Name: Worst Decisions in TV History: Norm Macdonald is Fired From SNL Over OJ Simpson Joke
Uploaded: 2023-08-21T06:48:57.000Z
Description: Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Worst Decisions in TV History: Norm Macdonald is Fired From SNL Over OJ Simpson Joke' from I'm not Norm on Comedy Buff. Published 2023-08-21. Transcript available.

Watch the stand-up comedy video 'Worst Decisions in TV History: Norm Macdonald is Fired From SNL Over OJ Simpson Joke' from I'm not Norm on Comedy Buff. Published 2023-08-21. Transcript available.

There was an interesting list of the 50 worst TV decisions in history,
according to Rolling Stone.
And it's a long list of different things, like actors not taking roles, like
Fox passing up the Sopranos.
They could have had the Sopranos and said, ah, it's never going to take off.
And then, of course, HBO did it.
It's the biggest show in TV history.
But there's one specific way that stands out.
And it's when Norm MacDonald was fired from Saturday Night Live.
Rest in peace, Norm.
He was the greatest.
He was there doing, he used to do the Anchor Desk.
And he was telling O.J. Simpson jokes right when it happened.
So this audio is from right when the O.J. trial, the O.J. stuff happened with
the Bronco, all that thing, just after the trial.
Now, the NBC executive, Don Ohlmeyer, was O.J.'s buddy.
And he was the biggest boss at NBC.
So Norm MacDonald got fired for Saturday Night Live.
I don't want in any way you ever to hold back on this.
But then I got fired.
People have said it was the Ohlmeyer, O.J. thing, but I don't think it was.
I think that it wasn't crowd-pleasing enough.
That is so ridiculous.
You work on a show that's about pop culture and current events.
And humor.
And you're going to be mad about that?
How?
It was obviously a pretty big story.
Yeah.
What do you want him to avoid it?
He didn't, like, dive in the trenches for that one.
Yeah, well, when you hear Norm's jokes, I mean, listen.
I can't wait.
Oh, I remembered the first one.
There's three jokes he doubled down in about O.J. right when it happened.
And I'm guessing it's the second and third joke that really made the guy go
nuts because
it's his buddy.
That really, like, really sunk the knife in.
Just put it in.
I love Norm MacDonald so much.
And if you forgot, of course, never heard it before.
I think a lot of people probably never heard this before.
This was right after the O.J. trial.
Norm MacDonald.
In his book, O.J. Simpson says that he would have taken a bullet or stood in
front of a
train for Nicole.
Man, I'm going to tell you, that is some bad luck when the one guy who would
have died
for you kills you.
That's what it is.
It was revealed this week that defense lawyer Johnny Cochran once abused his
first wife.
In his defense, Cochran said, hey, at least I didn't kill her like some people
I know.
Simpson attorney Johnny Cochran put on the knit cap prosecutors say O.J. wore
the night
he committed the murders.
Although O.J. may have heard his case when he suddenly blurted out, hey, hey,
easy with
that.
That's my lucky stabbing hat.
How would you be mad at him for that?
Oh, God.
My favorite.
Oh, jeez.
You know what I mean by Norm MacDonald on his own?
Oh.
When he was on The View and he just kept going off about how the Clintons have,
like,
murdered people and they were mad at him?
And he goes, but isn't that just a fact?
He was actually confused the whole time.
He goes, well, isn't that just public information?
Like, that's enough.
He just doubled down.
He would not let it go.
Yes, but didn't he?
We should come back with that on you.
I'll find that for you.
Okay.
It's my favorite.
And then they just killed everybody, though?
Anyway.
Amazing.
And it's Pride and Can't See.
So, I just played.
We were talking about the 50 worst TV decisions in history that Rolling Stone
had an article
about.
Talked about, you know, the Fox passing up to Sopranos and Norm MacDonald
getting fired
from Saturday Night Live for telling OJ jokes.
And we played those jokes, which were hilarious.
Norm MacDonald.
Phenomenal.
What a loss.
And again, now, Kenzie brought up the time when Norm MacDonald was on The View.
This is my favorite.
And he talked about the Clintons murdering people and The View of all places.
They don't want that at all.
Whatever cast of The View it was at that time.
It made me so happy.
They were so concerned.
Uncomfortable.
Uncomfortable.
And Norm MacDonald, when he made people uncomfortable, he just doubled down and
kept going.
And here's that audio.
Again, more old audio from the late Norm MacDonald.
I hate to say that because he was so, so good.
And here's that audio from The View with Norm MacDonald.
See, I think we should get the homicide out of the White House and get, like, a
fresh start
because we don't want any more murderers.
I think we should just go on to the next question.
Who are the murderers?
Oh, Clinton, he murdered a guy.
Yeah, you know, you're not going to put out no accusations with that.
That's a little too far.
That's the way it doesn't work.
Let's just go on to the next question.
Yeah.
This is not my week.
What can I tell you?
Oh, it's not mine either.
I'm being very nice, okay?
Be a good boy.
Now, Norm.
Did you ever hear that?
No.
We don't need to talk about this.
So they moved on.
They're ready to move on.
It's Barbara Walters, by the way.
And the woman that's still on The View, I can't remember her name.
I think that was so rude.
Like, be a good boy.
I would have wanted to punch her in the face.
It was the most demeaning thing to ever say to somebody.
Anyways, go ahead.
And once he said that, of course, Norm doesn't care about The View.
So he just doubles down.
Listen, we don't need to talk about that.
I don't want to get into this.
And I don't want to hear it.
And this is not the place to make those accusations.
And you're supposed to be funny.
Let's get on.
Let's get on.
There you go.
This is a live show.
Why?
But you have been properly chastised by Barbara.
So I'm now going to ask the next question.
I thought it was a matter of record.
Shut up.
Shut up.
Look, Dave.
Let me do this, okay?
They're covering his mouth now.
I'll tell you what's a matter of record.
You will not be invited back if you don't shut up.
All right.
Now.
Like he can.
Let's talk football.
All right.
Man, man, man, man, man, man.
Man, man.
Man, man.
Man, man, man, man.
Man, man, man.
Man, man, man.
You would not stop.
I just, I just, I thought that that was no.
And he goes, he goes, did you not hear about that?
So the members of The View, I would cry.
Oh my God, it was my favorite.
So good.
It's so good.
It's just too hard to move when you're standing right there.
It's just too hard to walk away and leave you like that.
Can we give it one more night?
Just one more night.
Case, can you post that, by the way, Case?
Can you put that up on Facebook?
Well, Case already has it up, of course.
Case has a lot to do back there, the producer, but.
Yeah, no, I'm not doing anything else right now.
I can tell.
I can post a news clip from 25 years ago.
Perfect.
So we need the OJ jokes?
We want to get people talking.
We need the OJ jokes.
I love to just go like, okay, then I'm manslaughter.
I didn't care about manslaughter then, right?
It wasn't murder.
Could you make a compilation of all of Norm's best moments?
And you put him up really fast.
I mean, there might be a tribute when he sadly passed that you may already have
done.
So maybe he can save you some work.
No, I didn't.
When Norm died, I made a tribute and then you didn't put it on the air.