Eddie Murphy’s Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary appearance was disappointing to say the least and now we’re getting some behind-the-scenes details as to why it was so brief.

On Wednesday night, former SNL castmember Norm MacDonald spilled the beans on what was pitched for Murphy and what he flat out refused to do.

McDonald revealed Murphy wouldn’t come back for the 25th anniversary of SNL because of a comment David Spade made, but when he agreed to come back for the 40th anniversary, he wouldn’t do the pitched Bill Cosby skit.

They even pulled out the big guns and got Brett Ratner to try and convince him. “’Brett says Eddie doesn’t feel comfortable’, Eddie says ‘maybe it’s ok since he’s doing pre-allegation Cosby.’ And on and on it went,” he explained.

He said he talked to him in his dressing room for an hour and was sure he would do it. “When it’s over, I’m convinced he’ll do it. He doesn’t. He knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than any one,” explained.

We do know what he ended up doing and that was virtually nothing. Kenan Thompson ultimately did the skit instead.

“Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down. Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us. Eddie does not need the laughs. Eddie Murphy is the coolest, a rockstar even in a room with actual rockstars,” wrote MacDonald.

image courtesy of INFphoto.com