Chadwick Boseman and Jessica Walter were also recognized posthumously with nominations on Tuesday.
Norm Macdonald earned a posthumous Emmy nod on Tuesday, as the nominations for the 74th Emmy Awards were announced. The comedian's standup special, Nothing Special, was released posthumously on Netflix, following his death after a lengthy battle with cancer in September 2021, and was recognized with a Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded).
Nothing Special was recorded in the comedian's living room, according to a press release from Netflix. The celebrated comic recorded the performance alone, and delivered the entire thing in one take. The special is capped by a half-hour discussion from some of Macdonald's famous friends, including Dave Chappelle, David Letterman, Adam Sandler, David Spade, Conan O'Brien and Molly Shannon.
Macdonald had been preparing new material for some time, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, venues were shuttered across the country, which left the Saturday Night Live alum without a place to perform. Knowing he was sick, he opted to record the material himself.
"Norm worked so hard on a new hour of material and wanted it to be seen. While this version of Nothing Special was not originally meant to be the final product, COVID restrictions prevented him from filming in front of an audience," shared Macdonald's longtime producing partner, Lori Jo Hoekstra, in Netflix's release. "We want to make sure his fans see this very funny hour. He left this gift for all of us."
Macdonald wasn't the only star to land a posthumous nod this year. Chadwick Boseman was also recognized for voicing his Black Panther character, T'Challa, in Marvel's animated series, What If...? And the late Jessica Walter scored her second consecutive posthumous nod for her celebrated voice role on Archer.
The 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards air live on Monday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. In the meantime, stay tuned to ETonline.com for complete Emmys coverage.
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