Lorne Michaels, John Oliver pay tribute to Norm Macdonald at the Emmys

As the comedy world continues to mourn Norm Macdonald, Emmy winners are paying tribute.

At Sunday's Emmys, Saturday Night Live won the award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. During his acceptance speech, show creator Lorne Michaels paid tribute to Macdonald, the former Saturday Night Live star who famously anchored "Weekend Update" in the 1990s. The comedian died on Sept. 14 after a private battle with cancer.

"'Weekend Update' has been part of SNL for 46 seasons, and here I'd like to pay tribute to one of the best we ever had, Norm Macdonald," Michaels said.

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Last Week Tonight host John Oliver also paid tribute to Macdonald after accepting the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Talk Series, reflecting that "no one was funnier" on late night talk shows than him. Oliver joked during his speech that he hoped Conan O'Brien would have won the award instead of him, and he ultimately recommended viewers head to YouTube to watch classic clips of Macdonald on O'Brien's show.

"It just doesn't get better than that," he said.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.