Eddie Murphy recalled being offended by a “racist” joke that David Spade made about him during a “Saturday Night Live” sketch that aired almost 30 years ago.
During Saturday’s episode of The New York Times’ The Interview podcast, the 63-year-old actor and comedian reflected on the “cheap shots” that he felt he had taken over the years, especially from the media during the early years of his career.
“Back in the old days, they used to be relentless on me, and a lot of it was racist stuff. It was the ’80s and just a whole different world,” Murphy said.
Murphy then pointed to “when David Spade said that s— about my career on ‘SNL,” referring to a joke that Spade, now 59, made during a “Hollywood Minute” sketch on a December 1995 episode of the show.
Eddie Murphy recalled being offended by a joke that David Spade made about him during a 1995 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” (Getty)
In the segment, a photo of Murphy appeared on the screen with Spade saying, “Look children, it’s a falling star, make a wish.”
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Murphy told the NYT that the joke was about his 1995 horror comedy “Vampire in Brooklyn,” which he said “flopped” after it had been released two months before the sketch.
The “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” star, who rose to fame starring on “SNL” from 1980 to 1984 and was credited with saving the show from cancelation at one point, was stung that the dig at his career came from an “SNL” cast member.
Murphy rose to fame starring on “SNL” from 1980 to 1984. (Anthony Barboza/Getty Images)
“Yo, it’s in-house! I’m one of the family, and you’re f—— with me like that?” It hurt my feelings like that, yeah,” Murphy told the NYT.
He continued, “It was like: Wait, hold on. This is ‘Saturday Night Live.’ I’m the biggest thing that ever came off that show. 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 he can’t just say that,” Murphy added. “A joke has to go through these channels. So the producers thought it was OK to say that. And 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.”
Spade made the infamous joke during the “Hollywood Minute” segment of the show in a December 1995 episode. ( Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
Murphy noted that he stayed away from “SNL” for years after the infamous segment. In 2015, the comic made his first return to the show for a brief appearance during “SNL’s” 40th anniversary episode. Murphy went on to host an episode of “SNL” in December.
While speaking with the NYT, Murphy said that he has made peace with Spade and “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels.
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“In the long run, it’s all good,” he said. “Worked out great. I’m cool with David Spade. Cool with Lorne Michaels. I went back to ‘SNL’ I’m cool with everybody. It’s all love.”
Representatives for Spade did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Murphy made his first return to “SNL” for its 40th anniversary episode in 2015. (Dana Edelson/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images))
In his 2015 memoir “Almost Interesting,” Spade recalled dodging phone calls from Murphy on the Monday after the 1995 episode aired. In an excerpt published by Salon, Spade wrote that he asked his friend and “SNL” cast member Chris Rock to listen in when he finally called Murphy back.
Spade wrote that Murphy yelled, “‘David Spade, who the f— do you think you are?!! Honestly? Who. The. F—. Going after ME?? You dumb motherf—–! I’m off-limits, don’t you know that? You wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for me. Talking sh– about me??’ Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera . . . on and on and on and making me feel like s—.”
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“I barely spoke,” he recalled. “I just stared at Rock in disbelief. It was so much worse than I had imagined. I wanted to apologize, explain the joke, anything, but nothing came out. Here was one of my favorite comedians of all time ripping me a new a—–. I had worshipped this dude for years, knew every line of his stand-up. And now he hated me. Like, really really hated me.”
“It was horrible,” Spade continued. “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.”
Spade recalled in his memoir that he asked Chris Rock to listen in on his call with Murphy after the 1995 episode aired. (Eric Charbonneau/Le Studio/Wireimage))
Spade wrote that he didn’t believe that Murphy’s reaction to the joke was “fair” at first. However, the “Grown Ups” star explained that he began to see the situation from Murphy’s perspective.
“The truth was that when you are famous, you never want someone on a supposedly cool show to say you’re not cool,” he wrote. “Even if the person saying it is a nobody like me. Fame is so fragile and fleeting, and it can disappear for a million reasons. A jab like the one I had directed at Eddie can be the thing that starts to turn public opinion against someone. I try not to think of the casualties when I do rough jokes, but there are consequences sometimes.”
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“I know for a fact that I can’t take it when it comes my way,” Spade added. “It’s horrible for all the same reasons. I’ve come to see Eddie’s point on this one. Everybody in showbiz wants people to like them. That’s how you get fans. But when you get reamed in a sketch or online or however, that s— staaaangs. And it can add up quickly.”