On Tuesday afternoon, word broke that beloved comedian Norm Macdonald passed away after privately having cancer for the better part of a decade. (Notice how we didn’t say “battle with cancer.” Norm hated that phrase.) As the world continues to react to the loss of the former Saturday Night Live star, stand-up comedian, and pretty much the all-time greatest late night guest, we cobbled together as many of Macdonald’s best moments as we could from his almost thirty-year career.
Below you’ll find an assortment of clips like “Celebrity Jeopardy,” “Weekend Update,” Macdonald’s hilarious appearances on Conan and Letterman, his penchant for making so many O.J. Simpson jokes that it cost him his SNL job (true story), his killer knack at hosting sports awards shows like the ESPYs, and the time he started a running gag of dunking on Courtney Thorne-Smith for starring in the Carrot Top vehicle, Chairman of the Board.
Even with this mammoth trove of clips, there’s probably an awesome Macdonald moment that we missed because the guy was an absolute genius at firing off deadpan zingers. You never saw them coming until you were already laughing. That’s what made him such a beloved comedy fixture whose presence is already being missed.
one of the dumbest jokes i have ever heard, love it dearly pic.twitter.com/Pw30iWRvSG
— Bill DiFilippo (@billdifilippo) March 21, 2021
RIP Turd Ferguson. Easily one of my favorite skits of all time pic.twitter.com/DkrjqIfA7p
— Justin Prestegard (@justin4asu) September 14, 2021
every single line is perfect pic.twitter.com/MTQIS0lRAb
— ｃｆｃｆ (@CFCFmusic) September 14, 2021
my favourite norm clip pic.twitter.com/GSEy9SdbCP
— Georgia Twiss (@georgiatwiss) September 14, 2021
One of the greatest OJ Simpson jokes ever told was made by Norm Macdonald at the ESPYs and it came out of nowhere. Absolute gold.pic.twitter.com/fGfjxGaUap
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 14, 2021
has anyone posted this one yet pic.twitter.com/hd9PUQ5SgU
— Jeremy Kaplowitz (@jeremysmiles) September 14, 2021
Norm Macdonald’s complete lack of giving a shit about even attempting to be a real actor in Dirty Work will always be one of the funniest things. pic.twitter.com/Z36AfQGTk8
— Jay Bauman (@JayBauman1) September 14, 2021
“Battle” guess no one @DEADLINE ever watched Norm’s comedy specials pic.twitter.com/kvc1ewIcPq
— Stream the Vote (@StreamtheVote) September 14, 2021
Canadian comedian Norm Macdonald has died at the age of 61 “after a long and private battle with cancer”. He will be truly missed. pic.twitter.com/iwuDQjTtjI
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 14, 2021
The great Norm Macdonald tells a funny story about Milwaukee #Brewers announcer Bob Uecker and John Fogerty on a classic episode of the Late Show with David Letterman! ~ RIP Norm… pic.twitter.com/XPMA4WjBmf
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) September 14, 2021
Norm MacDonald is a legend.
When he was host of Weekend Update, NBC Exec Don Ohlmeyer warned Norm to stop doing OJ jokes because he was a friend of his. Norm didn’t stop, and it eventually led to his firing.
Rest in peace, and thank you for making us laugh. pic.twitter.com/OoCl7mRHkP
— SPENCE, TODD (@Todd_Spence) September 14, 2021
I remember watching this Norm Macdonald appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien live and crying from laughter. I still do. I don’t think I ever saw the Carrot Top film. pic.twitter.com/Qcq0d2pPZW
— Jason Gore (@sonicdork) September 14, 2021
Here’s another clip of how great Norm Macdonald was at taking the most awkward comedy and making it so funny you couldn’t help but laugh.
Norm is doing a bit about Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) dying… 10 days after it happened. pic.twitter.com/bSP83bqQrg
— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) September 14, 2021
A week after his defeat in the 1996 presidential election, Bob Dole meets the man who portrayed him on Saturday Night Live, Norm MacDonald pic.twitter.com/CGF5rG3W5Q
— Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) September 14, 2021
“How did I go, in a year and a half, from being not funny enough to be even allowed in the building, to being so funny that I’m now hosting the show? … Then it occurred to me: I haven’t gotten funnier. The show has gotten really bad!” https://t.co/bbyoyVBuhR
— Dave Itzkoff (@ditzkoff) September 14, 2021
haven’t seen this one posted yet pic.twitter.com/bGplr662FH
— andy s (@CIAGoFundMe) September 14, 2021
And here are some YouTube clips that probably would’ve looked weird mixed in with all the Twitter embeds above. We want to keep things classy. For Norm.