On Sunday, Eddie Murphy accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor—and surprised everyone with a brief stand-up set. As the Washington Post notes, it’s been 28 years since Murphy delivered a live set. And this time, he took on Bill Cosby:
“Bill has one of these,” Murphy said. “Did you all make Bill give his back? … You know you fucked up when they want you to give your trophies back.” Then he launched into his Cosby voice: “You may have heard recently that I allegedly put the pill in the people’s stomach. … If I ever see or meet this Hannibal Buress in person I am going to try and kill this man!”
The comedian had previously resisted bringing back his famous impersonation for Saturday Night Live’s 40th anniversary special, saying there would be “nothing funny about it.” But as the time to accept his award approached, the Washington Post reports that Murphy began mulling over telling a few jokes. He ran the jokes by a small test audience, Chris Rock and Arsenio Hall.
The event—along with Murphy’s complete impression—will broadcast Nov. 23.
