After 35 long years, what many thought would never happen happened last night. Comedian Eddie Murphy made his triumphant return to Saturday Night Live. And what is better yet, he did not come alone, as he brought along some fan favorites with him as well.
Known for classic characters as Buckwheat, Gumby, Mister Robinson, and Velvet Jones, the comedian took to the stage at Studio 8H—something he hadn’t done since his short appearance on the show’s 40th anniversary special in February 1984.
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Undeniably one of the brightest stars to come out of SNL, Eddie Murphy, was joined by fellow comedians Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, and Kenan Thompson. Each of these individuals, if asked, would be able to trace their own personal careers back to Murphy’s 80s success.
Claiming to be speaking for everyone in the studio, Chris Rock stated:
“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
The night was definitely all about Murphy, who, from the moment of his first joke, had the studio audience and the viewing audience securely ensconced in the palm of his hand. Murphy joked:
“This is the last episode of 2019, but if you’re black, this is the first episode since I left back in 1984.”
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After having left SNL, Murphy went on to become a bona fide major movie star, as well as a dedicated family man. Murphy noted that home is a far cry from his 80s bachelor life, as he recently welcomed the birth of his tenth child.
“If you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring stay at home dad and Bill Cosby would be in prison, even I wouldn’t have taken that bet.”
Judging by the posts on social media, Murphy’s return was a smashing success. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another 35 years before we see him gracing the SNL stage one more.