Perhaps nobody became known more for publicly accusing O.J. Simpson of murder during the trial over the deaths of his wife and her friend in the mid-1990s than Saturday Night Live “Weekend Update” host Norm Macdonald.
Macdonald’s commitment to working jokes about Simpson’s guilt in “Weekend Update” during and after the murder trial is even believed to have cost Macdonald his gig hosting the popular segment, his dream job. Of course, Macdonald continued his fascination with Simpson long after leaving SNL.
But a new report from Washington Post culture reporter Geoff Edgers suggests Macdonald and Simpson quietly reconciled in 2019 after Simpson was released from prison and Macdonald was secretly in remission from cancer.
Macdonald appeared on David Spade’s Comedy Central talk show in 2019 and returned to one of his favorite subjects: the Juice. With his signature deadpan, Macdonald noted Simpson was found not guilty and called him “the greatest rusher in the history of the NFL.” Then Macdonald turned the joke on himself, saying, “Maybe I was the greatest rusher to judgment.”
When Edgers connected with Macdonald’s longtime production partner and confidante Lori Jo Hoekstra, she revealed that after that segment with Spade, Macdonald received a text message from Simpson thanking him for his change of heart and inviting him for a round of golf.
It would appear Simpson was quite aware of Macdonald’s long-running gag around his criminal history. Edgers’ piece does not include an answer as to whether Macdonald took Simpson up on his invitation.
Also, in the piece, Edgers reminds us that Macdonald developed a friendship with Kato Kaelin, an actor and associate of Simpson’s, who became a witness during the trial.
Did Kaelin push Macdonald toward a change of heart? Was the notoriously straight Macdonald just messing with us again?
We may never know, but there is clearly more to this relationship than met the eye.
