A Comedian Who Laughed At Everything—Even Death
Norm Macdonald was a Canadian comedy icon for several decades. Toward the end of his life, though, his presence grew more and more contentious—not to mention his history of making hurtful jokes at others’ expense. And after his death, all the gory details of his life revealed an even darker side to this controversial comedian.
1. He Was Canada-Grown
Norman Gene Macdonald was born on October 17, 1959, in Quebec City, Canada. His parents, Ferne and Percy Macdonald, were both teachers who worked at CFB Valcartier, an army base north of the city. In his early years, his father adamantly refused to let him learn French, potentially due to his Scottish-Irish roots.
This wasn’t the only unconventional part of his upbringing.
2. He Made A Heartbreaking Confession
In his biography—more on that later—Macdonald describes interactions with “Old Jack”, a man who worked for his family during his childhood. In these early entries, he describes going into a shed where Jack lived on the property and the feeling of menace that came over him. “I heard the bolt”, he claimed. He also subsequently lacked memories surrounding these years but revealed in an interview that the memories likely involve horrific events.
When Old Jack passed, Macdonald had a shocking reaction.
Ron Galella, Ltd., Getty Images
3. He Couldn’t Shake The Experience
Hearing the news of Jack’s departure, Macdonald experienced a full-body response. He had loved Old Jack, but he still had these buried experiences that caused him to panic. At the funeral, he could barely look into the man’s coffin and say goodbye, saying, “I wasn’t with him that day, not there in that room”.
While he never confirmed what happened in the shed and never tried to uncover what his mind had buried, the memories lived on in his body.
The Washington Post, Getty Images
4. He Was Quite The Prodigal Son
Macdonald went to Quebec High School until his family relocated to Ottawa. Later in his career, he would claim that he dropped out of high school at 16, but the reality was that he completed his studies early at the age of 14. From there, he made a rather surprising choice considering the direction his life ended up taking.
5. He Was Adept At Many Subjects
At 16, he got into Carleton University. To add to that rather unexpected choice, Macdonald decided to study math and philosophy. This choice felt wrong for him, as he dropped out fairly quickly afterward. He wouldn’t return to academics for a while, but when he did, he briefly attended journalism and broadcasting-television classes at Algonquin College. He thought he could follow in his older brother’s footsteps.
He couldn’t have been more wrong.
6. He Was Trying To Support Himself And His Passion
Throughout this period of his life, Macdonald had a number of different labor jobs. Most notably, he worked at a logging company as a chokerman—someone who fastens cables to prepare the logs for being transported elsewhere. At the same time, he was preparing for his first foray into comedy.
The results of his first performance were astonishing.
7. He Was An Instant Success
Macdonald’s first performance was an amateur night in 1985. He was only 26 at the time, but that didn’t stop him from giving it the old college try. Like most comedians starting out, he expected to do a terrible job—but he didn’t. He was well-received.
No one knows why, but the positive reaction almost made Macdonald abandon the art form forever. Luckily, the club owner, Howard Wagman, stepped in.
Norm Macdonald Stand Up - 1980's, New York, bubbyberry
8. He Was Put On Big Stages Early In His Career
Wagman convinced Macdonald to return to the stage and try again. After that, he was a regular at the amateur performances—and not only that, but his talent was getting some attention. In 1986, Just For Laughs Comedy Festival asked him to perform in Montreal, and he did. The Montreal Gazette called him “one of this country’s hottest comics”.
And the praise didn’t stop there.
Norm Macdonald Stand Up - 1980's, New York, bubbyberry
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9. He Was Featured On A Few Big-Name Shows
At 29, Macdonald debuted on a US network. He appeared on The Pat Sajak Show. They liked him so much that he guested five more times. Macdonald was really on a roll now, and in one year, he both competed on Star Search and was a guest on Late Night With David Letterman. Letterman loved Macdonald so much that he said, “...we would have had Norm on every week”.
Macdonald’s star was climbing—but the higher they fly, the harder they fall.
Norm Macdonald Collection on Letterman, Part 1 of 5: The Early Years, 1990-95, Don Giller
10. He Found Work In The Industry
1992 was the year of writing gigs for Macdonald. He wrote for The Dennis Miller Show and for the sitcom Roseanne from 1992-93. When his time at the sitcom was over, he made a choice that would change his life. He was already doing well as a comedian and writer, but his next job would cement his name in the minds of the masses.
