Kevin Hart opened up the tribute to Murphy, by talking about the influence he had over every comic’s career and the walls he broke down as a black co
Kevin Hart opened up the tribute to Murphy, by talking about the influence he had over every comic’s career and the walls he broke down as a black comedian. This was a prevailing theme throughout the night. “He’s our power. He’s our friend,” Hart said. “And even you white people think he’s your friend, and he’s done a lot to show you different! He’s given us the gift of laughter across generations.”
In video interstitials, Murphy reflected upon his career. He pointed out that in Beverly Hills Cop, his character flipped the script on the usual tropes by having a black man not just tolerated in a position of power, but to take charge. He cited Peter Sellers as an inspiration to play multiple roles in movies like The Nutty Professor and Coming to America. He also pointed out that the industry initially complained about the novelty of Boomerang‘s all-black cast when it first premiered.
Stevie Wonder received a standing ovation when he took the stage. Murphy famously parodied Wonder on SNL, but the two became friends when Wonder joined him for a sketch on the show. “Eddie finds our common funny bone and allows us to show how much we are alike,” Wonder said. “We found each other because he would imitate me on Saturday Night Live. He made fun of a blind man! And he made me and the world laugh.” Wonder even did an impression of Murphy’s impression of him, which received massive laughs from the crowd. It was proof that Murphy’s sheer brilliance made it impossible to hold a grudge.
Chris Rock drove the point home that without Murphy many of the people in the audience that night simply would not exist. “Like Brando, you’re the first black man to just be cool, to just be yourself. It was just you,” he said. Following that, Jennifer Hudson, who starred with Murphy in Dreamgirls (for which Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award), sang a medley of songs from the musical. She brought the house down and reminded everyone that her voice is unmatched.
Mike Meyers came out in full Shrek makeup to toast Murphy, who famously played the role of Donkey. He listed off the stats on the Shrek series, which remains one of the most successful animated franchises of all time. “I never got to work with Charlie Chaplin, I never got to work with Alec Guinness, I never got to work with Peter Sellers, but it is my absolute honor to say and be able to tell my kids that I got to work with Eddie Murphy,” he said.
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