Eddie Murphy reveals the Saturday Night Live characters he wants to bring back
By Matt Moore
Eddie Murphy will host Saturday Night Live later this season but he already has ideas for some of his most iconic characters.
Saturday Night Live made headlines before a single episode aired this season when it was announced that Eddie Murphy would return as host. Murphy was one of the early breakout stars of SNL and fans have been eager to see him back in Studio 8H. That wish will finally come true and Murphy already has some big ideas planned.
Murphy arrived at Saturday Night Live in 1980 and has been credited with saving the show following the departure of much of the original cast. It’s impossible to overstate Murphy’s impact on SNL or how both the actor and show mutually benefited from Murphy’s tenure.
Perhaps the best way to sum up Eddie Murphy’s importance to Saturday Night Live is to recall that he hosted the show while a member of the cast. On Dec. 11, 1982, actor Nick Nolte was scheduled to host. When he fell ill, his 48 Hours co-star Eddie Murphy filled in and hosted the show. There hasn’t been a Saturday Night Live cast member since that could pull that off.
On Thursday, Murphy was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as part of the late night’s show week in Brooklyn. A Brooklyn native, Murphy received a warm welcome from the audience as he discussed his return to stand-up and his Netflix movie Dolemite Is My Name.
Jimmy Kimmel asked about Murphy’s return to Saturday Night Live. And while the comedy legend said there was no real preparing for SNL, he does have a few characters he hopes to bring back.
That is quite a few characters that Murphy hopes to revive. It’s unlikely that he’ll get a chance to work all those characters into the show. But then again, it’s been 35 years since he was last on Saturday Night Live, so he has a lot of time to make up for.
So Murphy’s list of characters is: Gumby, Velvet Jones, Mr. Robinson, and Buckwheat. Those are all classics and fan-favorites. There have been plenty of examples of past Saturday Night Live stars returning to their iconic characters regardless of how much time has passed. Look no further than the return of Opera Man last season when Adam Sandler hosted.
Murphy is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on Dec. 21. Expect a ton of promotion leading up to that show, including more of Murphy’s sketches added to SNL’s YouTube channel.
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What Eddie Murphy character is your favorite? Which one do you want to see when Murphy returns to Saturday Night Live? Let us know in the comment section and keep checking Last Night On for more news and highlights.