Norm MacDonald: The Comedian On The Outside #sponsored

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Carlton University, Eric Malikite, James CJ
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Just for Laughs
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Bird After Re, Dirty Work
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Dirty Work, Family Guy, The Norm Show, The Orville
5. 20:00 – 24:55: Eric Malikite, The Orville

Notable quotes from "Norm MacDonald: The Comedian On The Outside #sponsored"

• Understand him and his life as best we can. Welcome back to Biographics. I'm your host, Eric Malikite, and today's script was provided by James CJ. So, be sure to show them…

  about Eric Malikite · at 1:32

• Ottawa where he then attended Glowchester. He graduated at 14 and at 16 enrolled at Carlton University. While it's not hard to see if you've watched McDonald enough, he's an…

  about Carlton University · at 3:11

• McDonald who was finding a real passion for making people laugh. He eventually performed at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in 1986, and from there he started gaining traction, becoming a more well-known comedian.

  about Just for Laughs · at 7:07

• Adam Sandler. With work offers not really flying in, he decided to write his own movie. And thus, Dirty Work was born. This 1998 comedy film directed by McDonald's friend Bob…

  about Dirty Work · at 14:48

• In 1999, The Norm Show, eventually shortened to simply Norm, would premiere. The series followed a disgraced NHL hockey player banned for gambling, forced to do community service.

  about The Norm Show · at 16:39

• Aired. His most notable roles in later years included Orville Rusty Hec on The Middle and Yafett on the Orville, arguably one of his best roles to date.

  about The Orville · at 18:41

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Eric Malikite — Person · 2 mentions · first at 1:36
• James CJ — Person · 1 mention · first at 1:38
  Can. Welcome back to Biographics. I'm your host, Eric Malikite, and today's script was provided by James CJ. So, be sure to show them some love as you deploy your likes and do…

Books & papers

• Dirty Work — Book · 2 mentions · first at 14:52
• Bird After Re — Book · 1 mention · first at 14:45
  Norm had only really had one major credit to his name outside of SNL, and that was 1995's Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler. With work offers not really flying in, he…
• The Norm Show — Book · 1 mention · first at 16:39

Companies & orgs

• The Orville — Company · 2 mentions · first at 18:46
• Just for Laughs — Company · 1 mention · first at 7:12
• Family Guy — Company · 1 mention · first at 18:31
  On television, he played death in Family Guy and attempted another sitcom with a Minute with Stan Hooper, which he co-created. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after eight of the 13 episodes.

Places & events

• Carlton University — Place · 1 mention · first at 3:15

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 This video is brought to you by Squarespace, the all-in-one website platform. More about them later in the video. There are many well-known and loved comedians, both past and present. Some reaching credible heights, starring in countless movies, headlining specials, and dominating television screens. Then there are those who are never quite on that level of mainstream visibility, but are known to some extent. They've had their moments, a few memorable specials, a series or two, maybe even some movies, but you wouldn't say they're a household name by any means. In some ways, that was where Norm Macdonald fit in. However, some might argue that he was one of the most beloved with millions of fans. He was and still is one of the most interesting comedians to have existed in the last half ccentury. There was something about Norm McDonald that people just fell in love with from the jump. He was

0:51 authentic, never doulling his character to make anyone happy. It was a love it or leave it kind of approach that just made him more interesting and alluring as a comedian. His career in terms of credits is a mixed bag. A reasonable stint on SNL, a few specials, a couple of big parts in movies, a sitcom of his own, and a few other decentsized projects. But it was never the level of work that some of his peers got. Maybe this was by design, a choice he made, or perhaps it was circumstantial. We don't really know all the answers. For as much as we thought we knew of Norm McDonald, he remained a mystery right up until the very end. This is at least an attempt to understand him and his life as best we can. Welcome back to Biographics. I'm your host, Eric Malikite, and today's script was provided by James CJ. So, be sure to show them some love as you deploy your likes and do all the things that help keep the Eldrich beast that is

1:45 the YouTube algorithm going. Let's get to it. On October 17th, 1959, Norm Jean Macdonald was born in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. His parents were angophone teachers at a military base north of the city. Being anglophone teachers meant they were English teachers in the predominantly French-speaking Quebec. Despite living in the predominantly French-speaking Quebec, Norm's father, Percy, refused to let him learn the language, saying his family spoke English and only English. But here's the thing about NorDonald's childhood. It's confusing as hell.

