Could Gumby be making a triumphant return to “Saturday Night Live,” dammit?
Maybe, maybe not. But it appears that Eddie Murphy, the man who parodied the iconic bendy toy on the late-night show, will be back.
Murphy, who appeared as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1980 to 1984 before rocketing to stardom with a film career, confirmed Thursday that he will once again appear on “SNL” for its 40th anniversary special, airing Feb. 15 on NBC.
The return will mark the first time he’s appeared on the show since departing as a cast member.
The comedian made the reveal on TV One’s “News One Now,” as he spoke to host Roland S. Martin via telephone.
“It’s just timing. It just never worked out where the timing was right for me to do it,” Murphy told Martin, when asked about his three-decade absence from the show. “Actually, they’re having a 40th anniversary thing in two weeks, I’m going to that. And that will be the first time that I’ve been back since I left.”
During his time on “SNL,” Murphy was responsible for a number of popular characters, including his parodies of Mister Rogers, “Little Rascals” icon Buckwheat and Gumby.