Eddie Murphy Returns to Saturday Night Live for the First Time in 35 Years

Brow Beat By Matthew Dessem Dec 22, 20196:47 AM Eddie Murphy returned to Saturday Night Live for the first time in 35 years this week—not counting a brief appearance to accept a round of applause during the 40th anniversary show—for a hosting gig that saw the legendary comedian revisit some of his best-known characters from his years working at Studio 8H. Murphy, who was on SNL between 1980 and 1984, joined the show at the age of 19 as part of the ensemble put together by producer Jean Doumanian after Lorne Michaels’ departure led to a mass exodus of cast and writing staff. Murphy was the breakout star from that disastrous season and is often credited with saving Saturday Night Live, so when David Spade told a joke about Murphy’s then-faltering career on the show in 1990, Murphy took it personally and stayed away for nearly three decades. This Saturday he was finally back, and he made up for lost time. Murphy hit the ground running with the opening monologue, which saw him joined onsta...