Eddie Murphy jokingly referenced Will Smith’sinfamous slap on Chris Rock while being honored at the 2023 Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday night (January 10).
The legendary comedian/actor was this year’s recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” and is named after its first recipient, director Cecil B. DeMille.
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While accepting the award inside The Beverly Hilton, Murphy thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as well as his family and colleagues, while reflecting on his 46 years in show business.
Towards the end of his speech, the 61-year-old poked fun at Smith’s open-palmed smack on Rock at the 2022 Oscars while sharing advice for “new, up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room.”
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“I want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind. It’s a blueprint, and I’ve followed it my whole career,” he said.
“It’s very simple, just do these three things: pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your fucking mouth!”
While Will Smith, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith — whose alopecia Rock made fun of before being physically accosted by Smith at the Academy Awards — have yet to respond, Eddie Murphy later addressed his show-stealing joke.
Speaking with Extra backstage after the Golden Globes ceremony, Murphy admitted he doesn’t expect to hear from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star, but has nothing but fond feelings for both him and Chris Rock.
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“I love Will,” he said. “I love Will and I love Chris.”
When asked about the prospect of host Jimmy Kimmel referencing the slap at the 2023 Oscars, he replied: “If I was hosting the Oscars, I would have worked that joke that I did in there some kind of way. I think you have to say something but, you know, then you move on.”
Murphy’s joke comes after plenty of follow-up about the Oscars slap from both Will Smith and Chris Rock. The latter joked during a comedy set in the UK last September that Smith hit him over the “nicest joke I ever told,” while in a more serious tone claiming that the actor “ripped his mask off and showed us he was as ugly as the rest of us.”
Smith, meanwhile, has issued numerous apologies to Rock and tearfully admitted that he was “going through something” the night of the slap.
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“There’s many nuances and complexities to it, but at the end of the day, I just — I lost it, you know? I guess what I would say, you just never know what somebody’s going through,” he said on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah last November.
“I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all. I would just say, you’re asking what did I learn – it’s that we just gotta be nice to each other, man.”
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He added: “It’s hard. And I guess the thing that was most painful for me is, I took my heart and I made it hard for other people. It’s like, I understood the idea that hurt people hurt people.”
