SNL

Norm Macdonald -- a veteran comedian, actor, writer and producer famous for 'SNL' and more -- has died.

According to his team, Macdonald passed away Tuesday after a multi-year, private battle with cancer that he kept hidden from the public, fighting the disease behind the scenes for nine years.

His longtime producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, says ... "He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him. Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly."

The revelation is absolutely stunning ... as Macdonald was a household name in comedy, and has been for decades. He's perhaps most famous for being one of the OG 'Weekend Update' co-hosts on 'Saturday Night Live' -- among many other TV shows and movies over the years.

He starred on 'SNL' from '93 to '98 ... what many consider the glory years of the sketch comedy series. Like many other comedians, 'Saturday' gave Norm his jumpstart -- and his career only skyrocketed from there.

Norm went on to star in (and make a number of memorable cameos) in famous flicks like 'Billy Madison,' 'Dirty Work,' 'Dr. Doolittle,' 'Screwed,' 'Deuce Bigalow,' 'Man on the Moon' ... and several other Sandler flicks. He also had his own sitcom, "Norm" ... plus his own talk show at varying points. Speaking of late-night, Norm was a regular guest for David Letterman, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, Larry King, Jay Leno, Howard Stern ... and many other iconic hosts.

His TV resume is just as impressive -- he starred in (and wrote for) 'Roseanne,' 'My Name is Earl,' 'The Drew Carey Show,' 'Family Guy,' 'The Fairly Odd Parents,' 'The Orville,' 'The Middle,' 'Sunnyside,' 'A Minute with Stan Hooper,' and many, many others.

Norm was infamous for his edgy humor -- which, of late, was clashing with modern-day sentiments ... including PC/cancel culture. In fact, the last time we saw him -- just a few years ago -- he was telling us that he couldn't really be funny anymore because of political correctness.

Keep in mind, Norm famously claimed NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer got him yanked him off 'Weekend Update' in 1997 because he kept slamming Ohlmeyer's pal O.J. Simpson with jokes about the double murders.

The guy was still hitting stages even in the past year ... he was doing standup at the Improv, talking coronavirus -- and despite him battling cancer right then and there, he still looked sharp ... maintaining the same witty humor he'd always had.

Norm is survived by his son, Dylan. He was just 61.

Horatio Sanz allegedly groomed a young 'SNL' fan for sex and sexually assaulted her at an after-party when she was underage ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The former "Saturday Night Live" star is being sued by a woman in Pennsylvania, who claims he groped her breasts and her butt and digitally penetrated her without her consent at an 'SNL' party back in the day, in front of numerous NBC employees.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Horatio allegedly sexually assaulted the girl back in May 2002 when she was 17 years old, plying her with booze at a couple 'SNL' parties in New York City.

The accuser, who is suing as a Jane Doe, claims she started talking to Horatio when she was 15 and running an 'SNL' fan website. In the docs, she claims Horatio immediately started grooming her, being flirty and affectionate when they met in person and steering online conversations in an increasingly sexual direction.

In the docs, the woman claims Horatio knew she was underage when he allegedly sexually assaulted her and says NBC should have known but never stepped in.

In her suit, Horatio's accuser claims she became depressed and ashamed after the alleged sexual assault ... and she turned to "dissociative drugs" as a way of self-medicating and was eventually hospitalized for treatment.

She claims she ran into Horatio in 2019 at an NYC comedy event, where he admitted to having "cybersex" with her and masturbating during their online convos when she was underage. She also claims he later fessed up in text messages to feeling terrible about his actions and vowed that he was now a different person.

The woman's suing Horatio, NBCUniversal and 'SNL' Studios and is going after them for damages.

We reached out to Horatio and 'SNL' ... so far, no word back.

Michael Che is half-heartedly trying to do damage control after sharing some harsh and tasteless jokes about Simone Biles dropping out of Olympic events.

The 'SNL' star announced late Thursday night on social media he intended to try out some Simone jokes on stage in NYC. That apparently set off a bunch of his followers ... who suggested some material he could add to his act, and Michael reposted them -- including one referencing now convicted molester, Larry Nassar ... Simone being one of his victims.

Che reposted, "Larry Nasser understands Simone Biles better than anyone. He too had to quit doing what he loved at the pinnacle of his career because of mounting pressure."

He critiqued it, writing ... "goddamn, that's rough. absolutely tasteless," but gave it a 9 out of 10. Again, Nassar was convicted of molesting 10 young women in the U.S. gymnastics program.

Che also shared a far less brutal "joke" when he reposted, "Who said black don't crack?"

It's unclear if he actually followed through and tried his, or any of his followers', material onstage. He claimed to have about 3 minutes worth of Biles material on his own.

