Norm Macdonald's #MeToo drag gets him booted from 'The Tonight Show'
Norm Macdonald's press tour for his upcoming Netflix show hit an unexpected speedbump when the comic voiced some... let's call them controversial thoughts on Roseanne Barr, Louis C.K., and #MeToo. Now, he's paying the price for being so tone-deaf.
Macdonald's scheduled Tuesday appearance on The Tonight Show got pulled at the last minute this week. The move, an NBC decision, came shortly after a recent interview Macdonald did with The Hollywood Reporter prompted widespread criticism.
"Out of sensitivity to our audience and in light of Norm Macdonald’s comments in the press today, The Tonight Show has decided to cancel his appearance on Tuesday’s telecast," an NBC statement read (h/t THR).
Macdonald drew the ire of social media for suggesting that Barr and C.K. -- pop culture pariahs who have retreated from public life for racist antics and sexual misconduct, respectively -- have lost "everything" thanks to their mistakes. (They didn't lose everything. Not even close.)
"There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day," Macdonald said during the interview. "Of course, people will go, 'What about the victims?' But you know what? The victims didn't have to go through that."
The comic also drew wide condemnation for suggesting that the #MeToo movement is somehow "slowed down." That one felt particularly out of touch in light of the fact that sexual misconduct allegations pushed CBS chief Les Moonves out of his job barely a day earlier.
"I'm happy the #MeToo movement has slowed down a little bit," Macdonald said. "It used to be, 'One hundred women can't be lying.' And then it became, 'One woman can't lie.' And that became, 'I believe all women.' And then you're like, 'What?' Like, that Chris Hardwick guy I really thought got the blunt end of the stick there."
Macdonald apologized on Twitter for the comments he made even before the Tonight Show cancellation happened, but that clearly wasn't enough.
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Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
