Norm Macdonald

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For other people named Norm Macdonald, see Norm Macdonald (disambiguation).

Norm Macdonald
Norm Macdonald.jpg
Macdonald in 2009
Birth name Norman Gene Macdonald
Born (1959-10-17) October 17, 1959 (age 58)
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Medium Stand-up, television, film
Nationality Canadian
Years active 1987–present
Genres Political satire, observational comedy, black comedy, surreal humour, anti-humor, one-liners, wit, deadpan
Spouse Connie Macdonald (1988-1996)
Relative(s) Neil Macdonald
Notable works and roles "Weekend Update" anchor on Saturday Night Live
Norm Henderson on The Norm Show
Himself on Norm Macdonald Live

Norman Gene Macdonald[1] (born October 17, 1959)[2][3][4][5] is a Canadian stand-up comedian, writer, producer and actor. He is known for his five seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, which included anchoring Weekend Update for three years. Early in his career, he wrote for the sitcom Roseanne and made appearances on shows including The Drew Carey Show and NewsRadio. He starred in The Norm Show from 1999 to 2001. Paste named him #31 on their The 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time.[6] 

Early life[edit]

Macdonald was born in Quebec City, Canada.[7] He has a brother, Neil Macdonald, who is a journalist with CBC News.[8][9][8] Their parents, Percy (died 1990) and Ferne, were teachers.[3] He attended Quebec High School in Quebec[10] and/or Gloucester High School in Ontario, Canada.[11]

Career[edit]

Macdonald's first performances in comedy were at stand-up clubs in Ottawa. He appeared at the 1987 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal.[12]

Saturday Night Live[edit]

Macdonald joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live (SNL) television program in 1993, where he performed impressions of Larry King, Burt Reynolds, David Letterman, Quentin Tarantino, Charles Kuralt and Bob Dole, among others. Following Kevin Nealon's departure from SNL, Macdonald anchored the segment "Weekend Update". Current "Weekend Update" anchor and writer Colin Jost named Macdonald as a primary influence on Jost's own work behind the "Update" desk, explaining that Macdonald's tone was one that Jost grew up with in high school.[13]

Macdonald's version of "Weekend Update" often included references to prison rape, crack whores, and the Germans' love of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff. Macdonald would occasionally deliver a piece of news, then take out his personal compact tape recorder and leave a "note to self" relevant to what he just discussed. He commonly used Frank Stallone as a non sequitur punchline. Macdonald repeatedly ridiculed public figures such as Marion Barry, Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson and O. J. Simpson. Throughout Simpson's murder trial, Macdonald constantly pilloried the former football star, often heavily implying Simpson was guilty of the brutal slaying of his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman. In the broadcast following Simpson's acquittal, Macdonald opened "Weekend Update" by saying: "Well, it is finally official: Murder is legal in the state of California."

During the February 24, 1996, episode, Macdonald made a controversial joke about the sentencing of John Lotter, one of the two men who committed the notorious murder of Brandon Teena: "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."[14][15]

After the announcement that Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley planned to divorce, Macdonald joked about their irreconcilable differences on "Weekend Update": "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. Referring to a report that Jackson had decorated his hospital room with giant photographs of Shirley Temple, Macdonald remarked that viewers should not get the wrong idea, adding, "Michael Jackson is a homosexual pedophile."

On the April 12, 1997, show (host Rob Lowe, musical guest The Spice Girls), during a "Weekend Update" story about Tabitha Soren, Macdonald accidentally coughed in the middle of a sentence and muttered, "What the fuck was that?" The audience applauded, and Macdonald laughed the error away (saying at one point "My farewell performance" and, in closing, "Maybe we'll see you next week").

Leaving SNL[edit]

In early 1998, Don Ohlmeyer had Macdonald removed as "Weekend Update" anchor, citing declining ratings and a dropoff in quality. Macdonald and others believed that the real reason for his dismissal was his series of jokes calling O. J. Simpson a murderer during and after the trial; Ohlmeyer was good friends with Simpson and supported him during the proceedings.[16]

After being removed from the role, Macdonald went on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman and Howard Stern's syndicated radio show accusing Ohlmeyer of firing him for making jokes about Simpson.[16] The jokes were written primarily by Macdonald and longtime SNL writer Jim Downey, who was fired from SNL outright at the same time. Downey pointed out in an interview that Ohlmeyer threw a party for the jurors who acquitted Simpson.[17] Macdonald was replaced by Colin Quinn at the "Weekend Update" desk beginning on the January 10, 1998 episode.[18]

