MovieChat Forums > Norm MacDonald Discussion > How do you think he viewed his Career

How do you think he viewed his Career

posted 3 years ago by Lucia2016 (517)
16 replies | jump to latest

For the people who loved him he was a rebellious independent who couldn't be controlled by the networks and so had to make do with bits and pieces and he always had his stand up to get by, in that regard he is a folk hero because he answered to no one and retained his credibility

But on the other side it has been noted that it was a bit of a joke that he wasn't given something like the Late Night host job and Bob Saget mentioned in his goodbye video that it hurt Norm the way he was treated by the industry.

Looking back on the last 15 years for example his main highlight outside the amazing specials he put out was the Norm Macdonald live show on youtube, which while i adore does have a tinge of sadness about it as this champion is on Youtube in a low production and not hugely watched medium when he should have been using his talents on a higher scale

Personally as i said i like that he always had things on his own terms and managed to survive but i wonder how much money he made and how satisfied he truely was, and how is he perceived by others?

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 3 years ago

I think Norm made a decent amount of money until around 2010, he was able to buy a 2 million dollar condo for himself, and I think he bought another condo for his mom and son, but maybe his mom lived with him idk. Of course Norm had a terrible gambling addiction that probably cost him millions and deeply hurt his career.

I think Norm is a classic case of the battle between art and commerce. Norm didn't want to pander to big entertainment/business interests but he couldn't consist of just doing stand up to pay the bills. On the flip side, big entertainment/business interests couldn't commit 100% to Norm because of his self destructive behaviors. Norm ultimately had to rely on friends within the industry to keep his above water. This allowed Norm to make a decent living, but just barely.

I think we all realize that Norm's only enemy was himself, but he's beloved because we know he was forever like a directionless teenager with a huge talent to make people laugh.

[–] Lucia2016 (517) 3 years ago

He was a genuine enigma though and i am still not sure which one was the true Norm and how much of his persona was made up.

For example like you said he was sometimes like this aimless slacker who just coasted along but in other times he will talk about Russian Literature and get into existential debates with people, and win.
Also his brother was a news anchor so between the pair of them it seems unlikely that 2 children from backwoods Canada would grow up to have massively successful careers in Show business, i am not implying anything just always seemed strange to me and added more mystique about his Background

So i do think the aimless slacker thing was part of his schtick and there are a lot of Urban Legends about Norm which he may have even help to propogate, but if behind it all he was a deeply sensitive family man then it upsets me to think that he had to 'make do' with handouts and being on the road.

Some of most iconic moments are from talk shows or lowly paid presenting jobs and i get that there is show biz poor and real people poor but i wonder if he ever struggled

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 3 years ago

I do believe Norm struggled financially, gambling away millions of dollars will do that to anybody. I'd say you're right that there's show biz poor, Norm would probably fit that category. He did all those talk shows which he'd probably get a bigger check than the average guest, plus free lodging & transportation lol. He was also fortunate to get a lot of voice over work these last 6 years, that might have helped more than anything.

Not to be too insensitive I'd say Norm probably had a couple of condos w/mortgages and about 250K in various other accounts. A lot of the celebrity net worth sites estimate his total financial worth was 2.5 million, which sounds about right but you never know for sure.

[–] JoeBlow88 (548) 3 years ago

That's a very low net worth for a man his age. The entertainment industry is not much different than most industries - if no one will hire you, just buy your own work. He hurt his career by not having the capital to fund his own projects and attract other investors.

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 3 years ago

I found a tidbit today that Norm sold his condo in 2015 for 2.2 million then immediately bought a small pied a terre for 750 thousand. I've seen videos and pictures of Norm in that pied a terre it was super tiny.

Also, while Norm was away his son's best friend died of a drug overdose in Norm's place.

[–] Lucia2016 (517) 3 years ago

I like that, that is very fitting with his character, we was on the fringes in every aspect and even lived modestly it seems.

His IMDB is stacked with voiceover credits and cameos in Sandler or Rob Schneider films, i wonder what he was paid for Grown Ups where he filmed a bunch of scenes and then was cut out of the film with his body double making the final cut lol

Netflix buying up Norm Live probably would have been lucrative but that was over as soon as it started when the vultures targeted him

I have his book on downloaded but i can't bring myself to listen to it yet because i know it's the last 'new' Norm stuff i am ever going to get and once it's gone it's gone

[–] Kowalski (57914) 3 years ago

THE SAME AS THE REST OF US,I IMAGINE...A COMPLETE CLUSTERFUCK WITH AMAZING HIGHLIGHTS.

[–] abigolcwock (517) 3 years ago

I don't have much too add, except to just say that this is probably the best Moviechat thread that I have seen in years

[–] jewoogle (2269) 3 years ago

naw i think the fact that he never had a talk show made him more badass since you know he never sold out. not a single talk show host has even 1/100th as much respect from me as i got for Norm, they are a bunch of sellout propagandists non of em are real comedians anymore once they get to that level

[–] Lucia2016 (517) 3 years ago

100 percent you could even feel the aura of shame when they were in his presence

I think my point was more from his perspective even though he probably was satisfied that he always stuck to his guns and never sold out whether he suffered as a consequence, and to what extent

When he was ever fired he would show up laughing about it as if he didn't have a care in the world, but like we have seen with how he has dealt with cancer he is a man who suffers in silence

[–] jewoogle (2269) 3 years ago

idk i think he was more scared of dying from cancer and trying to hide it than having shame. i think u are reading him wrong

[–] Lucia2016 (517) 3 years ago

No i meant the Hosts were in shame, he highlighted their fakeness

[–] jewoogle (2269) 3 years ago

sorry for misunderstanding i didnt read ur whole comment before responding just the beginning and misread that part aswell my bad bro

[–] Lucia2016 (517) 3 years ago

Not your fault i edited it after lol, no worries

[–] SteveG (1370) 3 years ago

As a success. No doubt about it he did it his way.

[–] ebhaynz (3525) 3 years ago

Although Norm is an original(it hurts to type "was) I've known people who have similar behavior. They are very stringent in their beliefs and insist on going their own way, sometimes in spite of overwhelming common sense to go the opposite, more traditional/successful way.

Some people cannot take life seriously 99% of the time. When they run into trouble and try to change it won't work, the self destructive side always wins. Also, when you have a few dollars in your pocket and know that at anytime you can at least go make a few more you might just view life as a 24 hour a day party.

Norm really is a complicated figure to me, I understand him but I don't understand him. However, he has had a huge impact on my life and he is beloved by millions.