July 1st 2024.
Eddie Murphy still carries some lingering resentment over a particular moment on Saturday Night Live back in 1995. In a recent interview with The New York Times, the 63-year-old actor opened up about the incident involving a joke made by David Spade, which Murphy believed to be racially motivated.
During a sketch on SNL, Spade poked fun at Murphy's career, specifically his film Vampire in Brooklyn, which had not performed well at the box office. In his "Hollywood Minute" segment, Spade showed a photo of Murphy and joked, “Look children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish.” Murphy was hurt by the joke and saw it as a cheap shot with racist undertones.
To Murphy, this was especially devastating because he was a key figure in the success of SNL in the 1980s. He even saved the show from potential cancellation when he returned as a guest host. He couldn't believe that someone from the show's own cast would make such a joke about his career.
Murphy also expressed his disappointment in the fact that the joke had to go through various channels before it aired, and no one saw a problem with it. He pointed out that no one had ever made a joke about someone's career on the show before, and he felt personally targeted and attacked.
In addition to this incident, Murphy also shared his experience with being racially targeted by the media. As he gained more fame and success, he noticed that his words and actions were often misconstrued to portray a "ghetto" image of him. He recalled how, in the 1980s, during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, interviews would be written in a way that did not accurately reflect how he spoke.
Murphy also mentioned the negative backlash he faced from both white and Black people as he rose to fame. He explained how being a young, wealthy, and successful Black man made some people uncomfortable, and he often received cheap shots from those who were not happy with his success.
Despite the initial hurt and resentment, Murphy shared that his relationship with Spade and the SNL team has since been smoothed over. He even returned to host the show in 2019, which resulted in him winning his first Emmy Award. Looking back, Murphy can now say that everything worked out for the best, and he has no hard feelings towards anyone involved. In his words, "It's all love."
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