About

Norm Macdonald is a Canadian comedian and actor well-known for writing, producing and starring in a number of TV shows and comedic films, most prominently as a recurring cast member of Saturday Night Live and the host of its Weekend Update segment during the 1990s, as well as his often provocative style of stand-up comedy acts and observational humor in general.

History

Early Career

In the 1980s, Macdonald began his career in stand-up comedy at clubs in Ottawa, Canada.

Saturday Night Live

In 1993, Macdonald became a cast member on the sketch comedy television show Saturday Night Live, where he regularly impersonated various celebrities, including Burt Reynolds, David Letterman and Bob Dole. Additionally, he became the host of the show's satirical news segment Weekend Update (shown below). In 1997, Macdonald was fired from the Weekend Update segment after NBC West Coast Executive Don Ohlmeyey insisted upon his removal saying he was "not funny."

White House Correspondent Dinner

On April 10th, 1997, shortly after his departure from SNL, Macdonald roasted United States President Bill Clinton during the White House Correspondence Dinner (shown below).

Post SNL Works

In 1998, Macdonald co-wrote and starred as the protagonist Mitch Weaver in the comedy film Dirty Work (shown below, left). In 1999, Macdonald starred in the sitcom the Norm Show, which ran for three seasons until 2001. In 2006, Macdonald released the sketch comedy album Ridiculous. While promoting the album on The Daily Show, Macdonald told several jokes about the recent death of Animal Planet television host Steve Irwin (shown below, right).

Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget

On August 16th, 2008, Macdonald performed stand-up at the Comedy Central Roast of comedian Bob Saget (shown below). During the performance, he performed intentionally cheesy material in contrast to the show's typically raunchy humor.

Online Presence

On October 1st, 2008, In April 2009, Macdonald joined Twitter,^[7] receiving over 539,000 followers in the next six years. On March 19th, 2013, Macdonald launched the Norm Macdonald Live podcast and YouTube^[1] channel, featuring interviews with various comedians. Within three years, 37 episodes were uploaded to the YouTube channel, receiving over 74,600 subscribers.

Fandom

On Reddit

On May 12th, 2014, Macdonald participated in an "ask me anything" post on the /r/IAmA^[2] subreddit, which gained over 3,900 votes (89% upvoted) and 2,200 comments prior to being archived. On June 29th, 2015, several videos featuring Macdonald reached the front page of the /r/videos^[3][4][5][6] subreddit, including a highlight reel in which he awkwardly interacts with co-hosts at the 2013 YouTube Big Live Comedy Show (shown below). Within 24 hours, the post gathered upwards of 5,300 votes (90% upvoted) and 1,700 comments.

Search Interest

External References