Eddie Murphy Addresses Whether He’d Return to Host Saturday Night Live Again

Eddie Murphy is addressing whether or not he’d return to host Saturday Night Live again, for the fourth time. After winning the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2023 Golden Globes, Eddie Murphy was definitely in a good mood, and he let it be known that when it comes to hosting SNL again, he is not only down for it, he’s excited for it! 

“Absolutely. Looking forward to going back and doing it,” Murphy told the press at the Golden Globes. “We would’ve did it this last year, but I was working on a movie. But I absolutely will go back and do it again. I’m so happy that I did.”

Eddie Murphy is one of the most iconic comedic performers to come out of Saturday Night Live’s ranks. Starting out in 1980 at just the age of 19, Murphy lasted on the show until 1984, when he departed to pursue (and achieve) movie stardom. Murphy hosted SNL once as a cast member (in 1982, while promoting 48 Hours) before hosting in 1984 shortly after leaving the cast (when Beverly Hills Cop was about to become a big hit).

However, after that, Eddie Murphy stayed away from hosting SNL for a whopping 35 years until 2019, when he returned to host with Lizzo as the musical guest. The casue had largely to do with a joke from comedian David Spade during an SNL segment in 1995, which characterized Murphy’s film career as failing. Needless to say, Eddie didn’t appreciate it: 

“What really irritated me about it at the time was that it was a career shot,” Murphy explained to Rolling Stone in 2011. “It was like, “Hey, come on, man, it’s one thing for you guys to do a joke about some movie of mine, but my career? I’m one of you guys… And you know every joke has to go through all the producers, and ultimately, you know Lorne or whoever says, [Lorne Michaels voice] ‘OK, it’s OK to make this career crack…’”

SNL showrunner Lorne Michaels eventually did apologize for the joker,  “I figured it was kind of a clean hit. I didn’t really think about it, but Eddie did,” Michaels said during a 2013 Hollywood event. “It was a mistake on our part.”

Murphy and Michaels eventually buried the hatchet, and Murphy’s attendance of SNL’s 40th anniversary ultimately sparked the right nostalgia to bring him back: 

“The show’s been on the air for over 40 years now, so it’s this American institution,” Murphy said in 2019, explaining why he returned to SNL. “They had this 40-year anniversary a few years back, so everybody that was ever on the show was there, and it was this really great night. I got this big wave of nostalgia and great feelings and seeing all these other actors that have been on the show. There was such a strong kinship with everybody, I felt like I was at my old high school.”

SNL is airing new episodes Saturday Nights on NBC and Peacock.