Any guesses where he might have found himself?
Roseanne - Intro [HQ], Jan Schmelter
11. He Joined An Iconic Comedy Series
Macdonald became an SNL cast member in 1993, slinging impressions of Larry King, Burt Reynolds, Clint Eastwood, and many others as fast as he could. And it seemed he impressed those who ran the show, as they made him the anchor of Weekend Update, a satirical news segment.
This would provide Macdonald with the platform to make many inappropriate and occasionally offensive “jokes” at others’ expense.
Weekend Update Pays Tribute to Norm Macdonald - SNL, Saturday Night Live
12. He Was Harsh With His Humor And Didn’t Pull His Punches
Macdonald set up some running jokes—some about misconduct in imprisonment scenarios or substance-addicted adult workers, and others about how successful David Hasselhoff was in Germany—that he used often during the segment. He also established a gag where he would use a tape recorder, saying “note to self” to add extra jokes to the segment.
It may have been the 80s, but he still received backlash for some of his comments.
Norm Macdonald Collection on Letterman, Part 1 of 5: The Early Years, 1990-95, Don Giller
13. He Was Asked To Take It Easy By A Surprising Celebrity
Macdonald would also use Frank Stallone as a punchline to many of his jokes, leaning on the absurdity for humor. Stallone himself took no insult to these statements, but his brother, Sylvester, did. In 1997, he guested on SNL and asked Macdonald to stop making jokes about his brother. Fortunately, Macdonald agreed and he stopped.
But some of his comments were even more off-color.
14. He Couldn’t Take Some Things Seriously
On February 24, 1996, Macdonald poked fun at the fate and actions of a murderer. John Lotter had just been sentenced to die after brutally assaulting a transgender man named Brandon Teena. After the assault, Lotter and his friend sought out Teena and took his life, alongside two others.
To say the least, this was a serious situation—and it was bold of Macdonald to say what he did.
John Lotter 2013 interview ( PART 1 of 4 ), LGBTvideos
15. He Contributed To Harmful Narratives About Victims
First, Macdonald referenced Lotter and his despicable actions. Then, he wrongfully identified Brandon Teena and his gender. But this was all blown out of the water by Macdonald’s last statement: “Now, this might strike some viewers as harsh, but I believe everyone involved in this story should die”.
Unsurprisingly, the backlash was fast and vicious.
Norm Macdonald on MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour Stand Up 1990 by MaTeOWaNnA CoMeDy ReMaStErZ
16. He Was Faced With The Consequences Of His Actions
Activist groups came after Macdonald and SNL, claiming they never should have aired the “joke”. Not only that, but activist group The Transexual Menace alarmed the series by making promises to protest during filming. But NBC looked back at the tapes and were just as shocked as their viewers. They acknowledged they shouldn’t have let it air and they would prevent similar statements from being made.
SNL didn’t fire Macdonald at that point, but his distasteful jokes didn’t stop there.
Norm Macdonald One Night Stand 1991 HBO Stand Up Special, Ben Hobson
17. He Was Unkind About A Well-Loved Musician
When Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley announced their divorce, Macdonald stated, “The two were never a good match… he’s more of a homosexual pedophile”. He doubled down when an accident hospitalized Jackson. The musician plastered his room with posters of Shirley Temple, so Macdonald reiterated his previous joking accusation about the singer.
Considering his actions on SNL, it took a surprisingly long time for them to part ways—and not for the reasons you’d expect.
Matthew Rolston; Distributed by Epic Records, Wikimedia Commons
18. He Fought With Someone Who Could End His Career
When Don Ohlmeyer, president of the West Coast NBC division, removed Macdonald from the Weekend Update segment in January 1998, he claimed it was due to a dip in ratings and quality. But Macdonald felt that there was another underlying reason for his firing. He thought that since he’d made some jokes about a very good friend of Ohlmeyer, OJ Simpson, the network president was punishing him.
Gerald Johnson, Wikimedia Commons
19. He Made Comments That Could Get Him Into Trouble—Again
Ohlmeyer was a big supporter of Simpson during his trial, and Macdonald thought he didn’t appreciate the events being made light of. But Ohlmeyer rejected these claims, claiming he hadn’t been bothered by another SNL cast member’s jokes about the same issue.
