Norm MacDonald's Final Stand-Up Performance On Letterman 

I’m convinced the closest thing I’ll ever have to fame is being able to tell my grandkids I was at the taping of this episode. Such a great moment.

What guts it took to stay up there, tell the joke, and tell Dave that he loved him. The world is a lesser place without you, Norm.

That moment when Norm starts crying always punches me in the gut and his attempt to cover it up by laughing at himself makes it even more moving.

Many years ago i met norm macdonald at casino windsor. I was there with a few friends and we were at the main floor bar. Norm was sitting at a table with some guy. When i noticed it was him he saw i was looking and he made eye contact . He didnt blink or break eye contact until i looked away . This happened a few times. He would just stare until i looked away. After roughly 30 min he and his buddy walked towards us and he said " sorry for staring but you look exactly like my nephew Billy". I didnt know how to respond and after about 5 seconds of silence he says " hate that little bastard" and walked away. My buddies and i busted out laughing until we cried. 2 minutes later the bartender gave us 3 a beer and said " this is from Norm". Best comedian i ever seen and for him it came so naturally . He was methodical but as good a comedian as he was ,he was an even better person. R.I.P norm you are forever one of my favorite memories.

It turns out that was the closest Norm ever got to telling us he was dying. How classy he was to keep entertaining us without the burden of knowing he wasn't going to be around much longer. Legend

“I don’t know if you guys are history buffs or not, but…” Such a simple phrase, and my god, does it still make me howl.

You can tell that was one of the most important moments of Norm's life.

Thanks to the editors of this video for including Norm's whole bit. He was a special guy.

Most of us were somewhat surprised at how emotional Norm got. He was somehow not the type to get emotional. Now, in hindsight, it seems that not only his admiration for Dave, but also his coming to terms with his mortality played a part in his reaction. I think, in that moment, he felt acutely the transience of life.

the way he gets emotional at the end...it really hits me right in the heart...R.I.P NORM, WE MISS YOU SO MUCH!

That hits right in the heart, him knowing it was his last time, knowing he wasn't long for the world, wanting Letterman to know how much he appreciated him. Beautiful.

Norm already knew he was terminally ill at this point. Seeing him get sentimental about his hero & break down & cry makes me cry every time. This performance is incredibly potent.

Watching the always unflappable Norm MacDonald break down and start crying tells you how caring and gentle a man he was. RIP ❤️

The last stand-up ever performed at the Late Show. Shows how Dave values Norm as a person and performer.

It’s crushing watching him control his emotions - knowing what was really coming.

the I.D joke gets me every single time

"i like to stretch my drug dollar" for most comedians would be a brilliant highlight or a whole ass punchline. For norm it's a throwaway

RIP, Norm. One of Canada's finest sons.

One of the best moments of my life was playing poker with Norm at Foxwoods in 2006 or so... I heard his laugh from across the poker room and immediately asked for a table change. 6 hours of sitting directly next to my absolute favorite comic of all time. Got a great set of pics with him after.. RIP to a great poker player, the GOAT of stand up and a great all around man

Norm once said in a radio interview that this was his best standup ever. I agree with him. This is an accumulation of his entire comedic style over a span of a career in one set. Every emotion was included in this set was raw and straight from Norm. He truly left us with the best set his body and brain could’ve done, and finished it off with true honesty. Thank you so much Norm for helping so many more people than you know. I am 25 years old. I was born in 98 and if Norm ever knew how big of a fan I am of literally everything he had ever done, I think it would surprise him. Seen every clip I can of this man. Every show appearance, every weekend update joke and I’m almost done with his book. He wasn’t just funny he was kind, his humor was even considerate unless you killed your wife and waiter of course. In which case, anything could happen. Truly one of a kind. Greatest comedic voice of all time.

No matter how many times I watch this clip, it always gets me in the end. For that man to be all alone up there on that stage with the knowledge his own finite mortality, telling no one all the way to the very end shows just how amazing he was. That was real emotion, and he knew he'd gone full circle, cashing out a huge part of his life. You have to respect that. RIP Normy!

Speaking on behalf of... the World, this was historical.

This man is coming grips to his own mortality and still trying to perform and he does so brilliantly. Boy is he missed.

From kinda 6.30 onwards Norm is mostly concentrating on not bursting into tears. I bloody love Norm. RIP

This may be the greatest Late Night stand up segment in history.

I understand they had to cut the musical part out to get it cleared, but the fact that it's missing the standing ovation they gave Norm and the consoling Dave did to norm, really takes the full emotional weight out of the video

Norm crying is the sweetest thing ever ❤️ rest in paradise legend

it may seem Norm got a little overly choked up, but he alone knew the preciousness of that moment more than anyone.

