Bill Cosby has publicly thanked Eddie Murphy for declining to play the comedian — who has been accused of sexual assault by more than 20 women — in Saturday Night Live’s 40th anniversary special this weekend.
Cosby’s spokesperson said he was “very appreciative of Eddie and I applaud his actions,” NBC reports.
Norm Macdonald tweeted that he had asked Murphy to play Cosby during a Celebrity Jeopardy sketch, but said Murphy refused:
Dan Aykroyd as Julia Child in 1978.Edie Baskin—Warner Bros./Archive Photos/Getty ImagesDan Aykroyd as President Richard Nixon in 1978.Fred Hermansky—NBC/Getty ImagesDana Carvey as Ross Perot in 1993.Raymond Bonar—NBC/Getty ImagesNorm MacDonald as David Letterman in 1997.Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty ImagesFrom left: Molly Shannon as Monica Lewinsky and John Goodman as Linda Tripp in 1998.Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty ImagesFrom left: Jimmy Fallon as Michael Stipe and Ana Gasteyer as Celine Dion in 1998.Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty ImagesDarrell Hammond as Sean Connery in 2000.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesWill Ferrell as Alex Trebek in 2002.Mary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty ImagesMaya Rudolph as Donatella VersaceMary Ellen Matthews—NBC/Getty ImagesAlec Baldwin as Tony Bennett in 2005.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesFrom left: Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton and Will Ferrell as Janet Reno in 2007.NBC/Getty ImagesWill Farrell as President George W. Bush in 2008.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesFrom left: Tina Fey as Governor Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Senator Hillary Clinton in 2008.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesKristen Wiig as Liza Minnelli in 2012.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesKenan Thompson as Rev. Al Sharpton on Oct. 25, 2014.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesKevin Hart as James Brown on Jan. 17, 2015.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty ImagesKate McKinnon as Justin Bieber on Jan. 17, 2015.Dana Edelson—NBC/Getty Images
