Eddie Murphy Claims Racism, Still Fuming Over David Spade SNL Joke From 1995

Eddie Murphy is still holding grudges against Saturday Night Live — particularly, David Spade.

In a recent episode of The New York Times‘ podcast The Interview, Murphy said he received unfair treatment from the press and his peers over the years. The Oscar-nominated actor and comedian explained it “was a whole different world” when he was coming up in the 1980s.

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

But he mentioned one specific instance that really got under his skin, and it happened in a 1995 episode of SNL. During Spade’s “Hollywood Minute” segment on “Weekend Update,” the comedian showed a picture of Murphy and said, “Look children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish.”

Eddie Murphy is still not happy about a joke David Spade made nearly 30 years ago.

(Getty Images)

The jab came after Murphy’s film, Vampire in Brooklyn, had flopped at the box office. And given that Murphy himself was an SNL alum, he thought the joke crossed the line. He was part of the core cast from 1980 to 1984.

“When David Spade said that sh*t about my career on SNL it was like, ‘Yo, it’s in-house! I’m one of the family, and you’re f*cking with me like that?’ It hurt my feelings,” Murphy said. “The producers thought it was OK to say that. All the people that have been on that show, you’ve never heard nobody make no joke about anybody’s career. Most people that get off that show, they don’t go on and have these amazing careers. 

“It was personal. 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.”

During the segment in question, Spade pokes fun at a wide range of celebrities. He says Heather Locklear can’t act, and Tony Danza’s work is lame and contrived. He mocks Michael Jackson for the allegations of child molestation and Anna Nicole Smith for her drug use. He even made a joke suggesting that the president of Michael Bolton’s fan club should fatally shoot him like Selena’s fan club president did to her.

It was a savage skit all around, and the shot at Murphy was, arguably, the most mild of them all.

So does Murphy have a right to feel betrayed? Sure. But was the comment racist? Not even close.

Eddie Murphy Still Upset About David Spade Joke

Murphy’s distaste for the SNL jab isn’t news. He’s been fuming over this for years.

In his 2015 memoir Almost Interesting, Spade detailed Murphy’s immediate reaction to the segment. According to Spade, Murphy called him up and reamed him, saying: “David Spade, who the f*ck do you think you are?!! Honestly? Who. The. F*ck. Going after ME?? You dumb mother*cker! I’m off-limits, don’t you know that? You wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for me. Talking sh*t about me??'”

Spade wrote: “It was horrible. I didn’t hate him. Of course not. He just got caught in friendly fire and my deep desire to make an impression on my bosses and keep my job. How pathetic. I took my beating, and then he hung up.”

Eddie Murphy attends Los Angeles premiere of Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

(Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)

But Murphy said he wasn’t angry — just hurt.

“It was like: Wait, hold on. This is Saturday Night Live! I’m the biggest thing that ever came off that show,” he said on the podcast. “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 biggest thing that ever came off that show? It seems like Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and Chris Rock (among many others) might like a word.

Regardless, it’s been almost 30 years, Eddie. It might be time to let this one go.