Without specifically criticizing Norm Macdonald for revealing on Twitter that Eddie Murphy declined to impersonate Bill Cosby during Saturday Night Live‘s 40th Anniversary Show, Seth Meyers nevertheless told Howard Stern that it’s not something he personally would’ve done (at 16:05 in the video above):
“I wouldn’t have told it,” he said. “When you’re at SNL, you’re seeing so many different things behind the scenes, and I get that the world wants to hear what’s going on back there, but you don’t want to draw back the curtain.”
Meyers suggested that some things are okay to reveal about the behind-the-scenes machinations of the show, but that this particular story wasn’t Norm’s story to reveal. It was Eddie Murphy’s story to tell.
That said, Meyers was respectful of Norm Macdonald and his decision.
“Norm played it in a way that is very Norm MacDonald, and I couldn’t be a bigger Norm MacDonald fan. Those who love Norm were probably happy. I just think that it wasn’t [Norm’s story to tell].”
Meyers doesn’t expect any repercussions from Lorne Michaels, however. “People come to your show, and then they leave your show, and it’s not [Lorne’s] job to be [his] parent.”
I’m not saying that Norm Macdonald would, but he could suggest that the amazing behind-the-scenes story about Bill Murray’s “Lost Theme from Jaws“ wasn’t Seth Meyers’ story to tell, either. It was Bill Murray’s story, and Jim Downey’s story.
We certainly aren’t complaining either way because we got two great stories from SNL 40 out of it.
