Judd Apatow on Trump, SNL, and Norm Macdonald

About this episode

#ad Go to ⁠https://zbiotics.com/otp⁠ and use OTP at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics. Judd Apatow chats with Matt Wilstein about his new documentary, Norm: The Tale of Norm Macdonald, and the complicated, singular comedian at its center. Apatow explains why he chose to let Norm tell his own story through archival footage, stand-up, interviews, and the strange truths hidden inside his fake memoir, before revisiting Norm’s infamous firing from Saturday Night Live and the decision to keep going after O.J. Simpson jokes angered NBC executives. They also get into Norm’s complicated relationship with politics, the pressures facing comedians in the Trump era, his later clashes with cancel culture, and the clues Apatow found about the illness Norm kept private until his death. Plus, Apatow opens up about why he thinks Hollywood has become less willing to take risks on comedies, his hopes for The Comeback King, and whether Bridesmaids or Superbad could ever get a sequel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices