Overview
- Spade said on Fly on the Wall that it took about 25 years to “win back” Murphy and that after seeing each other at SNL’s 50th anniversary in February 2025, “we’re all good.”
- The rift began on Dec. 9, 1995, when Spade’s Weekend Update bit quipped over Murphy’s photo, “Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish,” referencing Vampire in Brooklyn’s poor returns.
- Spade recalled that Murphy phoned him after the sketch and “had it out,” while Spade felt guilty and didn’t push back because Murphy was one of his heroes.
- Murphy later described the joke as a cheap shot that felt “racist” and said it kept him from SNL for years; he skipped the 25th anniversary in 1999, returned for the 40th in 2015, and hosted in 2019.
- In Netflix’s Being Eddie, Murphy emphasized the joke had cleared SNL’s approvals, and SNL creator Lorne Michaels has previously said allowing it was a mistake.