But Macdonald had enough weight behind his accusations that people started taking sides.
20. He Was Open About His Annoyance For The Situation
After losing his anchor role, Macdonald returned to the Late Show With David Letterman and also appeared on Howard Stern’s radio show. Both times, the hosts took Macdonald’s side, agreeing that Ohlmeyer’s actions were a result of Macdonald’s jokes regarding Simpson’s case.
It’s unclear whether Macdonald’s suspicions were correct, but there is enough evidence to at least be wary of how the events played out.
Norm Macdonald's Network Television Debut | Letterman, Letterman
21. He Was Reprimanded
Even though he’d lost his position as anchor, Macdonald stayed on as an SNL cast member for another month. But he couldn’t bear being a regular cast member, especially after one bit of dialogue hit a little too close to home. Another character said, “I don’t much care for you,” and Macdonald’s character responded, “A lot of people don’t”. He was fully let go from the show quickly after that.
The Best Of Norm Macdonald, Part 1 | David Letterman, Letterman
22. He Was Censored
Macdonald’s controversial actions on SNL continued to follow him. When his film Dirty Work was airing ads on NBC, Ohlmeyer refused to screen them. This was a direct result of Macdonald’s deprecating comments about SNL and NBC to Letterman and Stern. Macdonald would continue stating that although he liked Ohlmeyer, the NBC president loathed him.
There was a hint of irony to Ohlmeyer refusing to air the film’s advertisement, though.
DIRTY WORK (1998) | Official Trailer | MGM, Amazon MGM Studios
23. He Found The Humor In The Situation
Apparently, the ads sold the film as a “revenge comedy”, which of course, Macdonald saw the humor in. In an interview where the host pointed this out to him, he 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”.
He didn’t appreciate what had transpired in the slightest.
The Best Of Norm Macdonald, Part 1 | David Letterman, Letterman
24. He Stood By A Friend And Writing Partner
Surprisingly, Jim Downie, formerly an SNL writer and Macdonald’s co-writer for his anchor role, shared a different perspective on the story of Macdonald’s departure. In a conversation with Macdonald, the comedian claimed SNL was looking to fire Downey. Macdonald told the network that he wouldn’t do the segment without his partner and would leave if they got rid of him.
Unfortunately, this ultimatum didn’t go as planned, and apparently, Macdonald “went out of solidarity” with his friend.
Weekend Update Pays Tribute to Norm Macdonald - SNL, Saturday Night Live
25. He Was Cast In His Own Series
In 1999, Macdonald made his own foray into talk shows. He featured in The Norm Show, which co-starred Laurie Metcalf, Artie Lange, and Ian Gomez. The series ran for three seasons until 2001. But his screen appearances didn’t stop there—nor did he leave his controversial comments in the past.
The Norm Show - New Hire [clip], Shout! Studios
26. He Worked Hard At Many Different Projects
He racked up the credits starting in 2000, adding voice acting to his resume. He appeared in a movie with Dave Chappelle, voiced a character in both Family Guy and The Fairly OddParents, and was on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’s Celebrity Edition where he had a chance to win million dollars. By 2013, he’d made quite the name for himself and was cast in advertisements.
Macdonald was riding high, and he didn’t think he could come back down.
Norm Macdonald as Death on Family Guy, Norm Macdonald Video Archive
27. He Pivoted Again To A Different Medium
In 2013, he started a podcast called Norm Macdonald Live, which also featured his friend Adam Eget. The show streamed live on Video Podcast Network with episodes later posted to YouTube. Overall, it was well-reviewed, though the Independent Film Channel called it “rough around the edges”.
This might have signaled a major shift in Macdonald’s comedic stylings.
Cut 9/11 Joke from Norm Macdonald Live, tyronefraser
28. He Was Familiar With Addiction
Throughout his life, Macdonald struggled with addiction, specifically a gambling addiction. He bet on sports and played poker, and he would stay out until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, his losses would affect his performances and make him a little down, though the quality of his set never suffered.
But his gambling still had a huge effect on his life on three occasions.
