Will Heath/NBC
Four decades after gracing the Saturday Night Live stage, Eddie Murphy has taken home his very first Emmy.
On Sunday, Sept. 20, Eddie was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his appearance on SNL. Other Emmy nominees in the category included both Adam Driver and Brad Pitt for their respective SNL roles.
Eddie, who was a cast member on NBC’s variety show from 1980 to 1984, hosted the show for the first time in 35 years on Dec. 21, 2019.
Speaking from his home during the virtual Emmys press room, Eddie expressed gratitude for the award.
“Thank you to everybody at the Emmys. Thank you so much for giving me an Emmy,” the Dolemite is My Name star said. “I don’t have an Emmy. This is 40 years since I started Saturday Night Live, this is my first Emmy, so thank you so much.”
Eddie added that he wanted to thank SNL creator Lorne Michaels for “putting this whole thing together.”
“And I want to thank, the cast, the writers and the crew at SNL,” Eddie added. “This was a very, very special thing for me to come back and have the show turn out the way it did. I’m still floating from it. And thank you to everybody for giving me an Emmy.”
During his time on the December episode of SNL, Eddie brought back some of his iconic ’80s characters.
Check out Eddie Murphy’s #Emmy acceptance speech for Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series for @nbcsnl. Congrats again, Eddie! pic.twitter.com/o2Tuptr8HV
— Television Academy (@TelevisionAcad) September 20, 2020
For “Weekend Update,” Eddie dressed as his parody interpretation of classic claymation character Gumby.
Though Eddie scored the Emmy this time, many people were disappointed to see that the actor was not nominated for an Academy Award earlier this year for the titular role in Dolemite is My Name. He did, however, receive an earlier nomination at the Golden Globes, where he was beat by Rocketman‘s Taron Egerton.
Eddie will return to standup with a new Netflix special. Of how his comedy will be different once he returns to the stage, the father of 10 told The New York Times:
“I now have a whole lifetime of experiences to draw upon. There was a time when I was at the center of everything, what I was doing, and how funny I was and how popular,” he said. “I’m not at the center. Now my kids are and everything revolves around them.”
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Watch our Live From E!: Emmys coverage today, Sunday, Sept. 20 starting at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT followed by the 2020 Emmy Awards telecast at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC! For a recap of the biggest Emmys show moments, don’t miss the E! After Party show tonight at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.
