The Interesting Relationship Between Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson
It Really Confused Me For Years
5 min readDec 30, 2020
Without question, two of the biggest and most globally popular and successful figures of the 1980’s were comedian and actor Eddie Murphy and singer/dancer Michael Jackson.
I was a massive fan of both men, and I still am. But one thing that really confused (and later delighted) me was the relationship between those guys. Here is a list of their history together (as I saw it).
1983
- On August 17, Murphy, then a 22 year old superstar cast member of NBC’s Saturday Night Live, performed a now iconic stand up routine that was filmed for broadcast on HBO. The flick, Eddie Murphy: Delirious, recorded at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. was hilarious and raunchy, but Murphy imitated Michael during the routine (I was personally offended when I eventually screened the film). It seemed that he was making fun of MJ, which was a no-no in my book.
- On November 14, Michael Jackson’s now seminal short film, Michael Jackson’s Thriller made its theatrical debut at the Crest Theater in West Hollywood, California in order to qualify for a possible Academy Award nomination. After the 13 minute classic ended, Murphy (who was one of the luminaries in attendance) stood up in the theater…
