Saturday Night Live celebrated its 40 year anniversary this year and they did it star studded fashion. They brought some of the most memorable cast members from the past and some of the most notable guests. Everyone from Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Emma Stone, Derek Jeter, Adam Sandler, Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Hanks, Chevy Chase and more joined the stage for classic skits and new ones they cooked up specifically for the special.
When it was all said and done, one of the things we remember the most from the show is how Eddie Murphy got on stage and didn’t perform. It was later revealed that SNL wanted him to mock Bill Cosby and he refused to.
In an interview with Washington Post, he revealed why and even went as far as saying that he understood why they wanted him to do it. He claimed the skit was hysterical. Except, he thought the timing was off and wasn’t with the idea.
“It’s horrible. There’s nothing funny about it. If you get up there and you crack jokes about him, you’re just hurting people. You’re hurting him. You’re hurting his accusers. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m coming back to SNL for the anniversary, I’m not turning my moment on the show into this other thing.’”
OS REWIND: Eddie Murphy Cast as Richard Pryor’s Father in Biopic
OS REWIND: Beverly Hills Cop Reboot Starring Eddie Murphy Coming 2016
[Source]