Howard Stern often eulogizes famous people on his iconic radio show. However, due to Howard's brutally honest nature, you can tell when he was really impacted by the departed person or not. In the case of Norm Macdonald's tragic passing, there's no doubt that it deeply affected Howard. Like so many others in the entertainment industry, Howard held Norm in the highest esteem. For years, Howard has been a vocal fan of the Canadian comedian on Saturday Night Live and was very angry when Norm was fired from the show. But Howard's relationship with Norm went beyond respect from afar.
Norm simply was one of the most prolific Stern Show guests. His appearances were legendary and the back-and-forth between the two was always impressive. A shared respect for one another's comedic abilities and passions brought them together. While this was the foundation of their relationship, there were other elements at play that made Norm's death particularly hard for Howard.
Norm's Relationship With Howard Stern And Introducing Him To Artie Lange
The truth is, Howard did not have much of a personal relationship with Norm Macdonald despite his numerous appearances on the show. This is because Norm was a highly reclusive person and had very few truly close friendships. One of the exceptions was comedian and actor David Spade, who was the person to break the news of Norm's tragic passing to Howard. On his September 15th episode of The Howard Stern Show, the legendary radio host spoke at length about Norm and his impact on comedy. He also expressed how he wished he had a closer personal relationship with the man. Aside from hanging out backstage at a Norm Macdonald/Dave Chappelle comedy show, Howard really didn't have much to do with him off-air. But Norm was easily one of the most present comedians on The Howard Stern Show, especially in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Norm was gracious enough to come on The Stern Show numerous times to do various SNL skits and impressions, offer general commentary, tell absolutely insane stories, and, of course, get interviewed. It was Norm's presence on the show that opened the door to one of the most beloved, and simultaneously controversial, co-hosts in Stern Show history... comedian Artie Lange.
"Don't forget, Norm was the guy who brought Artie to the show," Howard said to his co-host Robin Quivers and his audience on-air, despite rarely even mentioning Artie's name after their highly publicized and sometimes ongoing feud.
"I remember that completely," Robin responded.
"I thought [Norm introducing us to Artie] was very generous of Norm," Howard said.
"At the time..." Robin laughed.
"No, well, yeah. Norm was really thinking like, 'Hey, maybe this guy would be a good fit for your show'. And I thought that it was great and, of course, he was."
Even though Howard and Artie had a terrible falling out, the legendary shock jock maintained a relationship with Norm and invited him back on the show. The affection and respect for one another just ran too deep for that not to happen.
Norm's Death And His Legacy Through Howard's Eyes
Of course, given Norm's reclusive nature, Howard had absolutely no idea that he was battling cancer. However, he thought that Norm choosing not to tell people was the right decision. This is because he knew that Norm (much like himself and Robin, who also dealt with cancer) wouldn't want the overly sympathetic attention.
"You almost want to forget about it," Howard said on-air about Norm hiding his diagnosis from the public.
However, he did claim that he felt as though Norm looked 'unwell' during his last appearance on the show, back in 2016. At the time, Norm was indeed secretly battling cancer.
Howard also thought that though Norm was successful, he didn't get nearly a much credit as he deserved.
"Maybe because, on television, they didn't know what to do with him half of the time," Howard said in his on-air eulogy for Norm. Of course, this is often something Howard feels for many of the people he eulogizes, partly because he won't get the respect he feels he deserves when he passes on. It can be assumed that this is one of the reasons why he asks his guests so many questions about death, which is precisely what he did with Norm Macdonald a few years ago.
"Keep in mind, this was already when he was secretly battling cancer for four years at this point," Howard said to his audience before playing a clip from Norm's interview in 2016.
In the clip, Norm explained that he was in Edmonton, Canada, in a hotel when he received a call from his manager who said that there was a news piece going around that he had died. Of course, Norm decided to go and read Wikipedia and all the articles about his supposed death.
"It shakes you. And you want to know why it shakes you?" Norm asked Howard in the 2016 interview. "Because you understand that one day those will be the words."