Remember the Time Norm MacDonald Almost Won a Million Dollars?



Norm MacDonald, a comedian whose style was characterized by deadpan delivery and the use of folksy, old-fashioned turns of phrase passed away in 2021. While there are many stories about his humor, the one that always surfaces is the time when he almost won a million dollars on the game show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? Norm was incredibly well-read and intelligent, despite what his sense of humor might have led people to believe. On November 12, 2000, he appeared on the Celebrity Edition of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, winning $500,000 for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Charity Camp. However, he could have won the million dollar prize had he ignored the advice of host Regis Philbin. Because the celebrities are playing for charity, there’s a joking atmosphere, where they would often help each other from the audience, since the money was guaranteed anyway. Norm didn’t want any of that and was adamant about taking the question part of it seriously in terms of trying to win legitimately. For his last question, Norm was on the fence. That’s when Regis talked him out of answering. Norm’s decision to keep the money he had and not answer the question ended up costing him $500,000.