Eddie Murphy’s triumphant return to Saturday Night Live was rife with classic characters like Mr. Robinson and Gumby, but before enough of this came to pass, the comedian decided to do something a little different in the opening monologue. SNL alums like Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock, current cast member Kenan Thompson, and comedian Dave Chappelle joined Murphy on stage to riff about sending him sketches, how much they owed their careers to him, and how much Netflix had paid many of them (so far).
Also, Murphy managed to sneak in a quick glimpse of his classic Bill Cosby impression.
“It’s great to be back here, finally, hosting Saturday Night Live for Christmas. This is the last episode of 2019, but if you’re black, this is the first episode since I left back in 1984,” he joked. “If you had told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I would have took that bet. ‘Who is America’s dad now?'”
Soon after, Morgan, Rock, and Chappelle joined Murphy on stage for further antics. “I followed your blueprint for my entire career. I became the biggest star in television, and then I quit,” Chappelle joked while lighting up a cigarette. “I didn’t know you could smoke on stage,” Murphy said. Without missing a beat, Chappelle responded, “You can’t!”
“This is why I came back to Saturday Night Live, for moments like this. Like, when was the last time we were together like this?” Murphy exclaimed. “Last Thursday at Sinbad’s,” added Rock.
