Posted on 10/24/2026 10:04:36 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Netflix released a documentary about the legendary late comedian last week. But what I remember most about him is something he said in a 2018 tweet: ‘How could a man be a cynic? It is a sin.’
I’ve long believed that to understand a society, a culture, its people, there’s no better place to look than comedians. Comedy is a medium that does its best to defy performative opinions. It lives and dies on the instant feedback of a raucous chorus of laughter, the desperate silence of a failed punch line. There’s no room for ambiguity. Something is funny or it is not; you cannot fake a laugh. It follows, then, that comedians are some of the most honest brokers in cultural life. They have to see the world and describe it how it is—otherwise they will fail.
The late great Norm Macdonald was not only an incredible comedian; he was also someone relentlessly clear-eyed in how he saw the world. Saturday Night Live’s most famous Canadian son—and the subject of Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald, a new Judd Apatow documentary released on Netflix last week—was as much a great thinker as he was a great joke teller. He developed many distinct followings over his career, launching a cult classic YouTube podcast that inspired a generation of comedians with absurd jokes that would never have aired outside of his own channel.
I discovered Norm late, only a few years before his death in 2021, but I was transfixed. His deadpan delivery, his commitment to the bit above all else, the fact that he could bring actual humor to an awards show red carpet, made me fall in love with his jokes in a million different ways. And now, nearly a decade later, his witticisms have crept into my speech and...
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Norm's delivery of lines like that was unmatched.
One of the greatest, ever. I really “got” Norm’s humor!
Norm Macdonald had no filter. He could be both very funny and very honest. That’s a rare thing in today’s woke and oh so politically correct world.
The country is worse for his passing.
LOL! Or how about this one when he was talking about Lisa Marie Presley divorcing Michael Jackson?
“The two were never a good match. She’s more of stay at home type and he’s more of a homosexual pedophile.”
LOL!!
Rush Limbaugh often said that comedy, in order to be funny, has to contain at least some truth.
“comedians are some of the most honest brokers in cultural life”
It should be noted that comedians are also some of the most dishonest brokers in cultural life.
Because they use innuendo—and, particularly, ambiguity—to deliver their humor.
Bear in mind: cultural Marxism was shipped into our society in a vessel of humor.
He had no problem telling The View that the Clintons were murderers on live TV, but in a matter-of-fact, funny sort of way as if it was just a well known truth, which it was... Got Barbara Walters all shook up and pissed off over it.
I liked when he was on Larry King and told Larry he was a very closeted gay guy. And Larry was thinking he’s got the breaking story of a lifetime. Norm just kept jerking his chain. It was great.
deeply closeted
I love Norm’s humor, and him being able to proclaim his faith in God. A bit of contradiction perhaps with some of his bits and his foul language, at least to me.
And he wasn’t “honest” - he often portrayed himself as the dumb guy, in spite of going to college at the age of 14 and reading tons of books, quoting Socrates and his choice of words.
He came out with his “autobiography”. Larry King said something like “So it’s full of facts.” Norm replied “I wouldn’t say it is a lot of facts, but it is full of truth.”
Letterman got 10 pages into the book and realized “Hey - this isn’t about his life.”
I thought the special was well done. Talked to one of my kids and they enjoyed it (and told me about it), even though they had never heard of Norm before.
The 2 "woke" hosts of the show he made this comment on took it seriously.
I remember that show. Funny.
I’ve enjoyed his humor, certainly.
It’s important to note that all believers in the one true God have been hypocrites in their lives.
As for his faith in God, I hope Norm MacDonald chose the right one. There are many false gods in the imaginations of men, especially in Hollywood.
Turd Ferguson 🤣
The best disease to have, gay pride, Muslims and a dirty bomb, he wasn’t afraid to say it out loud.
They didn’t reflect it in the movie but years ago he appeared with several comedians in Iowa at an event that had kids and all the comics were asked to keep their material PG. Norm took it as a challenge and delivered a raunchy performance. There are several videos of other comedians talking about it.
He was told repeatedly to lay off OJ and he took it as a challenge.
Walters’ reaction was more of an indictment against the Clintons than the joke.
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