The Real Reason Norm Macdonald Was Fired From SNL
When the late, great Norm Macdonald wasn't busy making people laugh, he bided his time by stirring up controversy. With his deadpan delivery and a penchant for targeting sensitive (yet timely) topics, Macdonald made quite the name for himself through his outlandish disposition. In fact, it was that disposition that landed him a role on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" — a career-defining highlight — and solidified his status amongst the comedy greats.
Between 1993 and 1998, Macdonald thrived in several positions on the late-night sketch comedy program. Most notably, the comedian found himself as the anchor for the "Weekend Update" — a fictional news program that parodies current events and "SNL's" longest-running sketch (via Yardbarker) — from 1994 to 1997. During his tenure as Weekend Update host, Macdonald maintained two core principles — Germans love David Hasselhoff, and O.J. Simpson was guilty. Unfortunately, though, as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
In late 1997, Macdonald was unceremoniously fired as "Weekend Update" host mid-season (though he remained employed until 1998 as a repertory player, via Fandom). While the comedian actively engaged in dark humor through his time on "SNL," he was actually fired for a much different reason. So why was Norm Macdonald fired from "Saturday Night Live?" Read on to find out!
Too many O.J. Simpson jokes led to Norm Macdonald's dismissal from 'SNL'
Throughout Norm Macdonald's time on "Saturday Night Live," one of the core elements of his schtick was targeting O.J. Simpson's innocence. Simpson, the former NFL star who was on trial for the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman at the time, became a huge talking point for Macdonald throughout his time on the show. In fact, throughout the Simpson trial, Macdonald continually laid into the ex-football player. When Simpson was acquitted, Macdonald joked on-air, "Well, it's official: Murder is now legal in the state of California" (per The Daily Beast). And that was only one of his many morbid zingers.
Unfortunately for Macdonald, after three years of serving as "Weekend Update's" news anchor, top NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer relieved the comedian of his duties. Ohlmeyer, who was friends with Simpson, delivered the news to Macdonald over the phone, telling him, "You're not funny" as Macdonald revealed on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Macdonald, however, made light of the situation and added that "[Ohlmeyer] also thinks O.J. is innocent." For what it's worth, Letterman seemed to side with Macdonald and his clearly piercing yet now arguably iconic jokes.
Don Ohlmeyer's crusade against Norm Macdonald continued afterward
The buck didn't stop there between Don Ohlmeyer and Norm Macdonald. In a September episode of his podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend" — which was dedicated to the legacy of Macdonald — O'Brien revealed that he faced pressure from Ohlmeyer after booking Macdonald for appearances on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" (and during his short-lived tenure as host of "The Tonight Show"). "The word came down: You can't book Norm Macdonald anymore. It came from the top, from Don Ohlmeyer," O'Brien revealed (via Yahoo).
O'Brien revealed his inner conflict, however, as Ohlmeyer was the one who put him on to the late-night program following David Letterman's departure. "Don Ohlmeyer was the one who suggested me for 'Late Night' — he gave me the job — so I had a lot of feelings of loyalty towards Don Ohlmeyer," O'Brien noted. "I wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for Don sticking with me. I owe him that," he continued.
O'Brien ultimately stood his ground and continued to get Macdonald booked, stating, "So I wrote a letter to Don that said, 'I got this directive. You've hired me to do the best show I can do, and this is my best guest. So I need to do my job, which is the best show I can do.'" O'Brien was met with a swift "I expected better from you"-like response from Ohlmeyer in return.