Ohlmeyer claimed that Macdonald was mistaken, pointing out that he had not censored Jay Leno's many jokes about Simpson on The Tonight Show.[16] Ohlmeyer stated that he was concerned that ratings research showed people turning away from the program during Macdonald's segment, and network insiders told the New York Daily News that Ohlmeyer and other executives had tried several times to get Macdonald to try a different approach on "Update".[19] Media watchers pointed out that if Macdonald had been viewed as unfunny by Lorne Michaels his removal would have occurred at the end of the season, without any media attention.[20]

Matters intensified when Ohlmeyer caused NBC to refuse to play MGM's advertisements for Macdonald's movie Dirty Work out of retaliation for what he saw as disparaging SNL and NBC with Letterman and Stern.[16] Ohlmeyer's boss, Robert Wright, 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.[21] Macdonald continued to insist that he did not personally dislike Ohlmeyer but that Ohlmeyer hated him.[21]

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 show called Who's More Grizzled? who asked questions of "mountain men" played by that night's host Garth Brooks and special guest Robert Duvall. In the sketch, Brooks's character said to Macdonald's character, "I don't much care for you," to which Macdonald replied, "A lot of people don't." He was fired shortly thereafter.

Macdonald complained about the NBC advertising removal for his film to the New York Daily News, calling Ohlmeyer "a liar and a thug".[19] He said he never badmouthed SNL or Michaels, who he said always supported him. Macdonald pointed out that he had only taken issue with Ohlmeyer, while the people taking shots at NBC and SNL were Letterman (who wanted Macdonald to come to CBS) and Stern (who wanted him to join his show opposite SNL).[21] Macdonald also asserted that Ohlmeyer's influence had caused his promotional appearances for his film to be cancelled on WNBC's Today in New York, NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and the syndicated Access Hollywood (a joint venture between 20th Century Television and NBC).[19] The shows Macdonald named denied being influenced by Ohlmeyer.[19] Macdonald said Ohlmeyer was "about a thousand times more powerful than I am. It's difficult for anybody to take my side in this. This guy should get a life, man."[19]

It was felt that there was some irony in the situation as Dirty Work was a revenge comedy. When an interviewer pointed this out Macdonald said "It would be good revenge if everybody went and saw this movie if they want to get revenge against Don Ohlmeyer for trying to ban my ads."[21]

In a Late Show with David Letterman interview, Macdonald said that after being dismissed from anchoring "Weekend Update" and leaving SNL, he could not "do anything else on any competing show."[22]

In later years Macdonald came to the conclusion that Ohlmeyer had not removed him from "Update" for his Simpson material. He told an interviewer that he felt he had been removed because people on the show stopped seeing him as funny: "I think the whole show was tired of me not taking marching orders. Lorne would hint at things...I'd do Michael Jackson jokes. And Lorne would say, Do you really want a lawsuit from Michael Jackson? And I'd say, 'Cool! That'd be fuckin' cool, Michael Jackson suing me!'"[23] Elsewhere Macdonald said, "In all fairness to him, my Update was not an audience pleasing, warm kind of thing. I did jokes that I knew weren't going to get bigger reactions. So I saw [Ohlmeyer's] point. Why would you want some dude who's not trying to please the audience?"[24]

After SNL[edit]

Soon after leaving Saturday Night Live, Macdonald co-wrote and starred in the "revenge comedy" Dirty Work (1998), directed by Bob Saget and co-starring Artie Lange and featuring Chris Farley in his last movie; the film was dedicated to his memory. Later that year, Macdonald voiced the character of Lucky the dog in the Eddie Murphy adaptation of Dr. Dolittle. He reprised the role in both Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) and Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006). Macdonald voiced the character of Death on an episode of Family Guy. Because of a conflict with his stand-up comedy schedule,[citation needed] he was unavailable to voice the character for his next appearance; Death has since been voiced by Adam Carolla. In 1999, Macdonald starred in the sitcom The Norm Show (later renamed Norm), co-starring Laurie Metcalf, Artie Lange, and Ian Gomez. It ran for three seasons on ABC. Macdonald also voiced Hardee's restaurants' (Carl's Jr. on the U.S. west coast) costumed mascot.[citation needed] Macdonald appeared on several Miller Lite commercials that year.[citation needed] He appeared on the September 1999 Saturday Night Live primetime special celebrating the program's 25th year on the air.[citation needed]