Che clearly knew there would be severe online backlash for taking shots at such a beloved athlete. Early Friday morning he posted, "I got hacked today. can't believe they got me. yall kno I only do jokes about whites and cops."

For a couple of months now, John Mulaney's plans had been to file for divorce ... and he's finally pulled the trigger.

According to court records ... the comedian filed for divorce from Anna Marie Tendler Friday in New York court. They married on July 5, 2014, after meeting in the late 2000s on Martha's Vineyard.

It's unclear if they had a prenup or if they've struck a property settlement before filing ... but one thing we know ... this plan had been in the works for some time now. A spokesman for the comedian confirmed to Page Six he asked for a divorce back in February.

You may recall John had checked himself into rehab back in December for 60 days at a facility in Pennsylvania.

As we reported ... John struggled to stay sober during the pandemic. The comedian, who had been sober since he was 23, was no stranger to openly talking about his struggles ... admitting his dabbling with prescription and illegal drugs.

Chris Kattan allegedly pulled an anti-masker moment onboard an American Airlines flight, frightening other passengers and prompting airline staff to order him off the plane ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... the ex-'SNL' star had boarded the flight Monday from Dallas/Fort Worth to LAX, but his appearance startled several passengers who were seated near him in first class.

We're told Chris was stumbling and seemed sick, at least to other passengers ... partially because he had mucous hanging out of his nose when he leaned over. He was not wearing a mask at that point, and we're told passengers alerted flight attendants ... who brought him paper towels and ordered him to put on a mask.

We're told Chris did put one on -- the federal mask mandate is still in effect for air travel -- but left it below his nose ... and by now his behavior had other passengers on edge. Witnesses say he begged flight attendants not to boot him, and even asked if they'd seen him on 'SNL.'

Staffers asked him multiple times to pull up his mask, and warned if he didn't do it immediately their next call would be to the cops. At that point, he finally got up and left.

We've made calls to Kattan's team to get his side of the story, but so far ... no word back.

Pete Davidson says Timothee Chalamet has the best of both worlds -- talent and good looks -- and he finds it pretty annoying ... because Pete's not sure he has either.

The "Saturday Night Live" star joked about his pal while chatting with Gold Derby, but he mostly heaped praise on the "Call Me By Your Name" star ... calling him a genuinely nice and charming fella.

Pete says the 2 sorta knew each other through a mutual friend, but grew closer when Timothee hosted an ep of 'SNL' this past season ... and they worked together on multiple sketches.

As for 'SNL' ... Davidson hinted it might be the end of the line for him. He says this past season's finale was emotional because he doesn't know what the plan is going forward -- he says it's all "up in the air" -- but it certainly sounds like he's not quite ready to leave.

Lil Nas X brought 'SNL' to a grand finale Saturday night, but the performance was a little ... well, a little too tight.

Lil Nas was performing "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" during the show, and all the gyrating was too much for his pants, 'cause they split down the front.

It happens at around the 2:20 mark in the video, as he was dancing on a stripper pole. You see him drop low, and that's when his pants do the splits.

He's a pro, so he immediately grabbed his crotch -- Michael Jackson style -- so it wasn't super obvious ... but yeah, it happened.

He boldly glares right into the camera as it happens and then presses on to the end of the song.

Lil Nas X was the musical guest for the season 46 finale. Anya Taylor-Joy did the hosting honors.

He's a funny guy, tweeting after the show, “NOT MY PANTS RIPPED ON LIVE ON TV,” adding, “OMFG NO… I wanted to do my pole routine so bad this what I get lmaoo.”

He followed up saying, "at first i was afraid to even perform. then we rehearsed for 2 weeks, then all of the dancers got removed because one had covid and new ones had to learn the routine in 24 hours, and then i ended up ripping my pants and couldn’t finish. everything happens for a reason tho lol"

Confused about mask-wearing these days??? Well, this "Saturday Night Live" video won't help, but it's hilarious.

Kate McKinnon played a mean Dr. Anthony Fauci during the cold open of the show, which focused on confusion over mask-wearing in the wake of the CDC's new guidelines.

McKinnon, who has Fauci's voice down pat, walked us all through various scenarios which may or may not require masking up.

There's a scene on an airplane where a flight attendant and passenger talk masks, but they confess they're super horny and start to bang.

The skit then gets right up to the line as a dude goes to pick up a child from school as a school official discusses mask-wearing ... turns out the dude doesn't have kids.

It's funny, but the confusion is real, with states, local governments and businesses all over the board on mask-wearing.

Elon Musk's big reveal on "Saturday Night Live" -- that he has Asperger's -- has other folks who live with the disorder seeking out support groups for the first time in their lives.

Elon's surprise announcement moved 68-year-old Joe Graca to become a member of the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), where he's connecting with other folks going through the same things.

