‘SNL’: Eddie Murphy Accidentally Curses Live On-Air During Baking Sketch

Eddie Murphy made his grand return to the Saturday Night Live stage on Dec. 21 and, naturally, he brought the laughs during the show. But, he also let a curse word slip during the Holiday Baking Championship sketch, which got some fans talking.

During the Holiday Baking Championship sketch, Murphy’s character had more than a bit of trouble actually baking his Sonic the Hedgehog cake. Instead of making anything that resembles a normal cake, his character baked what could only be called a monstrosity that could actually speak. Even with his evil cake, he was still in the running for the win, a fact which didn’t sit right with Heidi Gardner’s character, a fellow contestant who made a lovely Frosty cake. When Murphy’s cake tried to speak out (and made an undiscernible comment), he quickly quieted him down.

“Come back here, you coward. We can still win this s—,” he tells his own cake, before placing his hand over his mouth in shock over letting the curse word slip. His slip-up came at the end of the skit, so the show quickly moved past the moment. However, that didn’t stop fans from pointing out Murphy’s faux pas on Twitter.

Writer Dave Itzkoff noted that Murphy’s exclamation only made the moment more “legendary.”

“Whatever the FCC fine is, it’s totally worth it, Lorne Michaels… it’s EDDIE MURPHY!!” another fan wrote, adding, “#S—Happens.”

“Watching Eddie Murphy curse on live tv is the best,” yet another viewer noted and added some laughing emojis to boot.

Of course, Murphy did more than just converse with his ill-conceived baked good, he also brought back plenty of his fan-favorite SNL characters back to the stage. The comedian did sketches that centered on Mister Robinson, Gumby, and even Buckwheat.

Murphy’s turn as a host marked his return to the program over 30 years after he appeared as a cast member on the series. When asked why he felt now was the right time to come back, the Dolemite Is My Name star said that he was inspired by SNL‘s 40th anniversary special in 2015.

“They had this 40-year anniversary a few years back, so everybody that was ever on the show was there, and it was this really great night,” he said in November during a discussion with Antonio Banderas for Variety. “I got this big wave of nostalgia and great feelings and seeing all these other actors that have been on the show. There was such a strong kinship with everybody, I felt like I was at my old high school. I decided, this Christmas, I’m going to go back and host the show. I hope it’s funny.”