How Eddie Murphy Landed the SNL Spot Robert Townsend Almost Got
A 1980 casting decision at Saturday Night Live reshaped two comedy careers, according to a recent Far Out Magazine retrospective. With the show having lost mainstays John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, and creator Lorne Michaels temporarily departed, producer Jean Doumanian was tasked with rebuilding the cast. On the shortlist: Brooklyn-born Eddie Murphy and Robert Townsend, who already had stand-up exposure from appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
The casting call
Per Neil Levy, then an SNL staffer, Doumanian initially wanted Townsend for the show's one Black cast slot. After Murphy's audition, her verdict was reportedly: "He's good, but I like Robert Townsend better."
Levy disagreed — strongly. He described going "nuts" over the decision and threatened to quit. The deciding factor: the show was only hiring one Black performer, and Townsend had not yet signed a contract. Doumanian ultimately signed Murphy instead.
From SNL to Hollywood's top pay grade
Murphy became a breakout SNL performer within months, creating characters like Buckwheat and Gumby that were widely imitated across the country. He stayed with the show for four seasons before moving into film, starring opposite Aykroyd in Trading Places, and recording two landmark stand-up specials — including 1987's Raw, for which Robert Townsend served as opening act.
By the end of the 1980s, Murphy was among Hollywood's highest-paid actors. Coming to America, 48 Hrs., and the two Beverly Hills Cop films combined for more than $1 billion at the box office. For 1990's Another 48 Hrs., his fee was reportedly around $8 million per film.
Formative influences
As a teenager, Murphy studied Richard Pryor as a model, alongside Robin Williams' vocal and character shifts and the physical comedy of Bruce Lee and Charlie Chaplin. His father was murdered, his mother raised him alone while on public assistance due to illness, and he spent time in foster care — experiences that later fed his stand-up material. By his teens he was already active on New York's live comedy circuit, which is how SNL took notice of him.