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Netflix released the comedy special Norm Macdonald secretly filmed before his death on May 30.
The one-hour special features the last stand-up material Macdonald wrote and a discussion about the comedian from David Spade, Dave Chappelle, Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Adam Sandler and Molly Shannon.
The group was filmed talking about Macdonald’s legacy during an appearance at “Netflix Is a Joke: The Festival.”
Spade opened up about Macdonald filming the special and confirmed it had been done just eight months before the former “SNL” star died in September from leukemia, which he had been secretly battling.
Norm Macdonald’s final comedy special was released May 30 on Netflix. The stand-up special was recorded eight months before the comedian’s death.
(Michael Schwartz/WireImage)
According to Spade, Macdonald filmed the set at the height of the pandemic while at home alone as theaters and comedy clubs remained shuttered amid sweeping lockdowns.
“He just said, ‘You know, I keep trying to do my set,’ and he was getting weaker, which we didn’t know,” Spade recalled. “They keep shutting down theaters, and they wouldn’t let him go, so then he goes, ‘I’m just going to run it once, just kind of say it out loud.’”
“Norm worked so hard on a new hour of material and wanted it to be seen,” Lori Jo Hoekstra, Macdonald’s longtime producing partner and executive producer of “Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special,” said in a statement.
Kevin Nealon and Norm Macdonald during a “Weekend Update” skit on May 14, 1994.
(Gerry Goodstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)
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“While this version of ‘Nothing Special’ was not originally meant to be the final product, COVID restrictions prevented him from filming in front of an audience. We want to make sure his fans see this very funny hour. He left this gift for all of us.”
Macdonald secretly battled leukemia for nine years. Hoekstra was by his side when he passed away.
“He was most proud of his comedy,” Hoekstra told Deadline. “He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”
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Norm Macdonald as Andy Rooney during a “60 Minutes” skit on May 14, 1994.
(Gerry Goodstein/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)
He was most known for his role in the “Weekend Update” skit on “Saturday Night Live.”
Fox News’ Julius Young contributed to this report.
