Eddie Murphy returned, as promised, to the "Saturday Night Live" stage for the first time in more than 30 years for the show's 40th anniversary special. He walked in to a standing ovation.
"This show is such a big part of who I am and my life, and I am so happy to be back here. I am really happy that so many people here that value the stuff that I did 35 years ago on the show. it really makes me really happy."
Murphy was kind, grateful — he asked the audience to give a round of applause for everyone.
But Chris Rock had just introduced him as one of the funniest, most talented "SNL" cast members of all time.
So no jokes, Eddie? Zero signature characters? That was Murphy's only appearance of the night – save for being notably in the background during a Bill Murray sketch.
Murphy's speech made headlines for being short and "awkward," but viewers on Twitter were more blunt than the media. They were "deeply disappointed," dubbed Rock's intro as better than Murphy himself, and said the appearance was just an ego boost for Murphy.
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