--- title: Norm MacDonald Criticized for Defense of Louis and Roseanne description: Norm MacDonald has come under fire for defending Louis CK and Roseanne in a new interview. canonical: https://time.com/5393657/norm-macdonald-me-too/ author: Ashley Hoffman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-09-12T14:25:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:54:48.467Z og:title: Norm MacDonald Criticized for Defending Louis CK and Roseanne og:description: "The victims didn’t have to go through that” og:url: https://time.com/5393657/norm-macdonald-me-too/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt954f80ec1d3fdf52/698939fc4ee2624d05312d34/normmacdonaldmetoo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4501 og:image:height: 2532 og:image:alt: Saban Community Clinic's 50th Anniversary Dinner Gala og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Norm MacDonald Criticized for Defending Louis CK and Roseanne twitter:description: "The victims didn’t have to go through that” twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt954f80ec1d3fdf52/698939fc4ee2624d05312d34/normmacdonaldmetoo.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Norm MacDonald Criticized for Defending Louis C. 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Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=167e8906-26ba-480f-9c2e-c23e7ea6d668&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1) by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Sep 12, 2018 2:25 PM UTC  Comedian Norm MacDonald performs on stage in November 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images) Comedian Norm MacDonald performs on stage in November 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images) Greg Doherty—Getty Images by [Ashley Hoffman](https://time.com/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Sep 12, 2018 2:25 PM UTC [Norm MacDonald](http://time.com/5376655/new-on-netflix-september-2018/) has drawn criticism for saying that [Louis C.K.](http://time.com/5380197/louis-ck-performs-reactions/) and Roseanne Barr deserve a another chance in an interview that led to a cancelled _Tonight Show_ appearance and an apology. “There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day,” Macdonald told [_The Hollywood Reporter_](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-norm-macdonalds-new-talk-show-wont-target-trump-1141832), referencing C.K. and Barr. “Of course, people will go, ‘What about the victims?’ But you know what? The victims didn’t have to go through that.” In May, ABC canceled _Roseanne_ after the show titular star Barr came under fire for racist comments against Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser for Barack Obama. And in 2017, C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct after five women came forward to accuse him C.K. In the interview about his new [Netflix](http://time.com/5376655/new-on-netflix-september-2018/) special, _Norm MacDonald Has a Show_, MacDonald also bemoaned the current wave of topical comedy, saying he insisted that his show would feature “nothing topical.” “I’m happy the #MeToo movement has slowed down a little bit. It used to be, ‘One hundred women can’t be lying.’ And then it became, ‘One woman can’t lie.’ And that became, ‘I believe all women,'” he said. “And then you’re like, ‘What?’” His comments drew swift criticism online. > [](https://twitter.com/onlxn/status/1039544732320296960) > [](https://twitter.com/kathygriffin/status/1039660523871252481) > [](https://twitter.com/poniewozik/status/1039588632200466432) > [](https://twitter.com/SorayaMcDonald/status/1039545911918161922) > [](https://twitter.com/SopanDeb/status/1039582036812619777) Just 10 hours after the interview was published, MacDonald said on Twitter that he was “deeply sorry.” “Roseanne and Louis have both been very good friends of mine for many years. They both made terrible mistakes and I would never defend their actions. If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain that their victims feel to this day, I am deeply sorry,” the tweet read. > [](https://twitter.com/normmacdonald/status/1039661638629187585) MacDonald was scheduled to appear on _The Tonight Show Jimmy Fallon_ on Tuesday night, but the late night show cancelled his appearance. “Out of sensitivity to our audience and in light of Norm Macdonald’s comments in the press today, ‘The Tonight Show’ has decided to cancel his appearance on Tuesday’s telecast,” an [NBC statement to _Variety_ ](https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/norm-macdonald-tonight-show-cancel-metoo-1202937839/)said. Netflix did not immediately return a request for comment. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5393657/norm-macdonald-me-too/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5393657/norm-macdonald-me-too/"},"headline":"Norm MacDonald Criticized for Defending Louis C. 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