Norm Macdonald Jokes About Death In Posthumous Netflix Special

Norm Macdonald, famed for his sarcastic humor, died after a long battle with cancer last year. Fans were shocked by Norm’s sudden death because they were unaware of his illness. Norm dropped his final Netflix special as a gift to his fans after his death and things pointed toward Norm knowing all too well what he was secretly battling.

Macdonald’s final stand-up special, shot before his death in September, has been released on Netflix, with other comedians paying tribute to the late star. “Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special,” premiered on Monday and features David Letterman, Dave Chappelle, Molly Shannon, Conan O’Brien, Adam Sandler, and David Spade, Netflix appreciated Norm in the opening credits.

“We are honored to bring you Norm Macdonald’s last special, followed by reactions and commentary from a few of his special friends.”

Macdonald performed in a plain room with dogs barking, wearing a baseball cap and headphones, talking into a microphone, pandemic Zoom style.

“Norm was working hard preparing material for his Netflix special — until COVID shut things down.”

“In the summer of 2020, he was scheduled to undergo a procedure and as he put it, ‘didn’t want to leave anything on the table in case things went south.’ “

Letterman, Chappelle, Shannon, O’Brien, Sandler, and Spade were all present at the end of the program to see “Nothing Special” and celebrate their longtime friend. Netflix praised Norm’s work and delivered a statement for him.

 “Shot this in one take” while “at home, the night before going in.”

“Hey everybody, it’s Norm Macdonald and this is my comedy special. Of course, I’m looking forward to getting back out there, seeing you folks in person. I love doing gigs and I miss it. My God, I miss it.”

The “Saturday Night Live” alum, however, died of leukemia, which he kept hidden from the public. In a letter to the Daily Beast, his longtime producing partner Lori Jo Hoekstra remarked on his latest work.

“We want to make sure his fans see this very funny hour. He left this gift for all of us.”

“Norm worked so hard on a new hour of material and wanted it to be seen.”

“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.”

The show covered a wide range of topics, but the “Screwed” star candidly discussed his own death and mortality in general at various points. He joked that writing his “living will” was “depressing” and that if he ever ended up in a coma, his family would turn off the machine. He also made jokes about his faith and the concerns he had.

“Picked the wrong religion. Ahh, it’s you! I thought it was the other fella. I should have been slaying apostates the entire time. Ah well, what are you gonna do?”

Macdonald lost track of the “point” of the joke he’s telling in his sign-off before closing with his statement. Letterman describes “Nothing Special” as a “great gift” because it includes commentary from his buddies.

 “I would drop the mike, but I paid for it.”

“It’s not strictly stand-up, it’s something else.”

Because no one knew about Norm’s health problems, the news of his death came as a shock to many, even those who knew him personally. But, before he died, he dropped a major smash that received a lot of attention. What are your thoughts on the matter? Stay tuned to Thirsty for more information.

What’s your take on it? Sound it in the comments.