2:26 Throughout his career, Norm lied about his background. For what reason? Who knows? Now, he said that he grew up dirt poor in rural Ontario after the family moved from Quebec in his teens. But with his parents both being teachers, this simply wasn't plausible unless they were horrendous with money. I mean, try being a teacher in the US and not having other source of income. You're going to have a bad time. Norm's brother Neil would later explain that the rural upbringing he refers to was simply summers at their grandparents' farm. So sometimes getting the information from the horse's mouth can lead to misleading stories. His school history was rather interesting though. He went to Quebec High School for a while before the family moved to Ottawa where he then attended Glowchester. He graduated at 14 and at 16 enrolled at Carlton University. While it's not hard to see if you've watched McDonald enough, he's an incredibly

3:22 intelligent man who's well read. But how exactly he finished school so quickly is unknown. By 16, Norm went off to university for a few years of studying philosophy and mathematics. Did he finish? Unclear. Some sources say yes, others say no. He'd also go on to do programs in broadcasting, television, and journalism. It was in between periods of school that he began experimenting with comedy and trying his hand at being a comedian. This inclination to try something with no clue if it would work was life-changing to say the least. Nor McDonald just had no idea of that just yet. If you want your business to be as beloved as Nor McDonald was, then you're going to need a snazzy website. And the sponsor for today's video, Squarespace, has you covered. Squarespace is the all-in-one website platform perfect for entrepreneurs and hobbyists alike.

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4:51 Drag and drop technology is included in every Squarespace site. But that's not all, because if you're working on a long-term project like the tabletop RPG I just mentioned, Squarespace makes it easy for you to create membersonly content for your community. Monetize your projects by selling access to online courses, blogs, videos, and memberships. Start with a fully customizable website and earn recurring revenue by gating your content behind a payw wall. Simply set the price and choose whether to charge a onetime fee or subscription for access. And then use Squarespace email campaigns to make it easy for you to spread the word about your project, engage clients, promote your services, and grow your business.

5:34 Plus, if you're as busy as I am, you can even set up email automations to stay connected, nurture leads, and save time. Ready to get started? Head to squarespace.com/bioraphics for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code biographics to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. Now, back to the video. In 1985, at the age of 26, Norm would officially try something he'd been steadily building towards for years. He was going to grace the stages of local comedy clubs in Ottawa performing standup. His first appearances happened at Yuck Yucks, and it went well in terms of laughs. However, Norm was so stricken with stage fright that he left the stage at one point. He declared he'd never do standup again. However, the owner of that Yuck Yucks, Howard Wagman, pulled him aside and persuaded him to come back. Thankfully, McDonald listened, and from there, he began gaining the

6:35 confidence needed to bring the laughs. It's hard to imagine Nor McDonald as a shy person, given what we experienced in his on-screen years. But by all accounts, it took him a while to get truly comfortable on stage. Even with the nerves, he was killing it. He became a regular on the local scene. He was finding his groove, understanding what comedy worked for him and what didn't. Honing bits and understanding the inner workings of comedy like timing and space between joke and audience. These were foundational years for the young McDonald who was finding a real passion for making people laugh. He eventually performed at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in 1986, and from there he started gaining traction, becoming a more well-known comedian.

7:20 Critics were calling him one of Canada's hottest comics. This helped him see that while his voice was unconventional, it was resonating and he was gaining traction as a comedian in Canada. He continued to perform across the nation in comedy festivals, bars, and anywhere with a stage and an audience. He'd also work odd jobs here and there to make some actual money, but it was the laughs he really cared about. Even better, he got some airtime on American shows like Late Night with David Letterman, Star Search, and The Pat Sjack Show. Maybe it was the response to these appearances that made him realize an unfortunate truth. He wasn't going to get famous at home. Macdonald quickly came to the conclusion that Canada didn't have the comedy infrastructure necessary for him to grow much further as a comedian. He wanted this path, this career, and it was disappointing to him that he'd have to leave his home to find that success,

8:14 but he was willing to do it. Of course, he wasn't alone in making such a call, as something pretty big happened around this time. Norm hitched in 1988. Norm married Connie Veayancor. In 1992, just before joining SNL, the two would have a son together. In terms of how they met and other details about the two, information is scarce. They in court was far more private than her husband who was enjoying the spotlight. She signed off on the pair moving seeing as they left for Hollywood in 1990. Nor Macdonald never looked back. He was ready for the bigger stage, the larger crowds, and the potential for fame. His Hollywood years are far from the most memorable parts of his career. For a while, McDonald worked as a writer on the late night talk show The Dennis Miller Show and more notably on the series Roseanne, both from 1992 to 1993.

