Saturday Night Livejust paid tribute to one of their own.During Saturday’s season 47 premiere of the late-night sketch comedy series, the show honored the lateNorm Macdonald, whodied last monthafter a private nine-year battle with cancer. He was 61.As part of the episode’sWeekend Update, co-anchorsColin JostandMichael Chesaved the last minutes of their segment to remember the late comedian’s best moments.During the tribute, old clips of Macdonald hostingWeekend Updateplayed, with jokes centered around former PresidentBill Clinton,Johnnie Cochran, and many more.Jost, 39, even noted that the former anchor was “the reason that I ever wanted to doWeekend Update.“Macdonald was a cast member onSNLfor five seasons — 1993 through 1998 — three of which he spent anchoring theWeekend Updatesegment.He became well-known for his impressions ofBurt Reynolds, Bob Dole,Larry King,David Letterman, andQuentin Tarantino, among others.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Norm Macdonald.Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via GettyHis departure from the NBC show in 1998 was somewhat controversial at the time, as Don Ohlmeyer, the then-president of the network’s West Coast division, replaced Macdonald with Colin Quinn, citing a decline in ratings.Macdonald, however, long maintained that his firing was due to his jabs atO.J. Simpsonduring the former NFL player’s murder trial. James Downey, who wrote many of the jokes about Simpson, was fired at the same time and toldVulturein 2014 that they were both kicked out due to Ohlmeyer’s friendship with Simpson.After exitingSNL, Macdonald co-wrote and starred in the 1998 movieDirty Work. The following year, he debuted his own show, titledNorm,which had a three-season run on ABC. He also made regular appearances on late-night shows, includingLate Night with David LettermanandConan.In his 2016 memoir,Based on a True Story: A Memoir, Macdonald reflected on his career, sharing that he would describe his life as “lucky.““I think a lot of people feel sorry for you if you were onSNLand emerged from the show anything less than a superstar. They assume you must be bitter. But it is impossible for me to be bitter,” he wrote.“I’ve been lucky,” Macdonald continued. “If I had to sum up my whole life, I guess those are the words I would choose, all right.”
Saturday Night Livejust paid tribute to one of their own.
During Saturday’s season 47 premiere of the late-night sketch comedy series, the show honored the lateNorm Macdonald, whodied last monthafter a private nine-year battle with cancer. He was 61.
As part of the episode’sWeekend Update, co-anchorsColin JostandMichael Chesaved the last minutes of their segment to remember the late comedian’s best moments.
During the tribute, old clips of Macdonald hostingWeekend Updateplayed, with jokes centered around former PresidentBill Clinton,Johnnie Cochran, and many more.
Jost, 39, even noted that the former anchor was “the reason that I ever wanted to doWeekend Update.”
Macdonald was a cast member onSNLfor five seasons — 1993 through 1998 — three of which he spent anchoring theWeekend Updatesegment.
He became well-known for his impressions ofBurt Reynolds, Bob Dole,Larry King,David Letterman, andQuentin Tarantino, among others.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Norm Macdonald.Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
His departure from the NBC show in 1998 was somewhat controversial at the time, as Don Ohlmeyer, the then-president of the network’s West Coast division, replaced Macdonald with Colin Quinn, citing a decline in ratings.
Macdonald, however, long maintained that his firing was due to his jabs atO.J. Simpsonduring the former NFL player’s murder trial. James Downey, who wrote many of the jokes about Simpson, was fired at the same time and toldVulturein 2014 that they were both kicked out due to Ohlmeyer’s friendship with Simpson.
After exitingSNL, Macdonald co-wrote and starred in the 1998 movieDirty Work. The following year, he debuted his own show, titledNorm,which had a three-season run on ABC. He also made regular appearances on late-night shows, includingLate Night with David LettermanandConan.
In his 2016 memoir,Based on a True Story: A Memoir, Macdonald reflected on his career, sharing that he would describe his life as “lucky.”
“I think a lot of people feel sorry for you if you were onSNLand emerged from the show anything less than a superstar. They assume you must be bitter. But it is impossible for me to be bitter,” he wrote.
“I’ve been lucky,” Macdonald continued. “If I had to sum up my whole life, I guess those are the words I would choose, all right.”
source: people.com
