Eddie Murphy To Host ‘Saturday Night Live’ For First Time Since 1984

The comedy legend is returning to the show that made him famous.

The Eddie Murphy Renaissance is upon us. After years in the wilderness sleeping atop his piles of money, the comedian who some say saved Saturday Night Live from its tendency to slide into mediocrity is returning to the stage that first made him famous. 

On August 26, SNL made the official announcement via Twitter.

In a simple photo of post-it notes on a corkboard, hosts for shows from Sept. 28 through Dec. 21 were listed with a selection of musical guests. The first half of the 2019-2020 season begins with Woody Harrelson hosting in September and ends with Murphy on the 21st.

It really does look like after what seems a lot of time away from the spotlight that Murphy is prepared to come back in a big way. After all, he’s reportedly been in $70 million talks with Netflix for a new standup comedy special and he’ll return to movies with the upcoming Dolemite Is My Name.

But for Murphy, it all began with SNL, so it only seems appropriate that he’s coming back to 30 Rock after such a long hiatus.

Generally speaking, SNL hosts appear in conjunction with some big project, like a new movie. Is that the hidden secret behind Murphy’s return? His sequel to Coming to America isn’t slated to premiere till August 2020.

We’ll just have to wait and see, for now. 

Saturday Night Live‘s 45th season begins with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish on September 28, 2019.