Eddie Murphy, who once rescued Saturday Night Live during a rough patch in the 1980s, rescued a sketch in the show’s 50th anniversary special with a note-perfect imitation of Tracy Morgan.
The Black Jeopardy sketch, a reprise from years ago with Kenan Thompson once again playing host Darnell Hayes, featured Morgan playing a fictitious contestant, as did fellow ex-cast member Leslie Jones.
Murphy was then introduced as Morgan. Wearing a jumbo-sized gold medallion and a red satin patterned jacket, Muphy-as-Morgan got huge laughs and even nearly broke Thompson. “Big dog gonna make some big money!” he crowed.
Thomson replied, “Don’t you already have a lot of money?” Murphy/Morgan: “You gotta have a lot of money if you’re going to live like I live,. I eat four-cheese lasagna! If it only got three cheeses, I ain’t eatin’ it. I refuse to ingest three cheeses!”
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The two then leaned into the moment, with Murphy speculating after a question about a family reunion, “We might be related,” with Morgan’s milquetoast contestant snapping, “I don’t see it.”
Chris Rock also stepped in for Thompson, playing himself and delivering a “special guest clue.” He mused, “You might remember me from Saturday Night Live. I was known as the Black guy who came after Eddie Murphy … that’s kind of like being the point guard that came after Steph Curry.”
Tom Hanks also appeared at the end of the sketch in a throwback to a memorable moment in 2016. The star appeared in a version of the sketch in late-October of that election year, just before Donald Trump won his first term in the White House. Then and on Sunday’s anniversary show, Hanks played a contestant named Doug, clad in a “Make America Great Again” hat. In the 2016 version, Doug goes from fish out of water to a good-natured an neighborly type who finds common ground with others on the show.
In the new version, Doug does little more than mumble a line about more people needing to go to church. What a difference the events of the past eight years have made.
The post Eddie Murphy Steals ‘SNL50’ ‘Black Jeopardy’ Sketch, Imitating Tracy Morgan While Standing Next To Tracy Morgan; Chris Rock And Tom Hanks Also Join In appeared first on Deadline.