Macdonald returned to Saturday Night Live to host the October 23, 1999 show. In his opening monologue, he expressed resentment at being fired from "Weekend Update", then concluded that the only reason he was asked to host was because "the show has gotten really bad" since he left,[25] echoing a perennial criticism of the show. The next episode, airing November 6, 1999, and hosted by Dylan McDermott, featured a sketch wherein Chris Kattan, as the androgynous character Mango, is opening letters from celebrity admirers and, after opening the last one, says "[The letter is from] Norm Macdonald—who is that?" Earlier in 1999, Macdonald made a cameo appearance in the Andy Kaufman biographical drama Man on the Moon. When Michael Richards refused to portray himself in the scene reenacting the famous Fridays incident in which Kaufman threw water in his face, Macdonald stepped in to play Richards, although he was not referred to by name.

In 2000, Macdonald played the starring role for the second time in a motion picture, Screwed, which fared poorly at the box office.[26]

On November 12, 2000, he appeared on the Celebrity Edition of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, winning $500,000 for Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Charity Camp.[27] Macdonald continued to make appearances on television shows and in films. In 2003 he played the title character in the Fox sitcom A Minute with Stan Hooper, which was canceled after six episodes.

In 2005, Macdonald signed a deal with Comedy Central to create the sketch comedy Back to Norm, which debuted that May. The pilot was never turned into a series. Its cold opening parodied the suicide of Budd Dwyer, a Pennsylvania politician who, facing decades of incarceration, committed suicide on live television in 1987. Rob Schneider appeared in the pilot. Later in 2005, Macdonald performed as a voice actor, portraying a genie named Norm, on two episodes of the cartoon series The Fairly OddParents, but could not return for the third episode, "Fairy Idol", owing to a scheduling conflict.[citation needed] In 2006, Macdonald again performed as a voice actor, this time in a series of commercials for the Canadian cellphone-services provider Bell Mobility, as the voice of "Frank the Beaver".[citation needed] The campaign was extended through 2008 to promote offerings from other Bell Canada divisions such as the Internet provider Bell Sympatico and the satellite service Bell TV.[28]

In September 2006, Macdonald's sketch comedy album Ridiculous was released by Comedy Central Records. It features appearances by Will Ferrell, Jon Lovitz, Tim Meadows, Molly Shannon and Artie Lange. Macdonald was a guest character on My Name Is Earl in the episode "Two Balls, Two Strikes" as "Lil Chubby", the son of "Chubby" (played by Burt Reynolds), similar to Macdonald's portrayals of Reynolds on SNL.

In the 2007 World Series of Poker, he came in 20th place out of 827 entrants in the $3,000 No Limit Texas Hold 'em event, winning $14,608.[29] He made it to round two of the $5,000 World Championship of Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em. On the comedy website Super Deluxe, he created an animated series entitled "The Fake News".[30] Macdonald has filled in during Dennis Miller's weekly O'Reilly Factor "Miller Time" segment, and guest-hosted Miller's radio show, on which he was briefly a weekly contributor.

On June 19, 2008, Macdonald was a celebrity panelist on two episodes of a revived version of the game show Match Game.[31] On August 17, 2008, Macdonald was a participant in the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget, performing intentionally cheesy and G-rated material that contrasted greatly with the raunchy performances of the other roasters.[citation needed] In AT&T commercials around Christmas 2007 and 2008, Macdonald voiced a gingerbread boy in a commercial for AT&T's GoPhone.[32] In 2009, Macdonald played a fictional, down-on-his-luck version of himself on FX's The Norm Macdonald Reality Show.[33] On the May 16, 2009, episode of Saturday Night Live, Macdonald reappeared as Burt Reynolds on Celebrity Jeopardy!, and in another sketch.[citation needed] On May 31, 2009, he appeared on Million Dollar Password.[citation needed]

Macdonald became a frequent guest on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien during its 2009 and 2010 run.[citation needed] He has made frequent appearances on the Internet talk show Tom Green's House Tonight, and on May 20, 2010, was guest host.[citation needed]

In September 2010, Macdonald was developing a series for Comedy Central that he described as a sports version of The Daily Show.[34] Sports Show with Norm Macdonald premiered April 12, 2011.[35] Nine ordered episodes were broadcast. Macdonald's first stand-up special, Me Doing Stand-Up, aired on Comedy Central on March 26, 2011.[36] On February 26, 2011, he became a commentator and co-host (with Kara Scott) of the seventh season of the TV series High Stakes Poker on Game Show Network.[37]

In June 2012, he became the spokesperson for Safe Auto Insurance Company. Along with television and radio commercials, web banners and outdoor boards, the effort included a series of made-for-web videos. As part of the campaign, the state minimum auto insurance company introduced a new tagline, "Drive Safe, Spend Less."

