Canadian stand-up veteran Norm Macdonald was booted from his appearance on Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday

Former Saturday Night Live performer Norm Macdonald was told he could not appear on Jimmy Fallon's show Tuesday night because his comments on the #MeToo movement made senior producers cry.

Macdonald told Howard Stern on Wednesday morning he had arrived early at NBC to tape a segment called True Confessions with fellow guest Matthew McConaughey when he was told he needed to leave.

The Canadian stand-up veteran told the radio host initially he had been approached by nondescript staffers, who explained Fallon would have to address Macdonald's controversial comments during the show.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter printed on Tuesday morning, Macdonald said he was 'happy the #MeToo movement had slowed down a little bit.'

Macdonald said people used to receive a second chance, but now 'there is no forgiveness.'

Macdonald said he had linked up Louis C.K, who was accused of sexual misconduct, with Roseanne Barr, who was fired from her show in May for racist comments, so they could talk about what had happened.

Macdonald said he had arrived early to tape a segment, just hours after he told the Hollywood reporter he wanted Louis CK and Roseanne Barr to get together and commiserate because they had lost everything to the #MeToo movement. These comments made senior producers at the Tonight Show cry, he said

Louis CK was accused, and admitted to, masturbating in front of women without consent, while Roseanne Barr likened an African American former Obama staffer to a cross between 'the Muslim brotherhood and planet of the apes'. Both were shunned by the entertainment industry immediately, destroying their careers

'There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day,' he said.

'Of course, people will go, "What about the victims?" But you know what? The victims didn't have to go through that.'

Macdonald was slammed online for his remarks, by people who thought he was dismissing those who had revealed themselves to be victims of sexual assault, and by others who saw his comments as trying to defend Barr and CK.

After speaking with the staffers, Fallon himself dropped in to talk to him. The pair agreed they would discuss Macdonald's comments after their interview.

Macdonald said he and Fallon agreed he would not do the show on Tuesday as not to damage the brand, after Fallon revealed the staff's distress that Macdonald would appear

Macdonald said producers had suggested he start the show with stage an apology, which he declined to do - telling Howard Stern it would have ruined the show - before Fallon returned red-faced.

'Jimmy came back in. They were just about to start and he goes: "Can I talk to you buddy?" And he said, he was very, very broken up about it, he didn't want this, but he said, "I don't know what to do",' Macdonald told Stern.

'I said, "You think I shouldn't do the show?". He said: "People are crying", [Fallon said].

'I said, "People are crying?" "Yeah", he said, "my senior producers are crying".

'I said, "Good Lord, bring them in and let me talk to them". I didn't even know I had the capacity to make people cry. So I felt so bad from that comment.

'Jimmy said, "Come back whatever you want but I think it will hurt the show tonight". I said, "Jimmy, I don't want to hurt your show. That's the last thing I want to do is hurt your show".'

Macdonald told Howard Stern he had been misconstrued, and felt 'great sorrow' he had hurt people or been thought to have minimized the pain of victims of sexual assault

Macdonald apologised on Twitter, telling followers: 'Roseanne and Louis have both been very good friends of mine for many years.

'They both made terrible mistakes and I would never defend their actions. If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain that their victims feel to this day, I am deeply sorry.'

The stand-up apologised on Howard Stern as well, telling the host he had 'great sorrow' people misconstrued his comments.

'I have so many women in my family and so many women I know that terrible things have happened to them. I am completely behind the #MeToo movement,' he said.

He tried to clarify: 'Only a few people in the whole world have gone through this thing where everything is stripped from them'.

'I wasn't saying that was way worse than what victims go through. What the victims went through was horrible.'