Eddie Murphy Opens Up About Why He Turned Down A Bill Cosby Sketch During SNL40

Eddie Murphy wants to set the record straight.
Earlier this year, the actor was supposed to impersonate scandalized comedian Bill Cosby during Saturday Night Live‘s 40th anniversary special, but backed out of the sketch.
Related: Bill Releases A Statement About Eddie’s Canceled Sketch
Now, the Shrek star wants to explain exactly why he declined to do his incredible impression.
The 54-year-old revealed that he just wasn’t comfortable with tackling the tender topic because he didn’t want to upset anyone involved with the controversial allegations, saying:

“It’s horrible. There’s nothing funny about it. If you get up there and you crack jokes about him, you’re just hurting people. You’re hurting him. You’re hurting his accusers. I was like, ‘Hey, I’m coming back to SNL for the anniversary, I’m not turning my moment on the show into this other thing.'”

While the funnyman admitted he had no desire to to portray the 78-year-old that night, he totally gets why the writers penned the skit, adding:

“I totally understood. It was the biggest thing in the news at the time. I can see why they thought it would be funny, and the sketch that Norm [Macdonald] wrote was hysterical.”

What do U think, Perezcious readers? Should Eddie have followed through with the bit? Or did he make the right call in turning it down?
[Image via Adrianna M. Barraza/HRC/WENN.]