In 2013, Macdonald premiered his new podcast, called Norm Macdonald Live, co-hosted by Adam Eget, streaming live weekly on Video Podcast Network, and posted later on YouTube.[38] It received positive notices from USA Today,[39] Entertainment Weekly,[40] and the "America's Comedy" website,[41] while the Independent Film Channel stated that while Macdonald remained "a comedy force to be reckoned with", and "did not quite disappoint", the show was "a bit rough around the edges."[42] The second season of Norm Macdonald Live began in May 2014 and the third began in September 2016.

In 2014, Macdonald unsuccessfully campaigned on Twitter to be named the new host of The Late Late Show after then-host Craig Ferguson announced he would be leaving.[43][44]

On May 15, 2015, Macdonald was the final stand-up act on the Late Show with David Letterman and included in his set a joke Letterman had told the first time Macdonald had ever seen him, during his appearance on a Canadian talk show, 90 Minutes Live, in the 1970s, where a teenaged Macdonald had been in the studio audience.[45] Also in 2015, Macdonald was a judge for the ninth season of NBC's Last Comic Standing, joining the previous season's judges, Roseanne Barr and Keenan Ivory Wayans and replacing fellow Canadian Russell Peters from 2014.

In August 2015, he succeeded Darrell Hammond as Colonel Sanders in TV commercials for the KFC chain of fast food restaurants.[46][47] Macdonald was replaced by Jim Gaffigan in the role by February 2016.".[48]

In September 2016, Macdonald's semi-fictional memoir Based on a True Story was published by Random House imprint Spiegel & Grau.[49] It debuted at number 15 on the New York Times best sellers list for hardcover nonfiction,[50] and made number 6 on the best sellers list for humor.[51]

As of May 2017, Macdonald has continued to evolve in his stand-up, moving towards a more reserved, deadpan style. On stage he has claimed to have "no opinions" and the minimalist delivery has been described by The A.V. Club as "reduc[ing] gesture and verbiage down to an absurd minimum."[52]

In March 2018, Netflix announced it had ordered 10 episodes of a new talk show entitled Norm Macdonald Has a Show, to be hosted by Macdonald.[53] The series is scheduled to premiere on September 14th.[54]

Influences and views on comedy[edit]

Macdonald says his influences include Bob Newhart,[55] Leo Tolstoy,[56] Bob Hope,[57] Sam Kinison,[57] and Dennis Miller.[58]

Speaking about Canada's homegrown comedy industry, Macdonald reflected that he would have liked there to have been more opportunity for him to stay in the country early in his career, stating:

Now I know there's more of, like, an industry there. Like I was happy that Brent Butt got Corner Gas. Because he's a really funny guy. But there wasn't that opportunity when I was there. I remember Mike MacDonald had one short-lived series, but that was about it. Otherwise there was nothing to do. But it was great with standup. It was way, way better with standup than in the States. Like, I think the standups are generally much better in Canada. Because, like, when I was in Canada, none of us had any ambition to movies or TV because there were no movies or television. So it was all standup and we just assumed we'd be standups for our whole lives and that was what was fun. And then when I came to the States, I realized, whoa, they don't take their standup very seriously here because they're just trying to do something other than standup and using standup as, like, a springboard to something else that they're generally not as good at.[59]

Reflecting on the state of modern comedy, Macdonald bemoans the influx of dramatic actors into comedy and comedians into dramatic acting:

What young, handsome person is funny? I remember on Saturday Night Live hosts would come in. You know, like handsome hosts. They'd be dramatic actors generally. And the publicist would always be like, "This is a big chance for this guy because he's really a funny guy and people don't know it. He's hilarious!" And then he'd just suck, you know?...I always liked Steve Martin when he was crazy. Because dramatic actors know how to be likeable and stuff. To me, if you've got a guy like Steve Martin or Jim Carrey or something, who are unbelievably funny, I don't know why they'd want to be dramatic actors when they have no chance. They're completely outclassed by actual dramatic actors. How many funny comedy actors are there? There's like a million great dramatic actors. I don't know why they'd want to switch. I guess to get respect or something, I don't know.[59]

In his January 29th, 2018 Reddit AMA, Macdonald called Cormac McCarthy and Alice Munro the "two greatest living writers."[60]

Political views[edit]

Despite referring to himself as apolitical, Macdonald has made political statements. At the end of the last Weekend Update segment before the 1996 presidential election, Macdonald urged viewers to vote for Bob Dole (of whom Macdonald frequently performed a comic impersonation), though hinting that he had solely said it so that he could continue impersonating him.

