Eddie Murphy recalled being upset by a “racist” joke David Spade made about him in a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that aired nearly 30 years ago.
Saturday’s New York Times interview During the podcast, the 63-year-old actor and comedian reflected on the “vile attacks” he felt he received from the media, especially early in his career.
“They used to attack me relentlessly, a lot of it racist. It was the ’80s and a whole different world,” Murphy said.
“David Spade said some stupid things about my career on SNL,” Murphy then pointed out, referring to a joke that Spade, now 59, made in a sketch for the show’s “Hollywood Minute” that aired in December 1995.
Eddie Murphy recalled being upset about a joke David Spade made about him on “Saturday Night Live” in 1995. (Getty)
During the segment, a photo of Murphy was projected onto the screen and Spade said, “Kids, look, it’s a shooting star, make a wish.”
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Murphy told The New York Times that the joke was a reference to the 1995 horror-comedy “Vampires in Brooklyn,” which was released two months before the sketch and was a “huge flop.”
The “Beverly Hills Cop IV: Axel F” star, who rose to fame on “SNL” from 1980 to 1984 and was even said to have saved the show from cancellation at one point, was upset that it was his fellow “SNL” cast members who criticized his career.
Murphy rose to fame after appearing on “SNL” from 1980 to 1984. (Anthony Barboza/Getty Images)
‘Hey, this is in the workplace! I’m a family member and you’re going to harass me like that?’ It was just so hurtful,” Murphy told The New York Times.
He continued, “Wait a second, this is Saturday Night Live. I’m the biggest star in the history of the show. If I hadn’t come back, the show would have been canceled. And now someone on the show is making fun of my career?”
“I know he would never say that,” Murphy added. “The joke has to go through those channels, so the producers thought it was OK to say that. Everyone who was on that show, I’ve never heard anyone make a joke about somebody’s career. Most people who leave that show don’t go on to have great careers. It was personal. I was like, ‘Dude, how could you do that?’ My career? Really? A joke about my career?”
“So I thought it was a vile attack. And I felt it was racist in some way.”
Spade made the infamous joke during the show’s “Hollywood Minute” segment in December 1995. (Al Levin/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images, via Getty Images)
Murphy said he stayed away from “SNL” for years after the infamous segment. In 2015, the comedian made his first return to the show with a brief appearance on “SNL’s” 40th anniversary episode. Murphy hosted an episode of “SNL” in December.
In an interview with The New York Times, Murphy said he had reached a settlement with Spade and “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels.
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“In the long run, it’s all worked out well,” he said. “It’s worked out well. I’m good friends with David Spade. I’m good friends with Lorne Michaels. I went back to SNL and I’m good friends with everybody. It’s all about love.”
A representative for Spade did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Murphy first returned to the show in 2015 for “SNL’s” 40th anniversary episode. (Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
In his 2015 memoir, Almost Interesting, Spade recalled getting a call from Murphy the Monday after the 1995 episode aired. Excerpted from Salon: Spade wrote that when he finally called Murphy, he asked him to ask his friend and “SNL” co-star Chris Rock.
Spade wrote that Murphy yelled, “‘David Spade, who the hell do you think you are?! Honestly, who the hell is this motherfucker trying to get at me?? You motherfucker! Stay away from me, don’t you know? Without me you wouldn’t have a job. Are you talking shit about me??’ and on …
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“I could barely speak,” he recalled, “and just stared at Rock in disbelief. This was way worse than I’d imagined. I wanted to apologize, explain the joke, say anything, but nothing would come out. One of my favorite comedians of all time was totally trashing me. I’d worshipped this guy for years and knew all his lines from his stand-up routines, and now he hated me. He really, really hated me.”
“It was a horrible story,” Spade continued. “Obviously, I didn’t hate him. He was just caught in friendly fire because he wanted to impress my boss and keep his job. How pathetic. I got hit and he hung up.”
Spade recalled in his memoir that after the 1995 episode aired, he asked Chris Rock to listen to a phone call he had with Murphy. (Eric Charbonneau/Le Studio/Wireimage)
Spade wrote that at first he didn’t think Murphy’s response to the joke was “fair,” but the “Grown Ups” star explained that he’s come to see the situation from Murphy’s perspective.
“The truth is, when you’re famous, you don’t want someone on a show that’s supposed to be cool to tell you you’re uncool,” he wrote. “Even if that person is a nobody like me. Fame is so fragile and fleeting and can fade for a million reasons. Sarcasm like the one directed at me by Eddie can turn public opinion against someone. I try not to think of the victims when I tell dirty jokes, but sometimes there are consequences.”
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“It’s true that when it happens to you, it’s unbearable,” Spade added. “It sucks for the same reasons. I totally understand what Eddie is saying in this one. Everybody in showbiz wants to be liked. It helps you build a fanbase. But when you get criticized in a sketch, online or whatever, it sucks. And it adds up really fast.”
