LOS ANGELES, June 29: Eddie Murphy recently reflected on the "cheap shots" he believes he has endured throughout his career. In an interview with the New York Times, the Oscar-nominated actor and comedian discussed the unfair treatment he feels he has received from both the press and his peers.

"Back in the old days, they used to be relentless on me, and a lot of it was racist stuff," Murphy said, referring to his early career in the 1980s. He highlighted an incident involving David Spade's joke on "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) in December 1995. During a "Hollywood Minute" segment, Spade displayed a picture of Murphy and commented, "Look children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish," following the box office failure of Murphy's film, "Vampire in Brooklyn."

Murphy expressed his hurt over the joke, feeling betrayed by the show that had launched his career. "It was like: ‘Yo, it’s in-house! I’m one of the family, and you’re f-–king with me like that?’ It hurt my feelings like that," he said. Murphy, who was a core cast member on SNL from 1980 to 1984, is often credited with helping save the show from cancellation during that period.

He criticized the producers for allowing the joke, noting, "All the people that have been on that show, you’ve never heard nobody make no joke about anybody’s career. Most people who get off that show, they don’t go on and have these amazing careers. It was personal. It was like, ‘Yo, how could you do that?’ My career? Really? A joke about my career? So I thought that was a cheap shot. And it was kind of, I thought – I felt it was racist.”

David Spade later expressed regret over the joke, recounting how Murphy had called him to express his upset. "I’ve come to see Eddie’s point on this one," Spade wrote. "Everybody in showbiz wants people to like them. That’s how you get fans. But when you get reamed in a sketch or online or however, that s—t staaaangs. And it can add up quickly."

Murphy has largely avoided SNL since the incident, although he made a brief appearance during the show's 40th anniversary special in 2015 and returned as a host in 2019 to much acclaim. "In the long run it’s all good, worked out great. I’m cool with David Spade, I’m cool with Lorne Michaels. I went back to SNL," Murphy said this week. "It’s all love… but I had a couple of cheap shots!"

Murphy's new film, "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F," is set to premiere on Netflix next week.