Joe, who discovered he has Asperger's when he was in his 50s, tells us he joined AANE Monday after Elon appeared on 'SNL' ... saying he likes the fact Musk didn't use Asperger's as a crutch, but showed how it can be a strength.

The Elon effect runs deeper than Joe ... Dania Jekel, AANE's executive director, tells us the org's website traffic saw an astounding 105% increase the day after the Tesla chief revealed during his monologue he lives with Asperger's.

Dania says the traffic boost has a direct correlation to Elon's announcement, telling us the fact a celebrity like Elon openly discussing the struggles he faces in front of millions of TV viewers will inspire others to consider they too might have Asperger's.

And, get this ... the AANE is now expecting to receive over 100 calls more than they'd usually see in a month, from people looking for the 4-1-1 on Asperger's or other kind support ... like Joe.

Elon Musk cast doubt on Dogecoin during 'SNL' -- but now, it seems his company is trying to take that back ... by sending a satellite to the moon ... funded exclusively by the cryptocurrency.

A company called Geometric Energy Corporation announced Sunday that they'll be launching an 88-lb cube to the moon sometime in early 2022 ... with the help of none other than SpaceX, Elon's pride and joy for space exploration. SpaceX confirmed the news, BTW.

They say this is gonna be the first-ever commercial lunar payload that's paid for entirely with Doge ... meaning, SpaceX is accepting the crypto from Geometric -- which will presumably fundraise/buy Dogecoin for this mission ... one they're calling DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon.

The cube -- which will be equipped with high-tech cameras/sensors to help obtain "lunar-spatial intelligence" upon touchdown -- is flying passengers aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Elon hasn't commented on the momentous moment just yet -- but one of his SpaceX execs did. Tom Ochinero, the Vice President of Commercial Sales, says ... "This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce." He adds, "We're excited to launch DOGE-1 to the Moon!"

Two things about this -- one, it looks like Elon wasn't kidding in April when he said SpaceX would be sending an actual Dogecoin to the moon. Also, this appears to be major damage control after Elon agreed with Michael Che Saturday, saying Dogecoin was a "hustle."

That comment helped send the meme coin plummeting ... losing upwards of 37% of value in a matter of minutes. Now, it looks like they're trying to re-legitimize it once more.

Elon Musk took a hard left turn from comedy as he hosted 'SNL' Saturday night ... announcing he has Asperger's.

He made the announcement at the beginning of his monologue, speaking in a monotone voice. Musk revealed he's the first "Saturday Night Live" host with Asperger Syndrome.

However, Dan Aykroyd, a former 'SNL' cast member, also has Asperger’s and hosted the show in 2003.

Asperger Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It manifests itself with major difficulties in engaging in social interactions and nonverbal communication. It is characterized as an autism spectrum disorder. It does not affect one's intelligence or language abilities. People with autism can experience physical and communication difficulties.

Elon was funny ... he seemed relaxed and was super self-deprecating. He joked about how he smoked a joint on Joe Rogan's podcast and now everyone thinks he's a pothead.

He also told an O.J. Simpson joke ... that O.J. too had hosted twice "and he killed it."

Elon, who's 49, brought his mom, Maye Musk, on stage for a sweet moment that was also kinda funny.

Elon Musk did well for himself on 'SNL' Saturday night, but his appearance did NOT do well for Dogecoin ... because its value plunged during the show.

Fans of Dogecoin were banking on Musk's on-air explanation of the cryptocurrency to drive the price to $1. That would have been a huge jump because just before the show it was hovering around 70 cents.

The opposite happened ... its value plummeted to 47 cents at the beginning of the show, and then partially recovered by bouncing back to 55 cents at around 2 AM ET.

At the time of this post, Dogecoin is down more than 37%.

The trading platform Robinhood seemed to panic, saying, "We’re currently experiencing issues with crypto trading. We're working to resolve this as soon as possible."

Musk talked about Dogecoin on the "Weekend Update" segment, playing a dude named Lloyd Ostertag who tried to explain to Michael Che and Colin Jost what exactly Dogecoin is, finally coming to the conclusion that didn't do it any favors.

Elon's been a fan of Dogecoin for a while now. We got him out in February when he gave some words of wisdom about investing and caution.

"Saturday Night Live" thinks Elon Musk hosting is an international affair -- they're doing something brand new to get as many eyeballs as possible watching ... around the whole dang world.

NBC made a massive announcement Saturday ... saying that tonight's episode -- starring Musk -- would be live streamed on YouTube, so different countries could tune in altogether. This appears to be the first time the network has done this, BTW ... so it's a big deal.

This stream will be available to over 100 countries, from down under to Africa ... and presumably, everything else in between. NBCU's chairman, Frances Berwick, says 'SNL' is a global phenomenon ... and this move highlights that.

