms.

Did You Know?

• Macdonald's first stand-up performance was at Yuk Yuk's in Ottawa in 1985; after it went well, he bolted out saying he would never do it again, and the club's owner had to persuade him to come back.
• He was removed as host of SNL's Weekend Update in 1998, allegedly for relentlessly mocking O. J. Simpson during his murder trial, offending producer Don Ohlmeyer, who was a close friend of Simpson.
• On the Weekend Update aired February 24, 1996, Macdonald joked about John Lotter's sentencing, saying 'I believe everyone involved in this story should die,' which drew sharp criticism from activist groups including The Transexual Menace.
• Macdonald commonly used actor-singer Frank Stallone as a non-sequitur punchline on Weekend Update, but stopped after a 1997 request from Sylvester Stallone, Frank's brother, who was guest host for SNL.
• Macdonald died of leukemia in September 2021, a condition he had not publicly disclosed.