Dana Edelson/NBC(NEW YORK) — Sunday night’s highly-rated Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special brought together cast members past and present, and featured what many were anticipating as the return of Eddie Murphy to the Studio 8H stage for the first time in more than 30 years.
The comedian who was so critical to the SNL’s popularity in the 1980s boycotted the show for decades after David Spade threw an elbow at Murphy’s flagging movie career during a Weekend Update appearance in the early ’90s. “Look, children,” Spade said as a picture of Murphy popped up above him. “A falling star.”
Murphy did take to the stage Sunday night, but made headlines for delivering a heart-felt thank you to fans for their love of his past work on the show — and that’s it. Fans and critics alike wondered why Murphy didn’t appear in any sketches, or reprise any of his beloved characters.
Wednesday night in a marathon series of tweets, however, Norm MacDonald detailed that wasn’t supposed to be the case. He says the plan was to have Murphy play Bill Cosby in the SNL 40’s “Celebrity Jeopardy” sketch. In light of sex assault accusations against Cosby, however, Murphy reportedly declined.
“Too many superstars to take in all at one time. So happy my son could see them all,” MacDonald recalled of the scene behind the scenes.
“And then comes Eddie. …I’m standing with my son, Lori Jo, and Chris Rock,” Norm says. “We see Eddie from 100 yards away…Rock says, ‘There he is. Like Ali in Zaire.’ Eddie, Bomaye.”
“It’s my job to talk him in to [sic] doing Jeopardy,” MacDonald recalls. “We talk in his dressing room a good hour. When it’s over, I’m convinced he’ll do it…He doesn’t.”
“He knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than any one [sic],” MacDonald explains.
“Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down,” Norm tweeted, in an echo of the hurt Murphy reportedly felt after the Spade joke so many years ago.
“Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us,” MacDonald posted. “Eddie does not need the laughs.”
Keenan Thompson eventually played Cosby, albeit in a small cameo.
The comic, who credited Murphy with “singlehandedly” saving SNL in the ’80s, ended by reflecting, “Eddie Murphy is the coolest, a rockstar even in a room with actual rockstars.”
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