On the November 16, 2000, episode of The View Macdonald said that he thought George W. Bush was "a decent man" and he called Bill Clinton a "murderer" (regarding the Vince Foster case). Macdonald later stated in Maxim magazine that he is completely apolitical, and that he was joking when he said Clinton "killed a guy" (he further explained on The Adam Carolla Show that the comments were simply designed to anger Barbara Walters). In a phone interview, he later clarified his views on George W. Bush and the Iraq War thus: "I wish there was another president, a different president engaging the war, since we're in the war because I don't think Bush did a very good job with it. The war itself, you know, if it works it was worth it. But I don't know if it's going to work, so I don't know".[59]

On December 29, 2003, Macdonald again appeared on The View and jokingly renounced his Canadian citizenship over his home country's decision not to participate in the Iraq War. He furthermore stated his belief that Ronald Reagan was the greatest president ever and said he would become a naturalized citizen of the United States. In 2006 he affirmed he was joking about renouncing his Canadian citizenship, stating:

I'm not an American citizen. I'm a Canadian citizen. I just keep renewing my green card. ... I don't want to be American. ... I can vote in Canadian elections ... [but] I never did when I was in Canada... I never voted because I don't want to make a mistake. I'm so uninformed that I don't want that on my hands, you know?[59]

In an interview in June 2017, Macdonald was asked if he finds satire involving Donald Trump funny, to which Macdonald responded, "Personally, with comedy, I think if it doesn’t make you laugh 100 years from now, what good is it? Have you listened to a Mort Sahl album lately? The Eisenhower stuff is a little weak." He added of Trump, "You know, people say stuff like, 'You gotta wake up. Trump and his boys are trying to take over. There’s a coup going on.' That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. I don't know much, but I know coups are not undertaken by the President of the United States. If anything, it looks like a coup going on the other way. They’re talking about impeaching a guy before any investigation has even begun."[61]

Personal life[edit]

He is divorced from wife Connie,[62] with whom he has a son, Dylan, born circa 1993.[3]

Macdonald said his past gambling addiction had been initiated by a six-figure win at a craps table in Atlantic City.[63]

In early October 2016, while promoting his memoir, Macdonald revealed to Conan O'Brien that he was a deeply-closeted gay man before flatly denying O'Brien's assumption that he was gay, proclaiming himself "straight as an arrow".[64] Later that month, he appeared on Larry King Now to clarify that he was actually a "deeply-closeted gay guy" and responded to follow-up questions regarding his apparent homosexuality by defensively deflecting them with questions of his own, and smiling knowingly at the host in a manner that reportedly suggested he was joking.[65]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Billy Madison Frank
1996 The People vs. Larry Flynt Network Reporter
1998 Dirty Work Mitch Weaver Also writer
1998 Dr. Dolittle Lucky Voice
1999 Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo Bartender Uncredited cameo[citation needed]
1999 Man on the Moon Michael Richards
2000 Screwed Willard Fillmore
2001 The Animal Mob Member Cameo
2001 Dr. Dolittle 2 Lucky Voice
2005 Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo Earl McManus Uncredited cameo[citation needed]
2006 Farce of the Penguins Join Twosomes Penguin Voice
2006 Dr. Dolittle 3 Lucky Voice
2007 Senior Skip Day[citation needed] Mr. Rigetti
2007 Christmas Is Here Again Buster the Fox Voice
2008 Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief Lucky Voice
Uncredited[66]
2008 The Flight Before Christmas Julius Voice
2009 Funny People Himself Cameo
2009 Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts Lucky Voice
2010 Grown Ups Geezer Cameo
2010 Hollywood & Wine Sid Blaustein
2011 Jack & Jill Funbucket Cameo
2012 The Adventures of Panda Warrior[citation needed] King Leo Voice
2012 Vampire Dog Fang Voice
2012 The Outback Quint Voice
2014 The 7th Dwarf Burner the Dragon Voice
2015 The Ridiculous Six Nugget Customer Cameo
2017 Treasure Hounds Skipper Voice

