In his Netflix documentary “Being Eddie,” legendary comedian Eddie Murphy openly discusses the reasons behind his decades-long absence from “Saturday Night Live,” attributing it to a specific incident from 1995. The rift began after David Spade made a joke on “SNL”’s “Weekend Update” segment concerning Murphy’s then-struggling movie career, particularly in the wake of his box office flop, the Wes Craven-directed horror film “Vampire in Brooklyn.”

Spade’s joke, “Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish! You make a Hollywood minute omelet, you break some eggs,” deeply affected Murphy. While Murphy had previously labeled the joke as “racist,” he clarified in the documentary that his primary anger was directed at the institution of “SNL” itself, rather than at Spade personally. He expressed his hurt feelings, likening it to his alma mater taking a shot at his career, especially since he had revitalized the show’s ratings during his tenure from 1980 to 1984. Murphy questioned how such a joke, which he felt targeted his career success rather than his comedic ability, could pass through all the show’s approval channels.

David Spade, in his 2015 memoir, recounted his regret over the incident, stating that the reaction was “so much worse than I had imagined.” He described feeling horrible, realizing he had upset one of his comedic heroes whom he had worshipped for years. Spade explained his motivation as a “deep desire to make an impression on my bosses and keep my job,” categorizing the event as “friendly fire” for Murphy.

The incident led to Murphy staying away from “SNL” for many years. He made a brief return for the show’s 40th anniversary special in 2015, and later hosted the 2019 Christmas episode, marking a full return. Murphy explained his decision to reconnect with the show, stating, “’SNL’ is part of my history. I need to reconnect with that show because that’s where I come from. That little friction that I had with ‘SNL’ was 35 years ago. I don’t have no smoke with no David Spade. I don’t have any heat or none of that with nobody.” The documentary “Being Eddie” is currently available to stream on Netflix.