9:07 It was the Roseanne gig that really caught the attention of someone in his office at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. And that was none other than Lauren Michaels, creator and producer of Saturday Night Live or SNL. Norm was about to get a call from Studio 8H to join the cast of the 199394 season. Potentially, this would allow McDonald's fame to skyrocket, even if his time there wasn't always easy. Love it or hate it, Saturday Night Live has brought us some of the greatest comedians since its inception in 1975. One such star, Nor McDonald. In 1993, he joined the longrunning sketch comedy show in its 19th season. He joined initially as a writer alongside other comedians you might know like Sarah Silverman and Jay Moore, but almost immediately they'd begin appearing in the show alongside the cast. Macdonald would become known for his impressions of Clint Eastwin, Quinton Tarantino, Larry King, Bob Dole, Bert Reynolds, and

10:09 numerous others. But his real claim to fame came in the 20th season when he began anchoring the weekend update desk. For a show that satarizes just about everything, why not satarize the news? Looking at you, Cody from Some More News. Who doesn't love Cody and Wormbo? Weekend Update has been one of the best places to be on SNL since the beginning. It's been a great place for its anchors to shine, delivering the week's headlines with a comedic twist. Some of the most famous anchors from this desk include Chvy Chase, Jane Curtain, Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Puller, my personal favorite, Tina Fay, another favorite, Cesily Strong, current host Colin Jo, and Michael Chay. and of course Nor McDonald. He'd go on to man this desk from 1994 to 1997. During this time, he really made a name for himself, becoming known for his dry wit and often brutal delivery. And he would get in serious trouble numerous times during

11:05 his tenure for jokes. One of his most longunning lines of attack was OJ Simpson. While the trial of the century was unfolding, captivating the nation, Norm began cracking jokes, as is the nature of Weekend Update. And this was a topic of conversation and a source of jokes far too difficult to just turn a blind eye to. Norm, who made no effort to hide his belief that OJ was guilty, constantly brought it up, even calling Simpson a killer. When Simpson was acquitted, he delivered his most memorable joke. Well, it is official.

11:36 Murder is legal in the state of California. Eventually, things came to a head in 1988 when Don Olair, the NBC West Coast Division president, got involved and had McDonald removed as the weekend update anchor. Why was he getting involved? Well, Olair had a powerful friend who just so happened to be the target of Norm's non-stop jokes. Yes, Don Olair was a good friend of OJ Simpson. During the trial, Mayor bit his tongue surrounding the jokes. But when McDonald continued well after the trial, he lost it and began making the necessary moves to get Norm removed from the show. Following his removal from Weekend Update, Norm stayed on at SNL for a few episodes as part of the ensemble playing in sketches. However, two things were pretty clear almost immediately. For starters, Norm was being sidelined. Even worse, he didn't enjoy doing the sketches and missed what he actually wanted to do. Weekend

12:35 update. So after a period he referred to as Walking Dead on the show, he was fired in March 1998, ending his time on Saturday Night Live for good. Lauren attempted to let Macdonald finish the season, but Olair wasn't having any of it. Mayor went on to say the reason for his firing from Update was due to a drop off in quality and a decline in ratings, even telling McDonald to his face that he wasn't funny. In appearances on the Howard Stern Show and the Late Show with David Letterman, Macdonald believed the firing from Weekend Update and eventually from SNL were directly related to his Simpson jokes and his refusal to appease the executives who asked him to try a different approach.

13:15 We will never know the true reason why he was fired from his role as anchor. But with the evidence of Mayor's friendship and support of Simpson during the arrest and trial, even throwing a party for jurors who acquitted Simpson, which just seems like a conflict of interest. Like what? It's difficult not to make a connection. Regardless of the reason, the two would feud for years due to Norm's firings and his accusations against Olair. This wasn't what Norm wanted, but without the update desk, maybe it was better this way to say goodbye to the whole thing. It was time to see if he could hack it beyond Rockefeller Plaza and the Saturday Night Live name. So, what now?

