Eddie Murphy vs. “SNL.”
The comedian, 64, is looking back on his years-long beef with the NBC sketch comedy program in his new Netflix documentary, “Being Eddie.”
Murphy, who shot to stardom as a cast member on “SNL” from 1980 to 1984, explained how he felt betrayed by the show for letting David Spade make a joke at his expense 30 years ago.
“It’s like your alma mater taking a shot at you,” Murphy said. “At my career, not how funny I was. Called me a falling star.”
In 1995, Spade, 61, did a sketch called “Hollywood Minute” where he showed a picture of Murphy, whose horror movie “Vampire in Brooklyn” bombed at the box office, and said: “Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish.”
Spade’s diss hurt Murphy’s feelings, but Murphy put more of the blame on the show itself.
“If there was a joke now about a former ‘SNL’ cast member, about how f–ked up their career was, it would get shot down,” Murphy recalled in the doc. “It went through all those channels that the joke has to go through and then it was on the air.”
“So I wasn’t, like, f–k David Spade, I was like, f–k ‘SNL,’ the “Shrek” star continued. “‘That’s what y’all think of me? Oh, you dirty mother f—ers.’ And that’s why I didn’t go back for years.”
But nearly 25 years later, Murphy gave up his grudge and hosted “SNL” in December 2019 — after his movie career took a bit of a dive.
“People don’t realize I’ve taken a break. Let me get off this couch to remind them that I’m funny and that I have not fallen off,” he remembered thinking at the time. “I’m on the couch by choice.”
Murphy continued, “And then I was like, ‘You know what, f–k this. ‘SNL’ is part of my history. I need to reconnect with that show cause that’s where I come from.’”
The Oscar nominee also confirmed he’s made amends with “SNL” and Spade. He even appeared in the show’s 50th anniversary special earlier this year.
“That little friction I had with ‘SNL’ was 35 years ago. I don’t have no smoke with David Spade. I don’t have heat with any of that or nobody,” he said in the doc. “I was like, ‘Hey, let me go to ‘SNL’ and smooth it all out.’ And I did.”
The Post has reached to to Spade and “SNL” for comment.
Murphy spoke about the “SNL” drama in a New York Times interview in June, admitting that he felt Spade’s joke was “racist.”
“The show would have been off the air if I didn’t go back on the show, and now you got somebody from the cast making a crack about my career?” the “Norbit” actor explained. “And I know that he can’t just say that. A joke has to go through these channels. So the producers thought it was OK to say that.”
“It was like, ‘Yo, how could you do that?’ My career? Really? A joke about my career?’ So I thought that was a cheap shot. And it was kind of, I thought — I felt it was racist,” added Murphy.
But Murphy told the NYT that he’s “cool” now with Spade and “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels.
“I’m cool with everybody,” he shared. “It’s all love.”
Spade, for his part, said in his 2015 memoir, “Almost Interesting,” that he eventually understood why Murphy was upset by the joke.
“I try not to think of the casualties when I do rough jokes, but there are consequences sometimes,” the “Benchwarmers” actor wrote. “I know for a fact that I can’t take it when it comes my way. It’s horrible for all the same reasons. I’ve come to see Eddie’s point on this one.”
“Being Eddie” is streaming on Netflix.
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