Still can’t get through this without crying - Norm was the best

He always wanted to be Carson’s last standup. How romantic that Norm ended up as Letterman’s last comic. “You’re a Letterman comic.”

He knew he was dying but didn't let us suffer. Love you Norm. 😢

In my humble opinion, the greatest standup set ever recorded. Makes me laugh and cry every time without fail.

You can hear a bit of Norm's old Letterman impression when he does the joke... I love it

He literally mimicked David Letterman's style. This is a masterclass.

5:57 the ability to turn such a heavy hearted moment, get an “aww” from the audience, and then he lets out that damn laugh and makes them laugh. That’s like the class clown making the class think he’s finally done, but has an ace up his sleeve. God, Norm was just something else.

Norm knowing he didn’t have much time left on this earth, really gets to me seeing how emotion he truly was

Norm talking about himself as a kid...knowing his time on this planet was coming to a close started the emotions...from there it was commendable that he could finish his set. I loved Norm McDonald and even more after seeing how deep a person he was. RIP Sir

An all-time set from an all-time comic. Norm was never more vulnerable than right here. He crushed it.

Just woke up & I laughed for a solid 8 minutes. Now I'm crying like a baby, rest in peace Norm!!!! 💕

What can I say that hasn't already been said? Norm was the rarest of gems.

In rewatching, i noyice how the emotions start when he recalls watching as a young man. It suddenly hits him, he is reminiscing about his childhood, the passage of time, such a sensitive man

One of the greatest of all time showing us the best he's got. Left it all on the stage. Legendary performance

We miss you bud. Thanks for all the laughs.

"what do you think you are, Mars or something?", Is the best line of the set.

One of the greatest 9 minutes in television history. Miss you so much Normy!

Please tell me I'm not alone with my Norm binge watching.... he just draws you into his crazy thought process.

No matter how many days,weeks, months or years pass away, we will always miss you. RIP Master Norm MacDonald.

Norm the legend was saying goodbye to us all that night. RIP Norm Mcdonald ❤️🙏

Norm getting choked up at the end is heart wrenching. He was such a sweet man.

He knew his time was ending soon and wanted to give his mentor and friend a good farewell. This is so beautiful, what a good human

You could see Norm’s adoration of Dave. And also knowing that he has little time left in life. I love Norm. A simple 8 minute set that has me rolling every single time. That’s how good he was. No one comes close to his timing, delivery and pure humanity in his comedic set. he was one of a kind.

One of those rare people in the world that can make you genuinely cry and laugh within seconds.

I absolutely broke in tears with Norm when I first saw the original broadcast. I still couldn't believe Letterman was retiring and suddenly I couldn't believe the most unhinged comedian of my teenage years was being so unapologetic raw on national TV. This moment made me stop being just a casual Norm fan to really start researching who Norm Macdonald really was. I remember some people on the Internet criticizing Letterman's reaction at the time but knowing David by watching his annoyance every time someone would say something nice to him about him, Letterman's embrace was one of the most sincere moments in his career. Norm knew that, the fans knew that. Norm have said that David was like a father figure to him in showbiz even though they've never hung out outside of the studio and it makes sense: one of the best scenes between the two was David angrier with Norm's dismissal from SNL than Norm himself. It's funny and emblematic and I'm sure Norm took Letterman's example as a human and cherished in his way. If it wasn't for Letterman there wouldn't be Norm Macdonald. Someday I'll find Norm in the audience of that 1978 show with Letterman doing his stand up comedy. It's on RU-vid and it's great.

Damn. He knew he hasn‘t got much time but came to make people laugh. Now I understand why he was so emotional.

One of the best Canadian comedians and top comedians overall. RIP Norm.

So glad I saw this as it aired. RIP to The King.

This segment was deeply touching back when it aired, and now it's heartbreaking. But it's still wonderful to see Norm have this experience and to show his love for Dave before the end of the series. And it's still damn funny.

This is a rare moment of genuine humanity on TV. That he was able to pull it together to deliver the last joke, speaks to Norm's level of professionalism.

For the ending was so sad I cried. Being emotional about everything these days myself because it's coming up on a 2-year anniversary of my wife's death a 43 years together. I don't know why I watch stuff like this when I know it's going to be sad but at the same time a psychologist told me a while back that is good to cry is that a lot of trapped emotions and stress. And it must be true because a few times while I take my blood pressure at home when I know it a little higher than usual, I just happened to be crying when I'm taking it and it actually is low. God bless you all❤

God I miss Norm, he died exactly one week before my daughter Madison passed away. The month of September is dead to me now. I miss you both Madison and Norm. R.I.P.

