Eddie Murphy Returns to Host 'Saturday Night Live' for the First Time in 35 Years

On Monday, “Saturday Night Live” released a schedule of some of the celebrity hosts that they would have in the next four months. One such star was Eddie Murphy!

On December 21, comedian and actor Eddie Murphy will be hosting “Saturday Night Live (SNL)” during the variety show's 45th season, according to NBC. The surprise gig will be his first time in 35 years!

The musical guest for the episode is still to be announced. The star is clearly going back to his roots as “SNL” helped him rise to fame when he featured as a regular.

He worked on the show from 1980 to 1984. Murphy became a powerhouse to the point that when someone canceled their hosting gig for the show in 1982, he filled the spot.

The only time the comedian returned after that was on the 40th anniversary special in 2015. During the episode, Chris Rock introduced him by paying tribute to him saying how Murphy had changed his life.

Murphy was a fan favorite and had many memorable sketches including "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" (a streetwise parody of Mr. Rodgers), "Buckwheat," "Gumby," and "White Like Me."

The upcoming episode that the star will be hosting tends to be the big blowout before the holiday break.

It’s expected that the episode will feature comedy in its fullest and plenty of guest appearances. Murphy seems to be slowly creeping back into Hollywood and the industry.

The comedian is also said to be sitting down with Netflix to discuss doing an undisclosed number of comedy specials with them. It’s believed the deal could fetch up to $70 million!

Murphy is adding a lot on his career plate as he's also set to star in the sequel of the film “'Coming to America.” In the movie, he will reprise his role as Prince Akeem and he was recently seen on set in Georgia in full regalia as his character.

So far, September 28 will be hosted Woody Harrelson with musical guest Billie Eilish. October 5 will see Phoebe Waller-Bridge (the Emmy-nominated star and creator of Amazon's "Fleabag") take the reins alongside musical guest Taylor Swift.

David Harbour (known for his roles in Netflix's "Stranger Things" and the upcoming Marvel film "Black Widow") will host on October 12 with Camila Cabello as the musical guest.

Then on November 2, Kristen Stewart will be your host with the musical guest still to be announced.

Another project that Murphy can be seen is the Netflix film “Dolemite Is My Name” after disappearing on screen for the last decade. In the movie, the actor plays the role of real-life comedian and “Godfather of Rap” Rudy Ray Moore.

The trailer was for the film was recently released and the movie is set to air in the fall.