Eddie Murphy Still Feels the Sting of David Spade's 'SNL' Joke

 Eddie Murphy is reflecting on some of the “cheap shots” he’s faced over the years. In an interview with the New York Times

Eddie Murphy / David Spade

the Oscar-nominated actor and comedian discussed whether he feels he’s received unfair treatment from the press and his peers.

“Back in the old days, they used to be relentless on me, and a lot of it was racist stuff,” Murphy said.

Murphy mentioned how different things were in the 1980s and brought up an incident involving David Spade on “Saturday Night Live.” In a December 1995 episode, Spade did a “Hollywood Minute” segment with a picture of Murphy, commenting, “Look children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish.” The joke came after Murphy's film “Vampire in Brooklyn” had flopped.

“It was like: ‘Yo, it’s in-house! I’m one of the family, and you’re f-king with me like that?’ It hurt my feelings,” Murphy said.

Murphy rose to stardom on “SNL” from 1980 to 1984 and is often credited with saving the show from cancellation. He felt the joke was personal and even racist. “All the people that have been on that show, you’ve never heard nobody make no joke about anybody’s career. Most people who get off that show don’t go on and have these amazing careers. It was personal,” he added. “It was like, ‘Yo, how could you do that?’”

Spade later wrote about feeling horrible after receiving a phone call from an upset Murphy, admitting, “Everybody in showbiz wants people to like them. But when you get reamed in a sketch or online, that stinks.”

Murphy has mostly avoided “SNL” over the years, though he appeared briefly in the 2015 40th anniversary special and returned as a host in 2019.

“In the long run, it’s all good; it worked out great. I’m cool with David Spade, and I’m cool with Lorne Michaels. I went back to SNL,” Murphy said this week. “It’s all love... but I had a couple of cheap shots!”

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