Norm Macdonald, one of the funniest men alive, will be a primetime fixture this summer as he replaces comic Russell Peters as one of the three judges on “Last Comic Standing.” A former “Roseanne” writer, Macdonald joins returning judges Keenan Ivory Wayans and Roseanne Barr.
Macdonald will not the first funny judge on LCS, which has employed Andy Kindler and Greg Giraldo as judges as well.
The series will also get a new host for its ninth season, with comic and “Jeselnick Offensive” host Anthony Jeselnick taking over for JB Smoove. Prior hosts were Jay Mohr, Anthony Clark, Bill Bellamy, Feame Cotton and Craig Robinson.
From the press release:
‘LAST COMIC STANDING’ RETURNS IN SUMMER WITH JUDGES ROSEANNE BARR, KEENEN IVORY WAYANS AND NEW JUDGE NORM MACDONALDNew Host Anthony Jeselnik Joins Series as Wanda Sykes Returns as Executive Producer
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. — March 12, 2015 — America’s most compelling comedy competition is back this summer when NBC’s Emmy Award-nominated series “Last Comic Standing” returns with new judge Norm Macdonald alongside current judges and comedy icons Roseanne Barr and Keenen Ivory Wayans.
Comedy Central roast veteran Anthony Jeselnik will join the fun as the new host of the season.
Emmy Award winner Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz, producing partners at Push It Productions, will once again executive produce, along with Javier Winnik (“Peter Pan Live!”).
“Last Comic Standing” resumes its search for the funniest comic in the country with its most accomplished panel of judges to date, surprise celebrity guests and a new riveting head-to-head phase of the competition. The new eight-episode season will open up with hilarious auditions by invitation only. The top 100 comics in America will vie for 40 spots. These 40 will then compete in a semifinal round and the best of the best will emerge, with the top 10 moving into the compelling new head to head round. In this phase, they will be paired in a high stakes single-elimination round of stand-up stand offs.
The top five comedians will move on to the finals, where the funniest of all will take the coveted title of “Last Comic Standing,” winning an incredible prize package worth $250,000, including a development deal for their own television show.
“We are excited that Norm is joining Roseanne and Keenen in helping us find America’s newest comedy star,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment. “This is a hugely talented and iconic panel. Anthony will add his unique quick-witted humor as the host of the show.”
“Last Comic Standing” has a history of showcasing aspiring comics who go on to highly successful careers. Previous “LCS” contestants include Amy Schumer, who currently has her own series on Comedy Central, has a huge stand-up following and a burgeoning film career; Cristela Alonzo, who has a self-titled sitcom at ABC; Iliza Shlesinger, whose “Freezing Hot” Netflix special recently premiered; Gabriel Iglesias, who consistently sells out venues across the country; “Late Show with David Letterman” favorite Tommy Johnagin, who will write and star in his own CBS pilot; and Fortune Feimster, a longtime writer for “Chelsea Lately” who will star in the ABC pilot “Family Fortune” from executive producer Tina Fey.
Norm Macdonald is perhaps best known for his five seasons as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” where he was known for anchoring “Weekend Update” and his several impressions, including Burt Reynolds, Bob Dole and David Letterman. Macdonald also wrote for the popular ABC sitcom “Roseanne” and starred in “The Norm Show,” which ran four seasons. He recently has a recurring arc on ABC’s “The Middle.” In 1998, Macdonald co-wrote and starred in the cult-classic film “Dirty Work.” Macdonald also played the voice of Lucky the dog in all three of Eddy Murphy’s “Dr. Doolittle” films and is famous for playing Death in the comedy series “Family Guy.” Macdonald is a favorite of Oscar-winning director Milos Forman, who cast him in “The People vs. Larry Flint” as well as the Andy Kaufman biopic “Man on the Moon.”
In 2000, Macdonald starred alongside fellow comedian Dave Chappelle in the film “Screwed.” In 2010, Macdonald rejoined Adam Sandler to appear in the hit comedy “Grown Ups.” In 2008, Macdonald returned to television to appear on the “Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget.” In 2011, Macdonald hosted the critically acclaimed Comedy Central series “Sports Show.” That same year, Macdonald debuted his widely lauded one-hour stand-up special, “Norm Macdonald: Me Doing Stand-Up.” Throughout his entire career, Macdonald has never stopped doing stand-up and remains at the top of his game.
Hailing from Pittsburgh, stand-up comedian Anthony Jeselnik first received national attention with his stand-out performances on the Comedy Central roasts of Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen and Roseanne Barr. He was named one of Variety’s 10 Comics to Watch in 2008 and one of Comedy Central’s Hot Comics in 2009. Subsequently, Jeselnik starred in and created his own critically acclaimed Comedy Central series, “The Jeselnik Offensive.” In addition, Jeselnik has performed on “The Tonight Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Conan,” and was the first stand-up comic to appear on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” for which he was also a writer. He received an Emmy nomination for his work on “A Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education.” In 2010, he released his critically acclaimed debut comedy album, “Shakespeare,” and followed it up in 2013 with “Caligula” to rave reviews.
