There have been a lot of noteworthy responses to the news that O.J. Simpson died, but there’s one perspective some folks on the internet seem to want to hear the most: that of the late, great Norm MacDonald, who sacrificed his very job on Saturday Night Live in the relentless pursuit of a punchline about his belief in the former football star’s guilt.
Of course, MacDonald is no longer here to offer any new words, having died in 2021. However, he said plenty while he was alive and on air about the double murder trial and eventual acquittal of Simpson, who was accused of murdering his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman.
Highlights reels of MacDonald’s many, many “Weekend Update” jokes about Simpson on SNL have been going viral all over Twitter ever since the news first dropped.
MacDonald was seated at the table for these segments at the perfect time to react to “The Trial of the Century,” taking over the “Weekend Update” segments in 1994, which was the start of Season 20 and the trial watched ’round the world, after Kevin Nealon departed the role. And though he was new to the gig, MacDonald’s jokes were merciless and regular fixtures of his segments. There was simply no topic too estranged from the subject for him to segue into a line about Simpson.
In one instance, for example, he said, “The pope came out with a book this week, which contained a series of essays examining faith and morality in today’s secular world and the changing role of the Catholic church as it approaches the 21st century. The book is entitled, God Himself Told Me That O.J. Is Guilty.” In another memorable aside, he announced, “In honor of their 50th anniversary, Random House will be releasing special commemorative issues of many Dr. Seuss classics. The first to hit the bookshelves will be Green Eggs and Ham and O.J. Is Guilty.”
MacDonald never minced words when it came to Simpson and also didn’t abide the typical media pre-trial norms of saying things like “alleged” or “accused” when it came to Simpson.
Perhaps most memorable of all was his reaction to the jury verdict readout, in which Simpson was declared “not guilty” of both murders: “Well, it is finally official: Murder is legal in the state of California,” he proclaimed in the segment’s opening.
MacDonald’s commitment to keeping his personal O.J. Simpson Shame Train running eventually cost him; NBC executive Don Ohlmeyer was a friend of Simpson’s and reportedly demanded his ouster, and he was removed from the segment and the show.
According to Conan O’Brien, Ohlmeyer also tried to blacklist MacDonald from other entertainment opportunities. On his podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, he remembered receiving a warning from on high during his time as host of Late Night with Conan O’Brien, saying, “The word came down: You can’t book Norm Macdonald anymore. It came from the top, from Don Ohlmeyer. I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for Don sticking with me. I owe him that. So I wrote a letter to Don that said, ‘I got this directive. You’ve hired me to do the best show I can do, and this is my best guest. So I need to do my job, which is the best show I can do.’” While Ohlmeyer wrote back that he “expected better,” MacDonald was indeed a repeat guest on O’Brien’s shows.
Reflecting newly on MacDonald’s legacy as the ultimate O.J. Simpson critic in the wake of the latter’s death, O’Brien appeared on CNN on Thursday and proclaimed those jokes to be, “the most brilliant comedy of anybody during that whole period.”
MacDonald’s career on SNL might’ve been through, but he enjoyed many more years of success in showbusiness and ultimately embraced the title of being Simpson’s most verbal detractor in the business.
He even once flipped the script on the whole thing and pretended to have changed his mind for a bit on Lights Out With David Spade.
Here are some of the impromptu tweets of remembrance of MacDonald in the wake of Simpson’s death.
it’s a crime that Norm Macdonald didn’t live long enough to report OJ’s death
[Norm voice] also a crime? OJ’s murders.
— actioncookbook (@actioncookbook) April 11, 2024
wow OJ died. rest in peace, norm macdonald.
— alex blagg (@alexblagg) April 11, 2024
I wish Norm Macdonald was alive to post today.
— Dane Cook (@DaneCook) April 11, 2024
I know we’re all mourning the loss of a great man today, Norm Macdonald. But for what it’s worth, I strongly suspect that he would have zagged and talked about the sadness of a retired family man getting cancer.
— Kaleb Horton (@kalebhorton) April 11, 2024
I believe that we should declare today a National Holiday called Norm MacDonald Day pic.twitter.com/KXllUuqi0p
— David “King Of Boogie” Gogo (@DavidGogoBlues) April 12, 2024
The greatest thing about OJ Simpson’s death is all the Norm MacDonald remembrance.
— Frank J. Fleming (@IMAO_) April 11, 2024
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