Eddie Murphy Details SNL Grudge in New Documentary

Eddie Murphy, the comedy icon who rose to fame on Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s, has opened up about a painful episode from his career in his new Netflix documentary, Being Eddie. Released this week and directed by Oscar-winning editor Angus Wall, the film explores Murphy's journey from a teenage stand-up performer in New Jersey to Hollywood stardom, including a long-standing grudge against his former show that stemmed from a 1995 joke by cast member David Spade.

The incident occurred on December 9, 1995, during Spade's "Weekend Update" segment, where he roasted celebrities. As a photo of Murphy appeared on screen, promoting his recently released horror-comedy Vampire in Brooklyn, which had flopped at the box office, Spade quipped, "Look, children, it's a falling star. Make a wish." The live studio audience reacted with boos and hisses, a response Murphy later described as immediate disapproval. In the documentary, filmed largely at his sprawling California estate, Murphy recounts feeling deeply wounded. "It's like your alma mater taking a shot at you," he says. "I was hurt. My feelings was hurt."

Murphy, who joined SNL at age 19 in 1980 and helped boost its ratings...