10 Eddie Murphy SNL Sketches That Predicted Race Relations in 2015

The legendary comedian returns to SNL for the first time in 30 years this weekend, but his old work is just as relevant today.

Eddie Murphy will return to Saturday Night Live this weekend to participate in the show's 40th anniversary special, which will reunite the many generations of SNL cast members past and present. As for Murphy, this will be his first SNL visit since 1984, when he left the show on tumultuous terms, never to return. Until now.

In his four-season run on SNL, Eddie Murphy gave us much to remember fondly via recurring characters like Mr. Robinson (a black, urban spin on Mr. Rogers) and the multi-talented Tyrone Green. Murphy's most famous sketch, "White Like Me," is a one-off, however, and it's also one of his last. In the sketch, Murphy elaborately disguises himself as a white salaryman to discover the many benefits that white people confer upon another when no folks of color are looking.

While Murphy would go on to star in Hollywood blockbusters, black cinema classics, and his own critically-acclaimed stand-up specials, his brilliance started with Saturday Night Live. Many of Murphy's best SNL sketches have formidably withstood the passage of three decades and the election of America's first black president. As he prepares to take his victory lap at 30 Rock on Saturday, let us bless you with 10 Eddie Murphy Sketches That Predicted Life and Race Relations in 2015.

Written by Justin Charity (@brothernumpsa) and Angel Diaz (@ADiaz456).

“Weekend Update”

Season: 6

Air date: Feb. 7, 1981

Breaking news, reported live from the Weekend Update anchor's desk: Upon reading the original draft of Pres. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, Murphy is stunned to learn that Lincoln never actually signed the document. From the anchor desk, he advises Weekend Update's white viewership on how to "redeem" their slaves, per the terms and wishes of our Founding Fathers. Murphy plays this one straight, making for a rather dark undercurrent to the audience's laughter at the neo-Confederate premise—the sort of discomfort that would later haunt Dave Chappelle out of his host's perch at Comedy Central. Old tensions, new slaves. —Justin Charity

“Mister Robinson's Neighborhood”

Season: 6

Air date: Feb. 21, 1981

One of Eddie's serialized sketches, "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," was a parody of Mister Rogers, with Murphy cracking wise about white flight, destitution, and fraught landlord relations. In the clip above, Murphy flashes a middle finger to a Ronald Reagan puppet who won't answer a black audience's questions about housing policy and school lunch. While these sketches, which aired in the 1980s, were a parody of white flight from inner cities, much of the material also happens to resonate with inverse, contemporary angst regarding gentrification. —Justin Charity

“Youth Message”

Season: 7

Air date: Nov. 14, 1981

“At my arraignment screaming: 'All us blacks got is sports and entertainment.'” Jigga was right. School is for fools. You want to be in debt up to your eyeballs still living with your parents until you're 45? Drop out. Now. Go back when college is free. —Angel Diaz

“Art Opening”

Season: 8

Air date: Sept. 25, 1982

2014 was the year white people admitted to “ghetto” fetishizing. New flash! Durags are 'urban tie caps' now, and 2015 is the year of gelled down baby hairs. Tyrone Green was a recurring character because it's a "black" name that Eddie enjoyed poking fun at. Here, Tyrone amazes white folk with his pretty straightforward explanations about his abstract pieces. To quote the legendary Paul Mooney: “Everybody wanna be a nigga, but nobody wanna be a nigga.” —Angel Diaz

“Father and Son”

Season: 8

Air date: Oct. 2, 1982

A father, a son, a junkyard couch, a set design, and overall setup straight outta Sanford & Son. About a third of the way through the earnestly paternalistic exchange, a la a Very Special Episode of Good Times or the Fresh Prince, however, Murphy and guest host Louis Gossett, Jr., break character to denounce the script as wack, at which point they go on to complain about the monotony of roles available to black actors. In retrospect, this sketch is a bit rich coming from SNL, given creator Lorne Michaels' historic failure to recruit, sustain, and effectively deploy black cast members since Chris Rock's departure from the show in 1993. —Justin Charity

“Tyrone Goes Reggae”

Season: 8

Air date: Nov. 13, 1982

Reggae singer Tyrone Green and his band perform at a VFW hall talent show, where the three black musicians are surrounded and outnumbered by an old white crowd. Green beings by singing about living in a shanty where he sleeps on the ground, and by the time the chorus rolls around, the whole band is singing a contemptuous refrain: "We kill the white people!" The meeting hall descends into chaos, with all the attendees either stalking off or else leaping to attack the band on stage. The first thought that springs to mind is the parallel between this, and that one time the Secret Service booted Lupe Fiasco from Pres. Obama's second inaugural festivities in 2013. —Justin Charity

 

“Show Ideas”

Season: 9

Air date: Oct. 8, 1983

This situation will be forever relevant. People from the "hood" are capable of talking proper English when we're in a formal setting. It's a classic case of regular handshake vs. soul brother handshake. Some white people try too hard to be down for the cause. The cliches Eddie tackled during his sketches in the '80s still exist today, like when Denzel won for Training Day and not for Malcolm X, and more recently, Shonda Rhimes being an angry black woman. —Angel Diaz

“Eddie in New Jersey”

Season: 9

Air date: Oct. 22, 1983

There goes the neighborhood. Property values go down when black people move into the 'burbs. Brown people are considered suspicious persons when casually walking down the street. You know, because they aren't capable of being civilized. Here, Eddie debunks stereotypes by being a productive and friendly neighbor. Jersey's not so bad after all. —Angel Diaz

“Firing Line”

Season: 9

Air date: Feb. 11, 1984

Despite National Review editor William F. Buckley's legacy and reputation in conservative circles as an intellectual titan, he spouted crackpot racial theory and anti-black rhetoric in his day. "Firing Line," a sort of Crossfire debate setup, pits Robin Williams as Buckley vs. Murphy as Dr. Philip Holder, who's invited to account for why black people—black entertainers, in particular—are prone to spontaneous combustion in the literal sense. The back-and-forth between Williams and Murphy takes a few absurdist turns, true to historical characterization of Negroes as magical. Reading much of the conservative theorizing of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown's supernaturally fiendish strength, for instance, is such a distressing blast from America's past. —Justin Charity

“White Like Me”

Season: 10

Air date: Dec. 15, 1984

The conversation of white privilege has dominated various media platforms the last couple of months. This skit speaks to that. This has been an issue in communities of color for decades. Do white people give each other free stuff when we're not around? Do they have parties on public transportation when there isn't a black or brown person in sight? Eddie Murphy has the answers, and yes, white privilege is a real thing. —Angel Diaz

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