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Posted in: NBC, TBS, TV | Tagged: cnn, conan o'brien, Jake Tapper, norm macdonald, saturday night live, snl
Conan O'Brien on Norm Macdonald's "Brilliant" SNL/O.J. Simpson Jokes
Conan O'Brien on one of Norm Macdonald's career-defining stands as SNL "Weekend Update" anchor skewering O.J. Simpson over his murder trial.
Article Summary
- Conan O'Brien discusses Norm Macdonald's SNL legacy and O.J. Simpson jokes.
- Macdonald's controversial humor on SNL led to his firing due to NBC's Ohlmeyer ties with Simpson.
- O'Brien reflects on the societal impact of the O.J. Simpson trial and its aftermath.
- Conan honors Macdonald posthumously, despite NBC exec disputes, on his podcast.
There's something to be said as a cast member on Saturday Night Live about creating your moments, and those fortunate enough to sit at the variety series' Weekend Update segment have that opportunity to do that every week, something that currently benefits hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost. In the mid-1990s, that honor belonged to Norm Macdonald, the late comedian who took every opportunity to skewer controversial former NFL player and actor O.J. Simpson, who was on trial for double murder but later acquitted. Though Simpson's connection with NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer cost Macdonald his job, another former NBC host in Conan O'Brien remembered his friend speaking with CNN host Jake Tapper while promoting his Max travelogue series Conan O'Brien Must Go.
Conan O'Brien Reflects Norm Macdonald's Comedic Stand Against O.J. Simpson
While talking about O'Brien's travelogue and visit to the Jimmy Fallon-hosted Tonight Show, more than 14 years after his last day as host, Tapper remained topical, asking the former late-night host about Macdonald with the former running back's passing on April 10th at the age of 76 from prostate cancer at the 7:09 min mark. "O.J. Simpson died. He was a lot of fodder for you and a lot of other late-night comics," he said. "It was a huge deal back then, and most notably, he's passed on, Norm Macdonald, one of my best guests of all time and one of the great comedians of all time," O'Brien replied. "[He] just told some of the most… did some of the most brilliant comedy of anybody during that whole period." The two went back and forth about how Ohlmeyer's friendship with Simpson cost Macdonald his SNL job. "Water under the bridge, but that was a huge moment in the history of the country. It was a massive…there were many times in this country we've needed to kind of stop and reassess where we are in our racial history," O'Brien continued. "What progress have we made and that was one of those moments and it was such a watershed moment. So he is gone now."
O'Brien revealed on his podcast Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend he invited Macdonald, who passed in 2021, to his Late Night as a guest despite Ohlmeyer's protests. As the exec, who passed in 2017, was on his way out at NBC, the comedian would return to host SNL in 1999. Like Macdonald, O'Brien also had a falling out with NBC in 2010 despite dedicating 17 years to hosting Late Night and his six-month-long trial run on Tonight Show before hosting his self-titled program on TBS through 2021. Conan O'Brien Must Go streams on April 18 on Max.
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