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1992 The Dennis Miller Show Writer
1992–1993 Roseanne Writer and story editor
1993 The Jackie Thomas Show Jordan Episode: "Strike
1993–1998 Saturday Night Live Various roles 97 episodes; also writer
1995 The Larry Sanders Show Himself Episode: "Hank's Sex Tape"
1996, 2000 The Drew Carey Show Simon Tate / Himself 2 episodes
1997 NewsRadio Roger Edwards Episode: "The Injury"
1999 Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Norm Macdonald/Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg"
1999–2001 The Norm Show Norm Henderson 54 episodes; also creator, writer and producer
2000 Family Guy Death Voice (Uncredited)
Episode: "Death Is A Bitch"
2003–2004 A Minute with Stan Hooper Stan Hooper 13 episodes; also creator, writer and executive producer
2004 Oliver Beene Hobo Bob Episode: "Girly Dad"
2005 The Fairly OddParents Norm the Genie Voice
2 episodes
2005 Back to Norm Various roles Television special; also writer and producer
2007–2009 My Name Is Earl Little Chubby 2 episodes
2008 The Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget Himself Television special
2010–2018 The Middle Orville "Rusty" Heck 10 episodes
2011 High Stakes Poker Himself (host) Season 7
2011 Sports Show with Norm Macdonald Himself (host) 9 episodes; also producer
2011 Norm Macdonald: Me Doing Standup Himself Stand-up special
2014–present Mike Tyson Mysteries Pigeon Voice
49 episodes
2015 Real Rob Himself Episode: "The Penis Episode Part 1"[67]
2015 Last Comic Standing Himself (judge) 8 episodes
2016 4th Canadian Screen Awards Himself (host) Television special
2016–present Skylanders Academy Glumshanks Voice
25 episodes
2017 Girlboss Rick 4 episodes
2017 Norm MacDonald: Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery Himself Stand-up special
2017 The Orville Yaphit Voice
7 episodes
2017 Family Guy Himself Voice
Episode: "Don't Be a Dickens at Christmas"
2018 Roseanne Consulting producer
2018 Norm Macdonald Has a Show Himself (host) Also executive producer

Internet[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
2013–2017 Norm Macdonald Live Himself (host) 36 episodes

Discography[edit]

  • Ridiculous (2006, Comedy Central Records)
  • Me Doing Standup (2011, Comedy Central Records)
  • Hitler's Dog, Gossip & Trickery (2017, Netflix)

