The Fallout of the David Spade Eddie Murphy SNL Joke: A Decade‑Long Feud Unpacked

David Spade Eddie Murphy SNL joke reignites old wounds

On Dec 9 1995, during a year‑in‑review segment of Hollywood Minute, David Spade delivered the now‑infamous David Spade Eddie Murphy SNL joke while a photo of Murphy flashed behind him. The punchline – “Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish” – earned a lukewarm laugh and set off a chain reaction that would haunt Spade for ↑30 years.

Murphy called the SNL office the next day, his tone bristling. According to Spade, the comedian opened with, “David Spade, who the f—k do you think you are?” and proceeded to berate him, insisting the joke crossed a personal line and felt “kind of racist.”

“It was like, ‘Yo, how could you do that?’ My career? Really? A cheap shot,” Murphy told Reuters in 2024.

The fallout extended beyond the two men. Lorne Michaels faced criticism for green‑lighting the segment, and Murphy avoided returning to SNL until the 40th‑anniversary special in 2015. In the interim, mutual friend Chris Rock would joke, “Saw Eddie last week. He still hates you,” whenever Spade resurfaced.

When the anniversary show aired, Spade and Murphy crossed paths on a Los Angeles street. Murphy rolled down his window, exchanged a brief handshake, and asked, “How you doing?” The encounter, Spade noted in his 2015 memoir Almost Interesting, lifted a weight he’d carried since the ill‑fated gag.

Both comedians have since reflected on the episode as a lesson in how a single line can reshape careers. The incident even resurfaced in discussions about how humor survived the pandemic era, reminding industry insiders that context matters as much as delivery.

Dispatch from: Aria Montgomery

Media & Entertainment Correspondent