I know this is old news, but I never heard the reason why they fired Norm MacDonald from doing "Weekend Update," which ultimately led to his departure from the show entirely.

He was funny, and his jokes were no more offensive or off-putting than anchors who preceeded him.

Does anyone know the reason?

Supposedly, an NBC exec who was friends with OJ Simpson didn't take too kindly to Norm's constant mocking of OJ on Weekend Update.

Two things I believe lead to his eventually dismissal:

1) He said F**K during one of the live broadcasts

2) He wasn't/isn't that funny.....where is he now????

his letterman and bob dole were great.

eh huh er got any gum?




for the news, his notes to self were usually killer.

Can you sell me a hot-hot-hot doooooooooog?

So, uh ... can I get a hot dog? Hah-hahhh!

While doing nothing to prove my theory, it also does nothing to disprove my theory that Germans love David Hasselhoff.

das

Didn't Colin Quinn replace him on Weekend Update? That guy couldn't even read a teleprompter without fumbling around and screwing up half of his rehearsed lines.

It was Don Ohlmeyer's decision. The story's in Tom Shayles new book on SNL. At the time it happen, I started a website to cover Norm's career in ridiculous detail. It still exists under new ownership ... The Fake News.

Colin Quinn was horrible on WU. I really liked Norm MacDonald. I happened to catch him on Letterman the day that he found out that he was fired. The reason that he was given was that Ohlmeyer didn't find him funny. Letterman replied that Ohlmeyer couldn't create gas after a bean burrito, and I think that he called him a weasal and a couple of other names.

As for where Norm is now, I think he was was kidnapped and is still being tortured by none other than... you guessed it... Frank Stallone.

i loved norm on WU... was very sad to see him go... very dry sense of humor.. loved it..

In music news this week, Kenny G has decided to release a Christmas album... Happy Birthday, Jesus... Hope you like CRAP!

I think Norm is a mediocre comic at best, although weekend update and dirty work are his best work. From what I read and watched I don't think that it was so much the mocking of O.J. it was the not letting it go, and as far as I remember he didn't even do jokes anymore he would just all of a sudden say he is guilty or something else. Ala the skit of Charles Groden and his obsession of O.J. I personally remember getting annoyed with the OJ thing after awhile because like I said it wasn't even jokes anymore.

IMO, #2 is the correct answer!

I don't think #1 helped. I was very sad to see Norm go, and sadder still to see Colin Quinn shoehorned into being his replacement. Funny guy, Quinn, but never had the WU vibe.

i think artie ate him!

I thought it was funny that they hired him back to guest host. He was like, I'm not funnier, SNL has just gotten less funny. How true he was, how true he was...

"The guy who fired me, did so because he was jealous of my massive c*ck!"

-Norm MacDonald

"Last year's number one worst occupation-- crack whore -- was replaced this year by the new worst occupation: assistant crack whore."

The word F@ck was never uttered by Macdonald.

You are all confusing this with the Charles Rocket incident.

Rocket did the weekend update back in the 80's. He uttered the
F word ( I even remmember the line)...and was fired immediately.

Norm did say the f-word on SNL. Yet that wasn't why he was fired. NBC suit Don Ohlmeyer simply didn't like him -- didn't think he was funny, didn't like the off-beat turn Weekend Update had taken, didn't like his buddy OJ getting jabbed, wanted to remind everyone of his power (he moved on to another gig not long after canning Norm).

Here's Norm's under-his-breath f-word ... April 12, 1997. In 2000, while hosting the American Music Awards, he dropped another f-bomb. Norm wasn't fired from SNL until January of 1998. He announced it on The Late Show with David Letterman BEFORE an official press release was issued. (Further pissing off Ohlmeyer). WU poobahs Chevy Chase and Dennis Miller gave statements in support of Macdonald. Chevy: "Chase tells TV Guide Macdonald is the first guy since, well, him to 'take a stand and look you directly in the eye and say it.' " Miller: "[firing Norm is] a big, big ****ing mistake."

Norm was hillarious. I did like Quinn though as well.

Miller: A
Nealon: D-
McDonald: C+
Quinn: F
Fey/Fallon: B

Sure it was. He said it under his breath. I was watching the episode live when it happened.

I really liked Norm. I thought he was generally funnier when his jokes failed though.

Those two lines (Kenny G and Crack Whore) were two of my favorites, along with :
"A new health study reveils that eating fish is good for you, unless it is fried. The study will be published in next month's edition of the medical journal DUH!"


I liked his take on the firing when he guest hosted about not being funny enough to be a cast member, then all of a sudden being so funny he should host. He blamed it on the new cast being far less funny now. He was right.

Norm McDonald followed his SNL career with a crappy movie, Dirty Work, cameos in Adam Sandler films, and his own series, Norm, which lasted a few seasons on ABC...

Which once again proves my theory:
GERMANS LOVE DAVID HASSELHOFF