Though the lineup of upcoming SNL guest hosts for Season 51 is dwindling, with just three more episodes to go, the show’s legacy will continue for years to come, likely with longest-running cast member Kenan Thompson leading the charge. The sketch comedy extraordinaire was one of many celebs on-hand to honor another Saturday Night Live giant, Eddie Murphy, who received 51st AFI Life Achievement Award during a gala event in Los Angeles.
During his tribute, Thompson gave credit to Murphy for blazing his trail as a 19-year-old joining SNL’s cast in 1980 and setting the precedent for others to do the same. Thompson didn’t need to break out his French accent as Jean K Jean for any false fanciness, and instead spoke from the heart (via THR), saying:
For me personally, as someone who grew up dreaming about making people laugh, he wasn’t just an influence, he was proof. Proof that you could come in young, take big swings, trust your voice, and leave a mark that lasts decades.
Kenan Thompson
Which isn't to say that any young comedians in 2026 and beyond should be inspired to bring Gumby back as a relevant piece of comedy. But Kenan Thompson's point remains salient. Eddie Murphy's meteoric rise to fame in the 1980s remains impressive enough to be an inspiration for anyone in any career, in the sense that having heaping amounts of talent and confidence is often the winning combination.
Article continues belowElsewhere, Thompson shared another reason why he's admired Murphy for so many years, pointing to how the Beverly Hills Cop vet can excel in roles beyond just the ones that put him on the map. As he put it:
But beyond the comedy, what I’ve always admired most is your range, sir. I mean, you could have stayed in one lane and been comfortable forever, but you didn’t do that. You evolved. You challenged yourself. You even changed your laugh. I mean, who does that?
Kenan Thompson
As amusing as it would be to hear a 90-year-old Eddie Murphy delivering his former signature laugh, it only makes sense that he had to put that one in semi-retirement.
And sure, some of Murphy's evolving went haywire, with some projects not matching up at all with what audiences wanted from him. But he took those shots because he believed in the projects, and such disappointments led him to stretching his talents in roles for Dreamgirls, Dolemite Is My Name and more.
Someone else who praised Eddie Murphy's onscreen performances was fellow Saturday Night Live vet Tracy Morgan. Unsurprisingly, the Reggie Dinkins star pointed back to a meta moment, saying:
One of the greatest performers ever who’s going to be playing me in a sketch with me? My God, what if he’s funnier than me? And as we all know, Eddie Murphy does an incredible Tracy Morgan. Thanks, [Lorne Michaels]. Eddie Murphy did more for red leather outfits and cowboy boots than any Black man in history.
Tracy Morgan
The line that made me laugh the most out of anything reported on, however, came from Eddie Murphy himself, who addressed his appreciation to AFI for giving him the lifetime achievement award while he's still young and dapper enough to accept it free from messing himself on the stage. As he put it oh-so-elequently:
It just feels like it’s raining blessings on me this month. It’s a lot of stuff, and to get this award and still look like myself, because sometimes they’ll let you wait till you’re real old to get this award. If you made me wait until I was 92, I would’ve come out here and said, ‘F--k everybody. F--k everybody!’ Then I would have s--t on the floor.'
Eddie Murphy
Fans will get to see Murphy being honored when the AFI gala is available to stream via Netflix subscription later in the 2026 TV schedule. Until that happens, Saturday Night Live will return with a trio of new episodes on NBC when Olivia Rodrigo hits the stage on May 2.
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