‘Saturday Night Live’ Honors Eddie Murphy With Video Montage Of Best Moments Ahead of Hosting Gig

Saturday Night Live has honored Eddie Murphy with a video montage of some of his most memorable moments on the late-night comedy sketch series and posted it to their official Instagram, ahead of the legendary comedian’s hosting duties on December 21.

The social media sharing site recalled some of the most iconic characters played by Murphy through his four-year run on the series, from 1980 through 1984.

From “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood” to “James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party,” Murphy created some of the most iconic moments on Saturday Night Live, which celebrates its 45th anniversary this season.

Murphy also portrayed Stevie Wonder, Gumby, and once famously went undercover as a white man for a skit where he attempted to see how life would be as a member of another race.

Fans were thrilled at the montage of clips and shared their happiness in the comments section of the post that the comedian would be returning to the show as a host, a position he had not held for 35 years.

“Can not wait until this Saturday night, going to be a great episode,” said one fan of the funnyman.

“One of my all-time favs especially when he put on the glitter shoes,” noted a second fan of the skits featured on the montage seen in the post below.

“I am SOOOO excited about this. Also, ‘James Brown’s Celebrity Hot Tub Party’ is one of my favorite SNL skits of all time. It’s gloriously silly,” remarked a third follower of the series.

Fans also cited the hilarity that occurred when Murphy played alongside former cast member Joe Piscopo, whom many hope, as noted in the comments, will make an appearance alongside Murphy this weekend.

The show also honored Murphy with a promo featured on Instagram, taking fans through his first years on the show through to his triumphant return for the series’ 40th anniversary special.

Murphy was only a featured player when he first was hired on Saturday Night Live in 1980 at the age of 19-years-old. He made his non-speaking network television debut in a sketch called “In Search of the Negro Republican.” In a subsequent episode, Murphy did a bit on “Weekend Update,” and throughout the remainder of his first season, his hilarious appearances helped grow his popularity.

It only took seven episodes of appearances on Saturday Night Live before Murphy was made a full-time cast member.

Murphy’s return was first announced in August of this year via a post on the series’ Instagram page.

Eddie Murphy will share the Saturday Night Live stage with musical guest Lizzo.