Michael S. Schwartz, Getty Images
29. He Was Quick To Lose Money
According to Adam Sandler, Macdonald had $25,000 in Atlantic City poker chips stored in his fridge. He discovered this as he searched for something to drink. When he commented on this, Macdonald reportedly stated that this was so he could avoid paying taxes on the amount, but this was untrue. Macdonald then went on to lose all of the money gambling in Atlantic City.
This wasn’t the most money he would lose to his struggles.
Michael_Spencer from Perth, WA, Australia, Wikimedia Commons
30. He Gambled A Surprising Amount Of Money
Macdonald endured some huge losses thanks to his gambling. There were three different instances where he lost a huge amount of money. During the 1989 Super Bowl XXIII, he bet $400,000 on the underdogs—and lost it all. According to an interview with Larry King, that was the most he’d ever lost while betting.
Stephen Luke, Wikimedia Commons
31. He Was Glad When A Regulation Was Put In Place
In a 2018 interview, Macdonald said he was glad the US had cracked down on online poker. He claimed he played around 20 hold ‘em games at once, losing more and more money to his problem. “Since they went offline, it kind of saved my life. Because I was just grinding out and couldn’t even sleep”.
His gambling losses might have decreased, but he still had more to lose.
Norm MacDonald (FULL 2018 INTERVIEW) | Bennington, RED TWIN
32. He Was Diagnosed With A Death Sentence
In 2013, Macdonald received a horrifying diagnosis that would gradually erode everything he enjoyed about life. He had multiple myeloma, a cancer affecting white blood cells. He kept this a close secret, only telling his family, his producing partner, and his agent. Neil, his brother, stated that he didn’t want his illness to “affect the way he was perceived”.
Thankfully, there was one treatment that showed a lot of promise in saving him.
33. He Wrote A Memoir
2016 brought about the release of his “semi-fictional” memoir, published by Spiegel & Grau. It was a New York Times Best Seller, but the contents of the book faced scrutiny immediately. The rapidly changing tone and struggle to parse the truth from exaggeration confused some readers.
But one reviewer, who approached Macdonald’s book retrospectively, had some interesting comments on the contents.
Norm Macdonald convinces you to buy his book Based on a True Story, Penguin Random House
34. He Was Evasive, And His Honesty Came At You Sideways
Rebecca Onion saw the biography a little differently. She saw it as a reflection of just how poorly Macdonald fit within the industry, the celebrity world at large, and how each story told was merely a different version of Macdonald that missed out on the greater whole. To her, the book “feels like communicating with pure Norm”.
She didn’t reject the existence of his mistakes, merely that he was a nuanced individual who made false steps.
Seriously Entertaining: Rebecca Onion on Up in Smoke, House of SpeakEasy
35. He Got Emotional On Stage
In May 2015, Macdonald was a guest once more on Letterman’s show. His set was the last section of the episode, and he had a touching moment while on stage. He broke down and cried about how much he loved and appreciated Letterman. This was a strange and unexpected break in Macdonald’s persona, but considering his continuing battle with cancer, it made some sense.
Norm Macdonald performed the final standup on David Letterman, 2015. (poignant), studiosoundworks
36. He Made Contradictory Statements
In 2017, his comedic stylings took a major shift toward a deadpan technique. With minimal hand gesticulations and minimal movement, he also said he had “no opinions” and wanted to keep the politics out of his comedy. A year later, he would try and argue for apolitical comedy.
He did this while directly contradicting himself and used politics to argue his point.
37. He Was Caught In A Bubble
During the pandemic, Macdonald’s comments about the wider world grew strange. He suffered a similar out-of-touch opinion that many celebrities fell into at the time, through comments about the newly-elected President Trump not making an impact on US politics among other topics. He made an equally astonishing comment about the #MeToo movement taking things too far.
This is where he got into some trouble once again.
38. He Doubled Down On His Controversial Comments
Macdonald condemned that it seemed like victims could accuse their assailant and instantly destroy the assailants’ lives without due process to prove their claim. On top of that, he expressed sympathy for how Louis CK’s life was immediately ruined after people stepped forward with their experiences. In an interview where he defended his opinions, he stated more so that he apologized if his words insulted viewers.
He did not take responsibility for his words or actions.
