Norm Macdonald Privately Shot an Hour-Long Stand-Up Special for Netflix That He Wanted Released After His Passing

Stand-up comedian and actor Norm Macdonald passed away last September after a private nine-year battle with cancer. He was known best for his run on Saturday Night Live, as well as the acting roles that came along with the friends he made on the sketch comedy show, including Billy Madison, Funny People, and Grown Ups, to name a few.

It seemed that because of his passing the classic deadpan comedian had given his last performance. But as it turns out, fans are going to get to see one more show. THR has reported that in the year leading up to Macdonald’s 2020 hospitalization, he had been working with Netflix to develop another hour-long special for the streamer. He had written all new material, and he took it upon himself to privately shoot an unreleased one-hour stand-up special.

Lori Jo Hoekstra, Macdonald’s longtime producing partner explained:

“His test results were not good, so during the heart of COVID-19 pandemic and literally the night before going in for a procedure, he wanted to get this on tape just in case — as he put it — things went south. It was his intention to have a special to share if something happened.”

The result was a stand-up special shot in Macdonald’s living room. The actor filmed the entire hour in a single take. “He looks great and the material’s fantastic,” Hoekstra says.

As it turned out, Macdonald made it through the medical procedure just fine, and the footage was literally tossed in a closet. But Macdonald became very ill a year later, before his special could be properly filmed before an audience. “He ended up getting sicker last August and September and he remembered he had shot this and asked me to find it so he could watch it,” Hoekstra says. “He ended up watching it before he passed away.”

The report goes on to add that “The stand-up hour is likely a first in the world of comedy — a postmortem last joke and testament from a comic who relished defying contention.”

Netflix will release the surprise program — Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special‚ on May 30th. I am really looking forward to checking this out!