‘Saturday Night Live’ Alum Norm Macdonald Through the Years

Credit: Michael Keegan/Netflix

‘Saturday Night Live’ Alum Norm Macdonald Through the Years

Heartbreaking loss. Norm Macdonald died at the age of 61 after privately battling cancer for nine years. The comedian’s management firm Brillstein Entertainment confirmed his death to Us Weekly in September 2021, noting Macdonald chose to keep his health issues private over the years. “He was most proud of his comedy,” the late star’s longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra said in a statement at the time. “He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.” The Saturday Night Live alum’s passing shocked Hollywood, with many actors sharing sweet sentiments about Macdonald via social media. "Oh f--k," Seth Rogen tweeted after learning the news. "I was a huge fan of Norm Macdonald and I essentially ripped off his delivery when I first started acting. I would stay up specifically to watch him on talk shows. He was the funniest guest of all time. We lost a comedy giant today. One of the the [sic] all time greats. RIP." Fellow Canadian and Macdonald’s longtime pal Jim Carrey expressed his sadness via Twitter. [jwplayer UtQXCgjL-zhNYySv2] “My dear friend Norm MacDonald passed after a brave 10-year battle. He was one of our most precious gems,” the Ace Ventura Pet Detective actor wrote. “An honest and courageous comedy genius. I love him.” Former SNL castmate and fellow funnyman Rob Schneider mourned the loss by sharing a photo with Macdonald, Adam Sandler, David Spade and Tim Meadows goofing off together back in the day. The actors all worked together on 2010's Grown Ups. “Norm, I didn’t just like you. I loved you. You didn’t just make me laugh. You made me cry with laughter. I’m still crying today,” the Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo star wrote via Instagram. “But when I think of you, my tears will run down my face with all the memories of all the laughter and all the joys that you brought to all of us. Rest now my good friend. Love you forever, Robbie.” Macdonald made a name for himself as a cast member on Saturday Night Live in the ‘90s. He went on to have a lucrative career on TV as an actor, writer and producer, most recently working as a consultant on Roseanne, hosting Norm Macdonald Has a Show and voicing Grandpaws on the upcoming Back Home Again film before he passed away. Scroll down to see Macdonald’s life in pictures, including his career highs and lows: [podcast_block]

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1990

Macdonald began his career performing at comedy clubs before competing on Star Search in 1990.

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1992

He was hired as writer on The Dennis Miller Show and Roseanne in 1992.

Credit: Courtesy Norm Macdonald/Instagram

1992

The Canada native welcomed son Dylan in October 1992 with then-wife Connie Macdonald.

Credit: SNL/YouTube

1993

The comedian began his Saturday Night Live career in 1993 as a writer and cast member. He wrote from 1993 to 1994, but was part of the ensemble cast until 1998.

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1994 to 1997

He took over as the “Weekend Update” anchor on SNL in 1994. During his time at the helm, Norm wasn’t afraid to make controversial comments about political figures, ridicule the coverage of the O.J. Simpson murder trial and use Sylvester Stallone’s brother, Frank Stallone, as a punchline.

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1995

After making it big on TV, he landed his first movie role, playing Frank in 1995’s Billy Madison alongside SNL pal Sandler.

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1996

Norm and Connie split in 1996 after eight years of marriage.

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1998

The producer exited Saturday Night Live in 1998 after five seasons.

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1998

The actor voiced Lucky in 1998’s Dr. Dolittle. He later appeared in the 2001 and 2006 sequels.

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1999 to 2001

He landed his own sitcom, Norm, in 1999. He served as the writer, producer and star on the three-season series.

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2003 to 2004

The TV star portrayed Stan Hooper on A Minute With Stan Hooper for one season.

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2009

Norm made his SNL comeback during a September 2009 episode, performing his iconic impression of Burt Reynolds during a Celebrity Jeopardy sketch, hosted by Will Ferrell as the late Alex Trebek.

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2010

The CableACE Awards nominee reunited with Sandler in 2010’s Grown Ups and 2011’s Jack and Jill.

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2010 to 2018

He played Rusty Heck, Mike Heck’s (Neil Flynn) brother, on The Middle for nine seasons.

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2016

His book, Based on a True Story: Not a Memoir, hit shelves in 2016 and quickly became a New York Times Bestseller.

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2016 to 2019

The actor voiced Glumshanks on Skylanders Academy (from 2016 to 2018) and Yaphit on The Orville (from 2017 to 2019).

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2018

His Netflix talk show, Norm Macdonald Has a Show, aired for one season, featuring A-list guests like Jane Fonda, Drew Barrymore and Chevy Chase.

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2020

Norm wrapped up his role voicing the mean-spirited pigeon on Mike Tyson Mysteries in 2020 after four seasons.

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2020

The Funny People actor launched the Loko dating app in February 2020 alongside friend Vivek Jain. The app focuses on making love connections through video chats.

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2021

Us confirmed in September 2021 that the actor died at the age of 61. The comedian privately battled cancer for nine years before his passing.

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2021

During the season 47 premiere of SNL in October 2021, cast members Colin Jost and Michael Che paid tribute to Macdonald during Weekend Update with a montage of some of his classic jokes from the long-running sketch. 

"Norm is the reason that I ever wanted to do Weekend Update," Jost said before the vintage clips began. Pete Davidson, who appeared on Update earlier in the evening, also honored the late comedian by wearing a T-shirt with Macdonald's face on it.   

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2022

Conan O'Brien paid tribute to his late friend and colleague in a private memorial held during Netflix's comedy festival in April. On the first anniversary of Norm's death in September, the comedian shared his speech with The Washington Post. "Norm was the most completely original person I have ever met. He didn’t look like anyone else, talk like anyone else or follow many of the basic principles of comedy," O'Brien said. "What distinguished Norm Macdonald was one quality: He was superhumanly brave. ... Norm was so outrageous that I would always start laughing the minute he came out from behind the curtain. Those apple cheeks, dimples and his gleaming pumpkin eyes — the eyes of a true sociopath — would have me giggling like a schoolgirl before he had even said a word."