A single ‘Weekend Update’ punchline, a box-office flop, and decades of silence — David Spade finally opens up about the joke that shattered his relationship with Eddie Murphy.
Sometimes in Hollywood, one joke is all it takes. For David Spade and Eddie Murphy, that joke lingered for 25 long years.
In a revelation that has reignited conversations about Saturday Night Live’s ruthless comedy culture, David Spade has admitted that it took more than two decades to mend fences with Eddie Murphy after a brutal on-air dig about Vampire in Brooklyn — a joke that Murphy never forgot and never forgave… until now.
Speaking on his Fly on the Wall podcast, Spade revisited the moment that turned him overnight from a die-hard Eddie Murphy superfan into public enemy number one.
“It was weird going from being a super fan to having him hate me overnight,” Spade confessed. “And to try to win him back for the last 25 years.”
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The Joke That Started It All
The incident dates back to the mid-1990s, when Spade was still relatively new on SNL and manning the famously savage Weekend Update desk. At the time, Eddie Murphy’s horror-comedy Vampire in Brooklyn, directed by Wes Craven, had underperformed at the box office — an easy target for late-night satire.
Spade didn’t hold back.
“Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish!” he joked on air. “You make a Hollywood minute omelet, you break some eggs.”
For audiences, it was just another sharp Weekend Update jab. For Murphy, it felt like betrayal — not just from Spade, but from Saturday Night Live itself.
From Idol to Enemy Overnight
What made the situation especially painful for Spade was his deep admiration for Murphy, one of the most influential comedians in SNL history.
“We had some bumps in the road along the way, early on,” Spade explained. “I was on ‘Weekend Update,’ new to the show, making fun of all the celebrities and I made fun of him — and it didn’t go well.”
Murphy didn’t ignore the joke. He called Spade directly.
“And he called me and we had it out,” Spade said, adding that he didn’t fight back. “I felt guilty. I was talking badly on air about my hero.”
But the damage was already done.
Eddie Murphy’s Side: “F— SNL”
Murphy later gave his own account in his recent Netflix documentary Being Eddie, and his reaction was even more intense than many fans realized.
“The joke had went through all of those channels that the joke has to go through,” Murphy recalled. “And then he was on the air saying, ‘Catch a falling star.’”
Murphy made it clear his anger wasn’t aimed solely at Spade.
“I wasn’t like, ‘F— David Spade,’” Murphy said. “I was like, ‘Oh, f— SNL. F— y’all.’ How y’all going to do this s—? That’s what y’all think of me?”
That sense of betrayal ran deep — so deep that Murphy refused to return to Saturday Night Live for years afterward.
“I was like that,” he admitted. “And that’s why I didn’t go back for years.”
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The Culture of SNL: No Mercy, No Apologies
The fallout highlights a long-standing tension within SNL’s comedic ecosystem. While the show thrives on sharp satire and celebrity mockery, not everyone takes the punches lightly — especially when they come from within the same family.
Murphy wasn’t just any celebrity. He was SNL royalty, a former cast member who helped save the show in the early 1980s and went on to become one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars.
For him, the joke wasn’t just about a movie flop — it felt personal, institutional, and disrespectful.
For Spade, it was a lesson learned the hard way.
A Silence That Lasted Decades
For 25 years, Spade lived with the weight of that moment. He admits there were “bumps along the way,” failed attempts at reconnection, and long stretches where Murphy simply wanted nothing to do with him.
“I’ve seen him once or twice,” Spade said. “But it always felt like unfinished business.”
Despite Spade’s career flourishing with hits like Tommy Boy, Joe Dirt, and his long run on Just Shoot Me, the unresolved tension with Murphy lingered — a reminder that comedy, no matter how funny, can leave real scars.
The SNL50 Reunion: Finally, Closure
The ice finally melted at last year’s SNL50 celebration, a historic reunion that brought together generations of cast members.
“That’s when we talked a little bit,” Spade revealed. “And everything’s fine.”
The moment marked the first real reconciliation between the two comedians — and, according to Spade, all grudges have now been laid to rest.
“They asked him about it and he said, ‘Yeah, we’re all good.’ So yeah, we’re all good.”
Why This Story Still Matters
This isn’t just a story about an old joke. It’s a reminder of how comedy’s sharpest weapons can cut deeper than intended — especially in an industry built on egos, legacy, and respect.
It also reveals a softer, more human side of Eddie Murphy, a superstar who rarely shows vulnerability but was deeply hurt by what he saw as disloyalty.
And for David Spade, it’s a rare moment of accountability — an admission that not every punchline is worth the fallout.
The Final Take
In a business where feuds often last forever, a 25-year grudge finally ending feels almost miraculous. It took time, maturity, and perhaps the wisdom that only comes with age.
One joke. One phone call. Twenty-five years of silence.
And finally, forgiveness.
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