Eddie Murphy's SNL Mount Rushmore of Black Comedy monologue moment was cool, yet kind of muddled

Fast Company

"It was definitely a cool moment to create a Mount Rushmore of black comedy live on stage, uniting Murphy with Tracy Morgan and Chris Rock, two African American standups who were hired to join the SNL cast in the effort to recreate the magic Murphy created, and Dave Chappelle, whose connection to the show is that he hosted once in 2016," says David Lidsky of Murphy's opening monologue. "But the idea was kind of muddled, too. Either bring together every 'next Eddie Murphy' from the show’s shameful history of rarely having more than one black performer (Damon Wayans and Jay Pharaoh should have been there), or assemble every black comedy megastar of the last 40 years whom Murphy paved the way for: Kevin Hart (who did get name-checked as Murphy’s eleventh child), Katt Williams, Tiffany Haddish, and so forth."

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• Kenan Thompson was touched to be included with Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Tracy Morgan: "It’s so very nice to see the love that’s being shown here today!!! I really needed that!!" he tweeted Sunday. "Glad y’all see me!!! Last night was legendary and I’m glad y’all feel I deserved to be in it!!!"
• Bill Cosby's publicist responds to Murphy mocking the imprisoned comedian by calling the SNL host a "Hollywood slave"