14:03 With SNL firmly in the rearview mirror, it was time for Norm to figure out what was next for him. Unfortunately, the end of his time on the show that made him a well-known comedian also came with the demise of his marriage. Macdonald and Vayancor separated in April 1999 and then divorced shortly after. Even worse, thanks to Mayor branding Macdonald as difficult to work with and difficult to market, opportunities weren't being thrown his way. Comedians and fans loved him, sure, but that wasn't enough. Mayor had power and Norm became radioactive in entertainment. too talented to ignore, but too unpredictable to trust. By 1996, Norm had only really had one major credit to his name outside of SNL, and that was 1995's Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler. With work offers not really flying in, he decided to write his own movie. And thus, Dirty Work was born. This 1998 comedy film directed by

14:58 McDonald's friend Bob Saget was originally rated R, but MGM forced the production to tone down its more bombastic elements to make it PG-13. Releasing it in June was also a choice as it went up against summer blockbusters like Godzilla. So, it's unsurprising the movie ultimately flopped. It was also not a hit with critics with a New York Times review referring to it as leen tasted deprived attempted comedy. Of course, later this film would enjoy cult status. Initially, it just wasn't received well at all. Dirty Work also brought up McDonald's feud with Don Olair again when around the movie's release, he refused to show ads for the film on NBC in retaliation for Norm's comments on Letterman and Howard Stern. This decision was eventually overturned by Mayor's boss, but Norm continued blasting Mayor for his continued attacks. Not long after this incident, Macdonald would acknowledge that he believed the real

15:55 reason he was fired from Weekend Update and SNL wasn't the OJ jokes, but more likely due to insubordination. Macdonald believed everyone had grown tired of his inability to take orders, noting that he received many hints, but never interpreted them as intended. For example, Lauren Michaels would ask after a particularly runchy joke about Michael Jackson if Norm really wanted to be sued by Jackson. Well, Norm, instead of saying no and changing, was thrilled by the idea, thinking it would be awesome. This didn't change the nature of their feud, but added more layers to an already complicated history. Norm would go on to ABC for his next project, something many stand-up comedians and SNL alums do, star in their own sitcom.

16:39 In 1999, The Norm Show, eventually shortened to simply Norm, would premiere. The series followed a disgraced NHL hockey player banned for gambling, forced to do community service as a social worker. It was a great way to show McDonald in a different light, but it was confined as sitcoms can be. The show was rather successful on ABC early on, but constant retooling of the plot and time slot led viewers to eventually jump ship over the course of its three seasons before it was cancelled in 2001. Similar to his Weekend Update days, the network's requested changes were met with resistance from its star, leading to tensions with executives. This experience kind of solidified McDonald's career. Hollywood was never going to embrace Norm as he was and he wasn't going to bend to their demands either.

17:29 It just wasn't a good fit. And in the end, it showed and it would be far from the norm for high-profile comedians. And I don't care if James intended that to be a pun. I read it like one anyway. You're welcome. The next two decades of NorDonald's career weren't what you'd expect them to be for a comedian of his caliber. One thing to understand about Nor McDonald is that in a sense, he'd always been an outsider in the entertainment industry, not just Hollywood. His reputation for not following orders, creative differences, and all coupled with his unique delivery didn't make him a hot commodity for film and television projects. If this bugged Norm, it's unknown. So, what was McDonald's career in the 2000s? Well, it was a string of guest spots on late night shows, many of which furthered his appeal to audiences and helped with his almost cult-like status. He also appeared in numerous movies, often in cameo or voice roles,

18:25 nothing ever major. He played Lucky in the Dr. Dittle Little films and had cameos in numerous Adam Sandler movies. On television, he played death in Family Guy and attempted another sitcom with a Minute with Stan Hooper, which he co-created. Unfortunately, it was cancelled after eight of the 13 episodes aired. His most notable roles in later years included Orville Rusty Hec on The Middle and Yafett on the Orville, arguably one of his best roles to date. He even judged on Last Comic Standing in 2015. In terms of comedy performances, he continued doing standup, even recording a sketch album in 2006 with Ridiculous and two comedy specials, one in 2011 and another in 2017. What McDonald did quite a bit of in the 2010s was talk shows. Not just appearances, but his own shows. In 2011, he appeared on Sports Show with Nor McDonald. From 2013 to 2017, he hosted weekly podcast Nor McDonald Live before podcasts were

19:23 cool. Finally, in 2018, he released Nor McDonald has a show on Netflix. Finally, another careerhigh was the release of his 2016 book based on a true story, not a memoir. This comic novel took Norm's life and satarized it. What's fact or fiction and what's embellished and how embellished? Well, that's a mystery. It wasn't all work for McDonald. He had other things going on. They just weren't always great hobbies. Norm was known and candid about his unfortunate gambling addiction. Macdonald revealed in 2011 while on a podcast that he'd lost all his money three times, with the largest amount lost at once being $400,000 if it weren't for the United States shutting down online poker in the nation. He might have died a penniless man saying since they went offline kind of saved my life because I was just grinding out and couldn't even sleep.

