Source: NBC / Getty
Many comedy fans celebrated this weekend when Eddie Murphy returned to “Saturday Night Live” to host the show for the first time since 1984. Fans were so hype about the comeback that they can be heard chanting Murphy’s name at the beginning of his monologue. However, one person that didn’t find the influential comedian amusing was Bill Cosby‘s publicist Andrew Wyatt.
MORE: 35 Years Later: Eddie Murphy Returns To Host ‘SNL’ Like He Never Left
Cosby and Murphy have always been at odds when it comes to their approach to comedy and Murphy’s use of profanity. Murphy even mentioned in his “Raw” standup special that Cosby called him one time to chastise him about his “dirty” routine.
Murphy also said Cosby wasn’t friendly with him in general. In an episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” on Netflix, Murphy explained, “He had a weird thing with me that he didn’t have with other comics. It was mean. He wasn’t nice. He wasn’t doing that with everybody, he was doing that with me specifically. He was shi**y with me.”
Call it karma, call it fate or call it justice, but now years later, Murphy continues to remain on top while Cosby is sitting in prison for his September 2018 conviction on charges of aggravated indecent assault. Cosby is also accused of sexually assaulting at least 60 women.
It was a prime moment for Murphy to take shots at Cosby when he hit the “SNL” stage on Saturday. Referencing his newborn baby, Murphy joked, “If you told me 30 years ago that I’d be this boring stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I wouldn’t have took that bet.” The 58-year-old comedian then imitated Cosby, asking the audience, “Who is America’s Dad now?”
Cosby’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, was certainly watching or at least got word of Murphy’s jab because he made a lengthy statement posted to Cosby’s Instagram page calling Murphy a “Hollywood slave.”
He explained:
“Mr. Cosby became the first Black to win an Emmy for his role in I Spy and Mr. Cosby broke color barriers in the Entertainment Industry, so that Blacks like Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappell, Kevin Hart and et al., could have an opportunity to showcase their talents for many generations to come. It is sad that Mr. Murphy would take this glorious moment of returning to SNL and make disparaging remarks against Mr. Cosby. One would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation, so that he could make his own decisions; but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood Slave.”
There’s more. Wyatt went on to compare Murphy to comedian and Black actor Stephin Fetchit who made a successful career for himself in the 1930s but was known for his “Laziest Man in the World” stereotype portrayal of Black people:
“Stepin Fetchit plus cooning equals the destruction of Black Men in Hollywood,” said Wyatt. “Remember, Mr. Murphy, that Bill Cosby became legendary because he used comedy to humanize all races, religions and genders; but your attacking Mr. Cosby helps you embark on just becoming click bait. Hopefully, you will be amenable to having a meeting of the minds conversation, in order to discuss how we can use our collective platforms to enhance Black people rather than bringing all of us down together.”
The post was finished off with the hashtags #NotFunnySNL, #FarFromFinished and #FreeBillCosby.
SEE ALSO:
NYPD Detective In Barnard College Case Has A Shady Past, Lawsuit Claims
Actress Angela Bassett Aims To Spread Awareness About Diabetes Through New Initiative