Norm Macdonald Tells The Most Convoluted Joke Ever - CONAN on TBS, Team Coco
39. He Had Been Suffering For A Long Time
While he and cancer battled it out, Macdonald made several comments in interviews that teased his condition. Yes, it was being kept a secret, but he noted to Rolling Stone that “There are things people just don’t want to hear or talk about, and one is death”. This wasn’t particularly pointed, but one comment he made during a comedy performance was: “If you die, the cancer also dies at exactly the same time, so that, to me, is not a loss, that’s a draw”.
But no one caught on, and the news of his illness shocked everyone when it came to light.
Explain to the Folks at Home Who Norm Macdonald Was, I'm not Norm
40. He Got The Best Treatments Possible
In hospital, alongside going through chemotherapy, Macdonald went through a different sort of treatment. Doctors prescribed stem cell treatment in order to stop cancerous cells from entering his bloodstream—and it worked. Combined with other treatments, his cancer went into remission.
However, he was then left to deal with some unfortunate side effects of both the illness and the remedies.
Unstoppable Laughter: Norm MacDonald's Best Short Bits for Non-Stop Fun!, Art of Comedy
41. He Was Inundated With Secondary Illnesses
Even during treatment, Macdonald had to deal with the fallout. He developed peripheral neuropathy, which meant his nerves were damaged in various locations, and this condition forced him to stop golfing and playing tennis. Once he was in remission, doctors noticed he had myelodysplastic syndrome, a different type of blood cancer that could become something much worse.
Michael S. Schwartz, Getty Images
42. He Was Able To Go Back To Work
Fortunately, the hospital was still there to support him. Macdonald started another bout of chemotherapy, and he expressed that he had hope for his condition by recording a voice-acting role for The Orville, a TV series. But complications returned when an infection took hold and jeopardized the whole process.
Norm Macdonald Final Voice Role as Yaphit on The Orville S3, I'm not Norm
43. He Filmed A Comedy Special
He was also trying desperately to finish up an hour-long live recording of a comedy special. Macdonald filmed his dry run in his living room, and hoped to make it to the stage to do a proper take. But he never made it. His manager and professional partner stated that he “worked so hard…and wanted [the material] to be seen”.
44. He Was Hopeful That He Would Make It Back On Stage
Netflix kept news of the recording quiet, so they could have key figures reveal the project. But Macdonald’s strength was waning, and no one knew why. And with the pandemic raging, no one knew when he’d finally be able to take to the stage. At that point, he said, “I’m going to run it once,” and did a single take of the special.
The special, with his living room as a background, was later released.
Norm Macdonald Has a Show | Best Moments, Larone - Movies & TV
45. He Endured Further Complications With His Sickness
By July 2021, Macdonald had been living with severe illness for almost a decade. Two months after contracting an infection during treatments for acute leukemia, the complications from having the illness and enduring the prescribed medical processes were too much. He departed this world on September 14, 2021.
His legacy left a huge hole in the lives of his family, friends, and the comedy world—though not only through grief.
46. He Was Remembered Fondly—By Some
Many fellow comedians commented on the role Norm Macdonald played in their personal and professional lives. One of these performers was Dave Chappelle, who devoted his live comedy recording The Closer to his friend’s memory. Conan O’Brien recalled Macdonald as delivering “some of the most brilliant comedy” of anyone he knew.
Other remembrances of the comedian weren’t so positive.
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, Wikimedia Commons
47. He Was Posthumously Called Out
Several women, both within and without the comedy sphere, called him out posthumously for what they called “harassment”. Standup comic Kerri Lendo stated she didn’t have many good memories of Macdonald, “just another story” about his mistreatment of women.
Another comedian, Jenny Yang, posted additional accusations online.
Kerri Lendo Inteview- Modern Man, CAmmCage
48. He Was Not Exempt From Bad Behavior
Yang claimed there were many more sinister experiences with Macdonald. She also called other women to respond to her Tweet and speak out about their experiences with him. A woman from Milwaukee, Molly, asserted that while taking a picture together, Macdonald touched her inappropriately.
To say the least, controversy laces Macdonald’s legacy.
Introducing | Jenny Yang | WHOHAHA, WhoHaha
49. He Was Complex, And The Memory He Left Is Equally So
Norm Macdonald left behind a complicated legacy, to say the least. He accomplished so much during his life and set himself up as one of the best comedians of his era. But after a couple of fumbles and stumbles in the media, the public eye was souring to him in his final days. Nevertheless, his impact, both in positive and negative ways, will be remembered.
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