20:19 It's weird. Sure, McDonald's career isn't maybe something to rave about. He did a lot of cameos, some great spots, and a ton of voiceover work, but the work he did, like Norm McDonald Live, his book, his stand-up performances, and his talk show appearances, they all just confirmed what fans already knew. Norm was one of a kind. He was loved fiercely by those who'd followed his career, and that's what made The Hidden Truth so tragic. McDonald was keeping a deep, dark secret, and nobody would learn the truth until 2021. The only way this secret would be shared is through tragedy. And sadly, that's precisely what happened.

21:04 On September 14th, 2021, the world learned of the passing of the legendary comedian who'd made millions fall in love with his dry and no holds barred comedy. It was shocking to everyone to learn that Nor Macdonald had passed away at the age of 61 just like that. It seemed so sudden, but the truth was it was far from it. In death, it was revealed that Nor McDonald had been battling cancer since 2013 when he was diagnosed. But the specific cancer isn't 100% confirmed. The only people who knew of his disease were his family, ex-wife, a few friends, and his agent. He didn't want anyone to know. He didn't want that attention or to be perceived differently. Throughout his battle, it is alleged he received several stem cell transplants using aliases to avoid attention. Once again, this is unconfirmed. His final treatment had occurred in March of 2021. Due to his medication, especially dexamethasone,

22:00 his weight was constantly fluctuating. The decade was a difficult time for Macdonald and his family, marked by many low moments in his health journey. At one point, he suffered from peripheral neuropathy, leading him to give up things like golf and tennis. Despite eventually earning remission status in early 2020, he had a treatment associated cancer that developed into acute myoid leukemia. Finally, in July 2021, Macdonald was at the city of Hope National Medical Center in California. It was for a scheduled session of chemotherapy, but while there, he developed an infection which caused him to be hospitalized. Even with all of this going on, Macdonald continued to work while in the hospital, recording lines for his character, Yafett, on the Orville. Norm wouldn't leave the hospital alive. The reaction to his death was immediate. Tributes poured in from anyone and everyone Norm had interacted with over the years. From

22:58 John Stewart to then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Lauren Michaels and John Oliver dedicated their Emmy victories to McDonald. Dave Chappelle dedicated his Netflix special, The Closer to Norm. It wasn't a secret that Norm McDonald was loved, and nobody could believe he was gone. Norm's stand-up special, Nor McDonald Special, was released May 30th, 2022. He filmed it on June 28th, 2020 in his producing partner, Lorie Joe Ho's apartment. Norm wanted a live audience, but with the pandemic and his illness continuing its unrelenting attack on his body, he knew time was of the essence.

23:42 The special earned three postumous Emmy nominations. While he didn't win the awards, he won so much more as everyone celebrated another chance to experience Nor McDonald's sense of humor as he always intended, raw and honest. The life and career of Norm Macdonald is best described as comedy that doesn't need to be explained but felt. He was unapologetically unfiltered. He was willing to take the joke where it needed to go for it to be authentic to him. While he wanted to be loved, he wasn't willing to compromise who he was to achieve that level of admiration. He stuck to his own voice as evident by his final outing, the Nothing Special Stand-up Special. He was always somewhat of an outsider, misunderstood by Hollywood and never getting the fairest of shakes, but he made sure he'd come out ahead on his own terms. He wasn't the comedian with cancer. He was Nor McDonald the comedian. Full stop. I hope

24:38 you learned something today. And if you enjoyed this video, be sure to deploy your likes, comment a historical figure we haven't covered yet, subscribe and ring that bell, and share this video with someone who loves learning about history's most important people. I'm Eric Malikite and we'll see you next

Questions about this episode

What is discussed in "Norm MacDonald: The Comedian On The Outside #sponsored"?

In order: 0:00 Carlton University, Eric Malikite, James CJ; 5:00 Just for Laughs; 10:00 Bird After Re, Dirty Work; 15:00 Dirty Work, Family Guy, The Norm Show, The Orville; 20:00 Eric Malikite, The Orville.

What is mentioned in this Biographics episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Eric Malikite, Dirty Work, The Orville, James CJ, Carlton University, Just for Laughs. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Norm MacDonald: The Comedian On The Outside #sponsored"?

The episode runs 25 min; the transcript is about 4,164 words in 30 timestamped sections.

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