Norm proved to be the greatest by finally going for a "style" impression when telling the garbage truck joke "a la Letterman". He did an impression on SNL back in the 90s but it was sort of Norm-izing Dave. Here he Dave-ized Norm and the result is just great.

You may never see a more sincere performance than that one. Also Dave called him McDonald at the end instead of his usual exaggerated “MACdonald”

Unfortunately, I generationally missed the boat with Norm. It breaks my heart but at the same time brings me much joy to bear witness to this hilarious, loving, amazing man.

Not JUST a beautifully crafted set. Also a really touching human moment.

“ I like to stretch my drug dollar “ hahahaha! OMG, I violently laughed through the whole bit. I miss him.

Norm was hypersensitive. He coped through comedy. The result was greatness.

The pause after 'history buffs' is just golden.

it's such a throwaway line but the way he says 'somebody gotta feed them hogs' so casually always makes me laugh

He actually teared up, what a lad. Cool, touching speech from a friend to another

This was perfect from start to finish. What a battle axe Norm was.

Bro this still hits me to this day. Rip Norm 😢

God that ending shot. You can tell how very much comedy and Letterman's contributions to comedy mean to Norm in that shot. I think we're lucky in life if anything ever means that much to any of us. 💛✨️

Rest in peace, Norm. We miss you so much.

He tore my heart to pieces by the end, my god... Such an awesome man... Rip Norm, we miss you

it turns out Norm spent months on this 8 minute set too. He really really loved and respected Dave and knew this was it for him so he worked really hard on it. Greatest Canadian to have ever lived.

Norm knew at this point that he was dying so this wasn’t just about being sad that Letterman was no longer doing his show but that it was the last time he would get to do this in general

They cut out the sweetest bit, when Norm waited for Dave to embrace him. I am a man well comfortable with my skin and I say that was an important moment in the lives of both men and deserves to be included.

Dave thought Norm got sentimental cuz he's leaving the show. No, Norm knew it might be the last time he got to talk to him. That irony made me still devastated years after. What a treasure moment with profound sadness. We all witnessed it .

There was no one like Norm... and there is still no one like Norm. ❤️

The only time we saw norms true emotion stripped from the (genius) act of comedy. Truly special. I tear up every time.

Norm was the perfect comic to be the last one to perform on The Late Show.

Ok: I laughed and cried in a 8 minutes time span.

Rest in Peace I have literal chills and tears coming down that’s a man that wasn’t ready to leave us but the greats always leave us too early maybe cause God wants them up there with him

He brought his life in comedy full circle. So beautiful.

I think this might be the one time Norm showed actual sincerity.

This is incredibly poignant. I love Norm for being so vulnerable and open here. What a gem.

This must have been a very special moment for David as well.

There's not one person that won't miss you forever, Norm.

I've watched this so many times....many of them when Norm was still with us..... To watch this knowing he is gone....as well as knowing he was well aware he was "sick"at the time...... amplifies the sadness 100 fold.

Once he got into his swing, he couldn't even stop himself from laughing. I swear he comes up with half of the stuff on the spot.

This whole set was amazing...RIP Norm, and thanks to Letterman for being a great friend to him.

Every single thing about this is brave and real . . . just like Normie. Miss you, Norm. ❤

Norm already knew he had cancer when this was filmed. Adds so much more weight to this tribute.

I can't believe how well this short bit is going to hold up for YEARS! His timing was particularly great this night. Where nerves could have got him, honesty and appreciation and - great jokes - made a memorable moment! I've watched this so many times.

A brave, honest and incredibly talented gentleman. Thank you for bringing me so much joy over the years, Norm. Rest easy.

Norm knew what his condition was about when he did this performance. He hadn't told anyone and, in the end, hardly ever told anyone... But watching this, knowing what we know now about what Norm was going through (and would go through), makes his pronouncement of love and affection for Dave even more intensely important. And it hits like a goddam truck every time I watch it.

This guy was pure talent. After he said this would be the last time at the DL show, breaking character and cry, made me think that he knew what he never told to his friends or family... his battle and that literally it was going to be his final act. Respect to this amazing person 🙏

Norm and Dave.. Absolute giants in their craft. RESPECT.

I'm so glad we have so many recordings of Norm to enjoy. He's my guy!

Remember watching this when the show aired. Still makes me laugh today. Also makes me sad as I thought Norm was the funniest ever.