Norm Macdonald Faces Backlash for Defending Roseanne Barr, Louis C.K. and Chris Hardwick

He also said he's "happy the #MeToo movement has slowed down"

BY Sarah MurphyPublished Sep 12, 2018

Norm Macdonald's new show Norm Macdonald Has a Show hasn't even come out yet, and he's already facing major backlash. In a new interview, he voiced sympathy and support for Roseanne Barr, Louis C.K. and Chris Hardwick, and is now facing the wrath of Twitter and late-night TV execs.
 
The comedian spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about a couple of his close friends who have become Hollywood pariahs of late — C.K. (who wrote the foreword to Macdonald's recent memoir) and Barr (who gave Macdonald his first break with a writing job on Roseanne). He also denounced the #MeToo movement.
 
Criticizing both left-wing liberalism and hard-right conservatism, Macdonald declared that "everyone is a fucking idiot" and said he hopes that "the pendulum will slow down in the next four years."
 
"I'm happy the #MeToo movement has slowed down a little bit," he continued. "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.' And then you're like, 'What?' Like, that Chris Hardwick guy I really thought got the blunt end of the stick there."
 
When pressed about people who admitted to wrongdoing, Macdonald didn't let up.

"The model used to be: admit wrongdoing, show complete contrition and then we give you a second chance," he said. "Now it's admit wrongdoing and you're finished. And so the only way to survive is to deny, deny, deny. That's not healthy — that there is no forgiveness."
 
Macdonald continued, explaining that after Barr lost her show over racist tweets, he put her in touch with the only person he knew who could empathize — Louis C.K., who lost his FX show, Netflix special and film release after confessing to sexual misconduct allegations.
 
"There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day," Macdonald said. "Of course, people will go, 'What about the victims?' But you know what? The victims didn't have to go through that."
 
Read the full Hollywood Reporter interview here.
 
Understandably, Twitter lost its mind over Macdonald's defence of Barr and C.K., and his criticism of #MeToo.
 
Since the backlash, Macdonald has taken to Twitter to offer a response. He called Barr and C.K. his "very good friends," but denied that he defended their actions. He also apologized for "minimizing the pain" of their victims.
 
Despite the apology, NBC cancelled Macdonald's scheduled appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night (September 11).
 
As of now, Norm Macdonald Has a Show is still scheduled to premiere on Netflix on September 14.

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