Late-night show host Conan O’Brien recalled the late comedian Norm Macdonald’s cringing joke about a suspected criminal that led to him being fired from Saturday Night Live, and O. We mourned the death of J. Simpson.
In an interview with CNN, O’Brien praised MacDonald’s constant jokes about Simpson and his acquittal as one of the “greatest comedies” of the time.
Many members of the media believe that McDonald was fired from “Saturday Night Live” in 1998 for relentlessly mocking and criticizing the former NFL star during Simpson’s murder trial. NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer, who was a close friend of Simpson, denied that Simpson had been transferred. Related, O’Brien seemed to suggest that.
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Comedian Conan O’Brien has recalled how fellow comedian Norm MacDonald was allegedly fired for mocking a former NFL star as a murderer. (1. Dia Dipasupil / Staff 2. Kypros / Contributor 3. Tim Mosenfelder / Contributor)
In a 1998 interview with David Letterman, MacDonald said that despite the support of his boss, SNL executives, Ohlmeyer was fired from Weekend Update and ultimately from SNL altogether. He said that he was told that it was “not interesting.” producer Lorne Michaels;
O’Brien was the host of NBC’s “Late Night” during the SNL drama with McDonald. The two were friends, and McDonald appeared several times on various programs, including his TBS show “Conan.”
“It was a big deal at the time,” O’Brien told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “The most remarkable thing is that he passed away. Norm MacDonald, one of my greatest guests of all time and one of the greatest comedians of all time, just said the most amazing thing. I think He did more comedy than anyone else during this period. “
“I lost my job at SNL because I made fun of O.J. Simpson as the real culprit,” Tapper countered.
“Yes,” O’Brien asserted, adding, “And the head of the network at the time was close to O.J.”
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“Don Ohlmeyer?” the host asked, to which the comedian replied, “Who could remember a name like that?” he added with a laugh. “Water under the bridge anyway. But I think it was a big moment in the history of this country.”
“You know, it was a massive one. In this country, we’re trying to figure out where we are in the history of our race, where we are, what progress we’ve made. There were many times when I had to stop and re-evaluate where I had come from, and that was one of them. Those moments were really watershed moments,” O’Brien added.
McDonald, who passed away in 2021, has been praised online for his relentless attacks on Simpson since news of his death, with clips of his past jabs on “The Juice” going viral online. After Simpson’s acquittal, he memorably quipped that murder was “legal in California.”
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The interview concluded with Tapper asking the comedian if he had any O.J. jokes and O’Brien joking, “I never make jokes about someone the day they die.” He told Tapper to ask for it early the next morning.
