Eddie Murphy was one of many former Saturday Night Live stars who came back to the show for the 40th anniversary special on Sunday. This was notable as it was Eddie’s first return to SNL in 30 years. As part of his return, Murphy was asked by writer Steve Higgins to play Bill Cosby in a Jeopardy sketch. The bit would show Cosby mixing drinks for the “Potent Potables” category, with the pretense that it was taped prior to the news breaking that Cosby regularly drugged and raped women. According to SNL staple Norm McDonald, Murphy refused to play Cosby, even after multiple other people tried to convince him. That segment was ultimately performed by Kenan Thompson. Here’s a summary, thanks to Rolling Stone:

As Macdonald revealed on Twitter, that cameo was originally written for Murphy, who – after a few days of being pursued by Macdonald, Michaels and even director Brett Ratner (the latter serving as an intermediary for the comic) – decided not to appear in the sketch.

“Murphy knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than anyone. Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down,” Macdonald wrote. “Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us. Eddie does not need the laughs. Eddie Murphy is the coolest, a rock star even in a room with actual rock stars.”

[From Rolling Stone]

The phrase “kick a man while he is down” is McDonald’s interpretation of Murphy’s refusal to play Cosby. It’s possible that Murphy never said this, or that his reason for not playing Cosby was just to avoid controversy. I don’t know why I’m giving Murphy the benefit of the doubt, it’s probably about some misplaced respect for Cosby. We know now that Cosby is an unapologetic rapist who committed horrendous crimes. Cosby’s fortune was achieved with a false nice guy persona which also helped him get away with violating countless women for decades. Now he’s using his wealth to attack his victims. He’s not “down,” he just in a defensive stance. The fact that he issued a statement about this story speaks volumes. Cosby said “I am very appreciative of Eddie and I applaud his actions.” Bill Cosby should STFU. Getting made fun of on television is absolutely nothing compared to what he inflicted on an average night, and yet somehow he’s still trying to play the victim.

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