Eddie Murphy Calls David Spade’s 1995 ‘SNL’ Joke About Him ‘Racist’

Comedian Eddie Murphy is revisiting a long-standing dispute with fellow comedian David Spade, stemming from a joke made on Saturday Night Live nearly three decades ago.

In a recent interview with The New York Times podcast, Murphy, 63, addressed what he perceives as unfair treatment from the media and his peers throughout his career. The Coming to America star referenced a 1995 Weekend Update segment on SNL in which Spade, then a cast member, quipped Murphy’s career decline following the box office failure of Vampire in Brooklyn.

“Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish,” Spade had said on the show.

Murphy, a regular SNL cast member from 1980 to 1984, expressed his disappointment with the joke. “It was personal,” he told the podcast. “A joke about my career? I thought that was a cheap shot.”

The comedian went further, suggesting racial undertones to the criticism he faced. “Back in the old days, they used to be relentless on me, and a lot of it was racist stuff,” Murphy said. He also questioned the decision-making process that allowed the joke to air, implying that producers had approved it.

Murphy’s reaction to the joke was initially intense. In Spade’s memoir, Almost Interesting, he recounted a heated phone call from Murphy, who reportedly criticized him for the joke.

Murphy allegedly told Spade, “David Spade, who the f–- do you think you are? Honestly? Who. The. F–-. Going after me?? You dumb mother–—! I’m off-limits, don’t you know that? You wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for me. Talking s–- about me??”

The incident led to Murphy’s decades-long absence from SNL. He didn’t return to the show until 2019 when he hosted an episode featuring guest appearances by Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock and Tracy Morgan.

Despite the lingering controversy, Murphy insists that relationships have been mended. “In the long run, it’s all good,” he said. “I’m cool with David Spade. Cool with [SNL showrunner] Lorne Michaels. I went back to SNL. I’m cool with everybody. It’s all love.”