Bibliography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ The capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as TV Guide, but books discussing Norm such as Shales (2003) and Crawford (2000), the Game Show Network, and Comedy Central's Sports Show with Norm Macdonald and comedy CD all consistently report "Macdonald" (lowercase "d") as his surname.
  2. ^ Macdonald, Neil (August 30, 2016). "Neil Macdonald on brother Norm's confessions of a cult leader". CBC News. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016. I've known Norm for nearly 57 years  Additionally, per photo caption: "Norm Macdonald's first day of school in Valcartier, Que., circa 1964. Norm was five in this photo, and his brother Neil, on the right, was seven. ([photo courtesy of] Macdonald family)."
  3. ^ a b c Edgers, Geoff (August 18, 2016). "Will somebody please give Norm Macdonald another TV show?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016. Macdonald, 56... [...] He tells everyone he was born in 1963, but he was really born in 1959. 
  4. ^ Lovece, Frank. "Norm Macdonald of 'SNL' fame bringing his dry wit to Patchogue". Newsday. Retrieved September 25, 2016. You were born Oct. 17, 1959, but until recently told people 1963. Why? 
  5. ^ At least two standard references erroneously give his birthdate as October 17, 1963: "Norm Macdonald". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.  "Norm MacDonald [sic] Biography (1963–)". FilmReference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016. 
  6. ^ "The 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved 2018-02-11. 
  7. ^ "Norm Macdonald". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015. 
  8. ^ a b Story, Jared (September 23, 2010). "Norm Macdonald talks to Uptown". Winnipeg: Uptown. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Yeah, my brother is a news reporter. He lives in Washington now. I'm glad because he used to do war reporting. 
  9. ^ Macdonald, Neil (July 14, 2015). "Farewell, America, Canada could learn from you: Neil Macdonald". CBC News. Retrieved April 5, 2016. 
  10. ^ Addison Mckinney (2017-02-26), Norm Macdonald English vs French - Radio Interview CJAY92 w/ video, retrieved 2017-11-03 
  11. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeefXf08dsU&t=70s
  12. ^ Jackson, Todd. "Norm Macdonald Biography". Dead-Frog. Retrieved March 24, 2011. [dubious – discuss]
  13. ^ Fretts, Bruce (April 7, 2014). "Surely You Jost!". TV Guide. p. 9.
  14. ^ Pattatucci Aragon, Angela (2006). Challenging Lesbian Norms: Intersex, Transgender, Intersectional, and Queer Perspectives. Routledge. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-56023-645-0. 
  15. ^ Wilchins, Riki Anne (February 28, 1996). "Subject: Saturday Night Live: Brandon Teena & Friends '...Deserved To Die.'". Qrd.org. Queer Resources Directory. 
  16. ^ a b c d Carter, Bill (June 3, 1998). "TV Notes; Ohlmeyer Vs. Macdonald". New York Times. 
  17. ^ Sacks, Mike (June 24, 2014). "'SNL's James Downey on Working with Norm Macdonald and Getting Fired for Making Fun of OJ Simpson". Retrieved December 24, 2015. 
  18. ^ "Saturday Night's Children: Norm Macdonald (1993–1998)". Splitsider. November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 20, 2017. 
  19. ^ a b c d e Mink, Eric (June 5, 1998). "Gloves Off as Comic Rips NBC Honcho". New York Daily News. 
  20. ^ Hugar, John (February 13, 2015). "The Bizarre Circumstances And Shaky Aftermath Of Norm Macdonald's Dismissal From Weekend Update". Uproxx. 
  21. ^ a b c d Frankel, Daniel (June 9, 1998). "Norm Macdonald Wins "Dirty" War". E! News. 
  22. ^ Letterman, David (March 6, 1998). Late Night with David Letterman (TV series). New York: CBS. Retrieved February 23, 2007. 
  23. ^ Luippold, Ross (October 18, 2011). "Norm Macdonald On 'WTF': Lorne Michaels Wanted A Female 'Weekend Update' Co-Anchor". Huffington Post. 
  24. ^ Jicha, Tom (January 1999). "Maybe it Wasn't the O.J. Jokes That Got Macdonald Fired". archive.org. 
  25. ^ "Norm Macdonald's Monologue". SNLTranscripts.jt.org. October 23, 1999. Retrieved February 2, 2007. 
  26. ^ "Screwed". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 3, 2018. 
  27. ^ "Norm on Millionaire Part 3". YouTube. October 28, 2006. Retrieved May 14, 2017. 
  28. ^ "Bell Recruits Two New Spokesbeavers". Cossette.com. November 7, 2005. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved April 21, 2007.  Announcement With links to two QuickTime videos.
  29. ^ "The 2007 World Series of Poker – No-Limit Hold'em (Event 28)". Caesar's Interactive Entertainment. June 17–19, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2007. 
  30. ^ "Norm Macdonald Presents: The Fake News". SuperDeluxe.com. Turner Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2010. 
  31. ^ "Match Game". OCA: On Camera Audiences. Retrieved June 19, 2008. 
  32. ^ "Norm Macdonald here Jan. 21". Red Deer Advocate. Alberta, Canada: Black Press. January 6, 2009. Archived from the original on April 1, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2010. 
  33. ^ Rytlewski, Evan (March 13, 2009). "Norm Macdonald Talks Stand-Up, Teases FX "Reality" Show". Express Milwaukee. Retrieved July 3, 2010. 
