Eddie Murphy was honored with comedy’s highest honor on Sunday night, and the evening was full of jokes, laughs and… Bill Cosby impersonations.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Awards presented Murphy with the Mark Twain Prize for his successful comedy career. According to Yahoo News, some of the country’s biggest comedians, including Tracy Morgan, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah and Dave Chappelle showed up to honor Murphy.
“He’s the reason I’m in comedy,” Morgan said at the ceremony. “He’s the reason I have a job. He’s the reason I have a career.”
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However, it was Murphy’s Bill Cosby impersonation that left the crowd talking. Just last week, the comedian opened up to the Washington Post explaining why he refused to reprise his Cosby character during Saturday Night Live’s 40th Anniversary Special (“If you get up there and you crack jokes about him, you’re just hurting people,” Murphy said, referring to the 50+ sexual assault allegations against the actor-comedian).
While accepting the award last night, Murphy donned his Cosby Pudding Pop voice and poked fun at various institutions rescinding Cosby’s awards.
Check out a clip above, and tell us what you think. Did Murphy go to far, or was his clowning all in good fun?
