'Back to being a Hollywood Slave': Bill Cosby's rep lashes out at Eddie Murphy after 'SNL' gig

Susan Haas, USA TODAY

Eddie Murphy was back on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, hosting the show for the first time in 35 years. Not everyone was laughing.

The comedy legend kicked off his monologue by talking about his new baby, his 10th child: "But if you would have told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring, stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I woulda took that bet. Who is America’s dad now?!" Murphy cracked with a spot-on Cosby impression.

Cosby’s publicist, Andrew Wyatt, hit back on Instagram Sunday night, saying the actor and comedian "broke color barriers" in the industry so that Murphy and others could thrive.

"One would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation so that he could make his own decisions; but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood Slave," Wyatt said.

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Bill Cosby’s Publicist, Andrew Wyatt, responds to Eddie Murphy’s SNL Monologue: “Mr. Cosby became the first Black to win an Emmy for his role in I Spy and Mr. Cosby broke color barriers in the Entertainment Industry, so that Blacks like Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappell, Kevin Hart and et al., could have an opportunity to showcase their talents for many generations to come. It is sad that Mr. Murphy would take this glorious moment of returning to SNL and make disparaging remarks against Mr. Cosby. One would think that Mr. Murphy was given his freedom to leave the plantation, so that he could make his own decisions; but he decided to sell himself back to being a Hollywood Slave. Stepin Fetchit plus cooning equals the destruction of Black Men in Hollywood. Remember, Mr. Murphy, that Bill Cosby became legendary because he used comedy to humanize all races, religions and genders; but your attacking Mr. Cosby helps you embark on just becoming click bait. Hopefully, you will be amenable to having a meeting of the minds conversation, in order to discuss how we can use our collective platforms to enhance Black people rather than bringing all of us down together.” #NotFunnySNL #SNL #FarFromFinished #FreeBillCosby #BillCosby

A post shared by Bill Cosby (@billcosby) on Dec 22, 2019 at 5:14pm PST

On 'SNL': Eddie Murphy ribs Bill Cosby, revives Mister Robinson in hilarious 'Saturday Night Live' return

During Saturday's show, Murphy also brought back a number of classic characters, including Buckwheat, Mister Robinson and Gumby.

Wyatt seemed to accuse the comedian of perpetuating stereotypes, mentioning both "cooning" and Stepin Fetchit, a racist character played by Lincoln Perry in the early 20th century, and added, "Your attacking Mr. Cosby helps you embark on just becoming click bait."

Eddie Murphy brought back his classic 1980s character Mister Robinson – a spoof of Mister Rogers – on "Saturday Night Live."
Eddie Murphy brought back his classic 1980s character Mister Robinson – a spoof of Mister Rogers – on "Saturday Night Live."

Wyatt closed by inviting Murphy to sit down for a conversation "to discuss how we can use our collective platforms to enhance Black people rather than bringing all of us down together.”

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USA TODAY has reached out to Murphy's reps for comment.

Cosby is serving a three-to-10-year prison term in Pennsylvania after being convicted in 2018 on three felony counts of drugging and molesting a woman in 2004.

Contributing: Brian Truitt, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bill Cosby rep calls Eddie Murphy a 'Hollywood Slave' after 'SNL'