  34. ^ "Comedy Central Developing Weekly Sports Pilot with Norm Macdonald". Broadcasting & Cable. September 21, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2011. 
  35. ^ "Sports Show with Norm Macdonald Official Site". Comedy Central. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  36. ^ "03.01.11 Norm Macdonald: Me Doing Stand-Up" (Press release). Comedy Central. March 1, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011. 
  37. ^ "Norm Macdonald New Host of GSN's High Stakes Poker" (Press release). Game Show Network. February 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016. 
  38. ^ "Wait!! What?? NORM MACDONALD LIVE Launched Last Night?? His First Guest Was Super Dave Osborne??". Ain't It Cool News. March 26, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.  (includes press release)
  39. ^ Matheson, Whitney (March 26, 2013). "Norm MacDonald launches a video podcast". USA Today. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  40. ^ Anderson, Kyle (March 27, 2013). "Norm Macdonald talks new video podcast". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  41. ^ Staley, Darren (May 29, 2013). "'Norm Macdonald Live' in Retrospect". America's Comedy. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  42. ^ Mwangaguhunga, Ron (March 26, 2013). "Review: 'Norm Macdonald Live'". Independent Film Channel. Retrieved October 6, 2013. 
  43. ^ Evans, Bradford. (May 2, 2014). "Norm Macdonald Is Campaigning on Twitter to Become Host of CBS's 'Late Late Show'". Splitsider.
  44. ^ Sneider, Jeff (August 5, 2014). "Craig Ferguson to Be Replaced by James Corden as Host of 'Late Late Show' (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved January 11, 2016. 
  45. ^ "Norm Macdonald gives David Letterman an emotional, beautiful send-off". Entertainment Weekly. May 16, 2015. Retrieved May 16, 2015. 
  46. ^ Hanks, Henry. "KFC has another new Colonel Sanders: Norm Macdonald". CNN. Retrieved August 17, 2015. 
  47. ^ O'Reilly, Lara (August 17, 2015). "KFC has another new Colonel – and it'll be hoping some viewers hate these ads as much as the last". Business Insider. Retrieved January 11, 2016. 
  48. ^ Johnson, Lauren (February 6, 2016). "KFC Swaps Out Norm Macdonald for Jim Gaffigan as Its Latest 'Real' Colonel". Adweek. Retrieved July 3, 2018. 
  49. ^ Williams, John (2016-12-21). "Norm Macdonald's Often Funny, Always Fabulist 'Based on a True Story'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-10. 
  50. ^ Cowles, Gregory (2016-09-30). "The Story Behind This Week's Best Sellers". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-10. 
  51. ^ "Humor Books - Best Sellers - October 9, 2016 - The New York Times". Retrieved 2018-03-10. 
  52. ^ Hassenger, Jesse (2017-05-10). "Norm Macdonald owns his deadpan minimalism in new Netflix special". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2017-06-28. 
  53. ^ "Norm Macdonald to host Netflix talk show". EW.com. Retrieved 2018-03-10. 
  54. ^ https://www.netflix.com/title/80225949.
  55. ^ Ridiculous, Norm Macdonald, 2006, Comedy Central Records
  56. ^ MacPherson, Guy (July 23, 2012). "What's So Funny?" (Interview). Interviewed by Guy MacPherson. 
  57. ^ a b Hughezy (October 19, 2012). "HughezyVSTheWorld" (Interview). Interviewed by Hughezy. 
  58. ^ Miller, Dennis; Macdonald, Norm (June 16, 2011). "The Dennis Miller Show" (Interview). Interviewed by Dennis Miller. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. 
  59. ^ a b c d MacPherson, Guy (January 17, 2006). "Norm Macdonald". (interview) ComedyCouch.com. Archived from the original on November 8, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2010. 
  60. ^ Macdonald, Norm (January 29, 2018). "Hi. I'm Norm Macdonald. I'm here to do my reddit AMA. Gene at The Washington Post is helping me today" (Interview). Interviewed by Reddit AMA. 
  61. ^ Marchese, David (June 5, 2017). "Norm Macdonald on Why He's Tired of Trump Satire and the Joke He'll Never Tell Again". Vulture.com (New York). Retrieved January 22, 2018. 
  62. ^ "Norm MacDonald [sic]". NNDB.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016. 
  63. ^ Macdonald, Norm (October 17, 2016). Larry King Now. YouTube. Event occurs at 23:21. Retrieved February 22, 2017. 
  64. ^ "Norm Macdonald appeared on “Conan” and it’s something straight out of a 1935 radio show", by Betsi Flores, Rare.us
  65. ^ "Norm Macdonald Jokes He's A 'Deeply Closeted Gay Guy'", by On Top Magazine
  66. ^ Mavis, Paul (February 20, 2008). "Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief". DVDTalk.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017. The cast is anonymous (tellingly, comedian Norm MacDonald, who I believe has voiced Lucky the Dog in all the Dolittle films, is unbilled here again... 
  67. ^ Gables, Rick and Christina (November 27, 2015). "'Real Rob' is a Comedic Depiction of SNL Alum Rob Schneider's Real Life". My TV Weekly Now. Retrieved January 11, 2016. 

External links[edit]

Media offices
Preceded by
Kevin Nealon 		Weekend Update anchor
1994–1997 		Succeeded by
Colin Quinn


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