Norm McDonald Fired

This one is about the ridiculousness of certain 1990s NBC executives.

Standup comedian Norm MacDonald was a fearless anchor of “Weekend Update” who delighted in crossing lines. But he went to far for NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer by delivering years of jokes calling Ohlmeyer’s friend, O.J. Simpson, a murderer.

Both MacDonald and SNL writer Jim Downey feuded with Ohlmeyer, who insisted MacDonald just wasn’t funny. Both MacDonald and Downey were fired in 1998, and it’s been a longstanding SNL story that MacDonald was fired over the jokes.