“Who the fuck do you think you are?”: The argument that made David Spade an instant enemy of Eddie Murphy
In the 1990s, Eddie Murphy’s career was on the rocks. Scraping the bottom of the barrel with Another 48 Hrs and Beverley Hills Cop III, he also ran into negative press and poor box office returns when he tried to produce passion projects. 1989’s Harlem Nights and 1996’s Vampire in Brooklyn were met with horrendous reviews, and compared to the star’s previous industry domination with films like Trading Places, Beverley Hills Cop, and Coming to America, it looked as though his career was on the decline.
Murphy’s success in Hollywood was a rare feat. He started out as a stand-up comedian and became a cast member on the television sketch show Saturday Night Live in the early ‘80s. For many comedians, this would be a career-high, but when Hollywood came knocking, Murphy found his calling. His first film, 48 Hrs, was a critical and box office smash, launching him into the ranks of movie stardom instantaneously. He followed it up with nearly a decade of success, demonstrating that he wasn’t just a one-hit wonder.
But by the time the 1990s rolled around, his career was in jeopardy, and there was someone ready to make a joke out of it. David Spade was a cast member on SNL, having joined the show after Murphy departed. He was also in a professional rut, struggling to hold his own against castmates like Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell. In an attempt to stay relevant, he created a segment called ‘The Hollywood Minute’ in which he lampooned the stars of the day. He took jabs at everyone, including actors he considered friends. But when he took aim at Murphy, the two were not friends, and things didn’t end well.
“Look, children, it’s a falling star! Make a wish,” Spade quipped on a segment in which a photo of Murphy appeared on screen. It was met with gasps and laughter from the audience, but somewhere, the subject of his jab was watching, too, and he wasn’t laughing.
The Monday after the segment aired, Spade got a call from Murphy, which he was too scared to answer. He detailed the moment in his memoir, Almost Interesting, recalling that he was “freaking the fuck out” and approaching a panic attack. Murphy called a second time. And a third. Panicked, Spade returned the call and was met with a barrage of fury.
“David Spade, who the fuck do you think you are?!!” he remembered Murphy shouting. “Honestly? Who. The. Fuck. Going after ME?? You dumb motherfucker! I’m off-limits, don’t you know that? You wouldn’t have a job if it weren’t for me.”
In his memoir, Spade struck a diplomatic tone. “[T]he truth was that when you are famous, you never want someone on a supposedly cool show to say you’re not cool,” he wrote. “Even if the person saying it is a nobody like me.”
In 2011, Murphy conceded to Rolling Stone that he stayed away from SNL for decades afterwards due in large part to Spade’s segment. “What really irritated me about it at the time was that it was a career shot,” he said, explaining that he wouldn’t have minded if Spade had taken aim at his movies, but that making fun of a person’s career – especially a person who had once been on the same show – was beyond the pale.
Shortly after the Rolling Stone interview, Spade said that he ran into Murphy in Los Angeles, and the two shook hands. Finally, after nearly 20 years, the beef was over.
