Eddie Murphy rose to stardom with the cast of the long-running sketch comedy Saturday Night Live, and is even credited with saving the show from cancellation within its first decade.
For much of the past three decades years, however, Murphy wanted nothing to do with the cultural staple that made him famous—all because of a three-second jab at his movie career.
Murphy’s ascent from aspiring standup comedian to acting star is chronicled in Being Eddie, a new Netflix documentary debuting Wednesday, November 12. In the movie, Murphy discusses his tenure as a cast member on SNL from 1980 through 1984.
Murphy’s popularity allowed him to transition to the big screen in movies such as Trading Places (1983) and Coming to America (1988). But as his career hit a rough patch during the 1990s, his former TV home couldn’t resist using him for comedic fodder—and one of Hollywood’s most unlikely grudges ensued.
David Spade compared Murphy to a “falling star” during a sketch
By 1995, Murphy had seemingly started to lose his box office appeal. His 1995 horror comedy Vampire in Brooklyn, co-starring Angela Bassett, grossed just under $20 million—a sharp drop from the Beverly Hills Cop III sequel a year prior.
In the movie’s wake, SNL cast member David Spade took a shot at the show’s former star. During the December 9, 1995, episode, Spade appeared onscreen for a year-in-review edition of “Spade in America”—a recurring segment featuring the Hollywood Minute, in which the comic offered sarcastic one-liners about celebrities in the news.
After poking fun at Princess Diana, Antonio Banderas, and Heather Locklear among others, Spade transitioned to a black and white portrait photo of Murphy. “Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish,” Spade quipped, drawing a mix of laughs and shocked exclamations from the live audience.
“Yeah, yes, that’s right. You make a Hollywood Minute omelet, you break some eggs,” Spade continued, before moving on to other topics.
Murphy found the joke racist and confronted Spade over the phone
The wisecrack was no laughing matter to Murphy, who later told The New York Times he “felt it was racist” and an unnecessary cheap shot.
“This is Saturday Night Live. I’m the biggest thing that ever came off that show,” Murphy told The New York Times in 2024. “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? And I know that [Spade] can’t just say that. A joke has to go through these channels. So the producers thought it was OK to say that.”
Murphy phoned the SNL offices within two days of the taping to confront Spade about the joke. While the comedian tried to dodge the call, falsely saying he was in a meeting, Murphy was persistent and even contacted executive producer Lorne Michaels. “Then they come in and Lorne’s assistant says, ‘He’s calling Lorne to get you out of the meeting, and he says if you don’t get on the phone he’s gonna come down here. Wants to talk to you,'” Spade recounted to Howard Stern in 1996.
Spade did work up the courage to call back, and said Murphy immediately “started yelling at me.”
As it turned out, the joke aged poorly. Murphy had a box office smash with The Nutty Professor in 1996 and followed that up with other hits including Dr. Dolittle (1998), Daddy Day Care (2003) and the four-film Shrek franchise.
Still, the fallout lasted years as Murphy remained estranged from SNL and was the only major cast member to skip the show’s 25th anniversary special in 1999.
Murphy didn’t host Saturday Night Live again until 2019
It’s not clear exactly when and how Murphy mended his relationships with Michaels and Spade, but their public comments hinted at a thaw starting in the early 2010s.
In April 2013, Michaels admitted it was “a mistake on our part” to approve the joke during a Hollywood Radio and Television Society luncheon. “I figured it was kind of a clean hit. I didn’t really think about it, but Eddie did,” Michaels said.
Then in his 2015 memoir Almost Interesting, Spade wrote that he and Murphy ran into each other in Beverly Hills and Murphy amicably asked about him. “My Watergate with Eddie Murphy was over,” he added.
Murphy finally made his return to SNL in 2015 for the show’s 40th anniversary special and hugged Spade backstage. However, the comedian declined to portray Bill Cosby—who faced multiple accusations of sexual misconduct at the time—in a proposed sketch.
Then in 2019, coinciding with the release of his film Dolemite is My Name, Murphy hosted the show for the first time in 35 years—appearing as past characters Buckwheat and Mr. Robinson, his spoof of Mister Rogers.
Murphy says “it’s all love” with Spade and Michaels
Almost 30 years after the joke, Murphy has no lingering hard feelings with Spade or Michaels. “I’m cool with everybody. It’s all love,” Murphy told NYT in 2024.
Spade has confirmed Murphy’s assessment. The Grown Ups star told Entertainment Weekly he ran into Murphy on his way into the studio for the SNL 50th anniversary special in February 2025. “I walked past him on the way into the show and he put his arm back and blocked me, and so I had to say hi and give him a hug,” Spade explained. “He was super cool. [I] dapped him up.”
Spade added the pair missed an opportunity for a photo together, which might have quelled any lingering doubts about their status. “Everything bad has evaporated,” he said.
It’s unclear if Murphy will talk about the extended rift in the Being Eddie documentary, which begins streaming on Netflix on November 12. However, it remains a notable part of SNL lore and his own legacy.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
