After the shocking death of comedian Norm Macdonald Tuesday, who died at age 61 after secretly living with cancer for nine years, the night’s hosts paid tribute to the legend of comedy.
Turned on Tonight’s show starring Jimmy Fallon, Macdonald’s companion Saturday night live Alum seemed to struggle with emotions when he first spoke of Macdonald’s death, but he went on to tell the first joke he had ever heard from Macdonald, a long, bewildered take on dogs. Fallon also spoke of the first time he met Macdonald shortly after being hired in SNL. Fallon passed by when Macdonald was having breakfast and introduced himself, telling him excitedly that he was the best. But being seated with Bob Newhart, Macdonald would not accept Fallon’s compliment.
Turned on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, after the monologue, Colbert returned from the commercial break and talked about the short time he worked with Macdonald in SNL. Colbert only worked there as a guest writer for a few weeks and said Macdonald invited him to write with him. So Colbert spent all his time writing for Weekend Update, and was highly praised by Macdonald.
“I’d like to be a comic good enough to make a joke about Norm Macdonald’s death. But the only comedian I know who could come up with a ‘Norm Macdonald is a dead joke’ is Norm Macdonald,” Colbert said. “And I will miss the fact that there is no one left on the planet who can do that, and the world of comedy is poorer today.”
But Colbert had a joke he thought Macdonald would have appreciated.
“So I hope somewhere up there, or wherever …,” Colbert said, letting it out as the audience laughed. “You would have imagined this joke.”
Finally, go ahead Late Night With Seth Meyers, Meyers, who led the weekend update desk at SNL like Fallon and Macdonald before him, they told him what he called his all-time favorite Weekend Update joke, saying it was a “perfect Norma joke.”
“The richest girl in the world, billionaire Athina Onassis, celebrated her tenth birthday this week,” Meyers said with a similar Macdonald cadence. “What is it like to be the richest girl in the world? Well, to give you an idea, they took two cakes at the party ”.
Tonight’s show starring Jimmy Fallon is broadcast weekly nights at 11:35 p.m. NBC.
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is broadcast weekly nights at 11:35 p.m. CBS.
Late Night With Seth Meyers it airs on weekday nights at 1:35 a.m. on NBC.
Watch Howie Mandel honor Norm Macdonald during the ‘AGT’ finals:
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