US comedian Norm Macdonald's appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" has been hastily cancelled after he stirred controversy with his #MeToo remarks.
US network NBC says out of sensitivity to its audience, the decision has been made to cancel Mcdonald's appearance on the show, scheduled for Tuesday night.
Macdonald referred to how Louis C.K, Chris Hardwick and Roseanne Barr were treated in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter and said he was happy the pace of the #MeToo movement had slowed."
"It used to be, 'One hundred women can't be lying.' And then it became, 'One woman can't lie.' And that became, 'I believe all women.' And then you're like, 'What?' Like, that Chris Hardwick guy I really thought got the blunt end of the stick there," Mcdonald said.
Macdonald apologised for his comments but NBC has pushed ahead with its decision.
"Out of sensitivity to our audience and in light of Norm Macdonald's comments in the press today, 'The Tonight Show' has decided to cancel his appearance on Tuesday's telecast," NBC said in a statement.
Mcdonald also stated that he felt Roseanne Barr's was treated harshly in the storm that ensued after she likened Valerie Jarrett to an ape in an early morning tweet in May. She was sacked and her "Roseanne" sitcom revival was cancelled within hours (it was ultimately revived as "The Conners" without Barr's involvement).
Macdonald, who got his start as a writer working on Barr's original ABC series, described Barr's struggle with the swirl of events.
"But she was just so broken and just crying constantly. There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day. Of course, people will go, "What about the victims?" But you know what? The victims didn't have to go through that," Macdonald said.
Macdonald apologised later for "minimising the pain" of victims of sexual abuse and harassment with his comments.
Australian Associated Press