She adds, "It’s incredibly exciting to create this worldwide event with host Elon Musk and musical guest Miley Cyrus." Unclear if this is the start of a regular thing, or just a one-off -- it appears to be the former, though. If that's the case ... talk about pressure, huh?!?

Elon's episode already promised to be one the most watched episodes in a long time ... as many think it'll either be a home run or a train wreck. Either way, people wanna watch.

Now ... it looks like that hype has been multiplied by 10, since there'll be potentially hundreds of millions (maybe even billions?!?) of people tuning in. And, of course, that means the skits better be damn good too ... maybe even a little better than Baby Shark Tank, a brainchild of Elon's.

There's no telling what's in store as far as content -- but a lot of folks are anticipating a major Dogecoin plug from the Tesla wiz ... who's kinda stepped in as a shepherd of sorts for the meme cryptocurrency, which many think is "going to the moon" with more exposure.

Looks like there's definitely gonna be some Doge-themed material ... at least based on Miley's not-so-subtle tease earlier Saturday. She posted a throwback clip of herself speaking gibberish ... which she said is what Elon sounds like trying to explain Dogecoin to her.

Welp, if they wanted publicity and fanfare ... they got it and then some. 'SNL' is set to begin at 8:30 PM PT, with a live broadcast on the East Coast as well. So if you're on the other side of the world and sleeping at that time ... ya better wake your ass up.

Here it is ... your first chance to judge Elon Musk's "Saturday Night Live" hosting skills, and he's leaning into the idea it could be total chaos. Or, just another 'SNL.'

In the first promos for his gig, the Tesla and SpaceX founder is kinda acknowledging all the buzz about him being the show's first controversial host in quite some time. As the polarizing figure himself puts it ... he's a "wild card" who could do just about anything.

Musical guest Miley Cyrus was by his side, but cast star Cecily Strong delivered the punchlines with a reminder their moms will be in the audience because it's a Mother's Day show.

In a second spot, Elon brags about SpaceX's most recent successful rocket launch ... and again, Cecily gets the punchline about doing her laundry. Pretty standard 'SNL' stuff.

Of course, a lot of people -- 'SNL' fans and even some cast members -- have expressed disapproval of one of the richest people in the world, who's not an entertainer, hosting.

However, other SNL stars like Pete Davidson and Michael Che have publicly supported Musk hosting and claim there's no issue among the cast ... and SNL alum Conan O'Brien told us this week that it's pretty common for non-professional comedians like Elon to end up being the best hosts.

Conan O'Brien says non-professional comedians like Elon Musk make perfect 'SNL' hosts ... and funny ones too, so he says viewers might be pleasantly surprised.

We got Conan Wednesday on his way out of the famous L.A. diner Swingers, and he gave us some insight on what Elon and the 'SNL' cast are going through right now. Remember, he was a writer on the show from 1988 to 1991. He revealed it's actually the non-comedians he considered "dream guests" back in the day when he was one of the show's writers.

Conan tells us the fact Elon isn't a comedian or an actor makes him a dream guest -- or at least it did back in his day. Not buying it? Well, watch the clip ... Conan explains his "fish outta water" theory for getting big laughs in sketches.

Our photog tried to get him to suggest some new material for Elon, but Conan's no fool ... and we can't afford his rate.

As for some 'SNL' cast members publicly grousing about Lorne Michaels' decision to have Elon host this weekend -- Conan says a lot sure has changed since his time there.

BTW, we also got Pete Davidson arriving at Rockefeller Center and the funny man sang Elon's praises. Seems he wasn't one of the cast members pissed about working with Elon.

Elon Musk still doesn't seem to know what the heck's in store for his big debut on "Saturday Night Live" ... and he's even resorted to asking photogs about what skits he should do.

The Tesla CEO is in NYC Tuesday, days ahead of taking the stage at NBC Studios -- where he'll be hosting 'SNL' -- and the moment he showed his face in the streets he was swarmed ... mostly by autograph seekers who shoved dozens of Sharpies and photos in his face.

Of course, the one thing on everyone's mind is what he's got in store for Saturday's show. Check it out -- sounds like Elon still isn't entirely sure, but hey ... it's only Tuesday.

He regurgitated some ideas he was spitballing on Twitter over the weekend ... including Baby Shark Tank and a Dogecoin riff. Doesn't seem like he's touched base with 'SNL' staff quite yet.

BTW, Elon's appearance in the Big Apple is a family affair ... he touched down at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey Monday night with none other this his partner, Grimes, and their baby boy, X Æ A-12, in tow.

EM was handling cradling duties as they exited to a waiting vehicle, and he seemed to be doing a damn good job at it too. Meaning ... he didn't drop the kid!!!