Eddie Murphy poses next to Tracy Morgan with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, on January 10. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Eddie Murphy poked fun at Will Smith’s Oscars slap at the Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday.
The “King Richard” actor overshadowed last year’s Academy Awards with his antics when he struck Chris Rock over a joke the comic made about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and the “Nutty Professor” star referenced the controversy when he accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the Beverly Hilton hotel.
Murphy joked about what Smith had told Rock when he hit him as he said: “I’ve been doing this for a long time so I could literally stand up here and keep saying names until they play the piano, but I’m gonna wrap it up and just say something to all the new up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room tonight.
“I wanna let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity and peace of mind.
“It’s very simple, just do these three things: Pay your taxes, mind your business – and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f****** mouth!”
The 61-year-old actor thanked his girlfriend Paige Butcher and his 10 “amazing” children in his speech, and admitted the lifetime achievement award was “greatly appreciated”.
He said: “I’ve been in show business for 46 years, and I’ve been in the movie business for 41 years, so this has been a long time in the making and greatly appreciated.”
Murphy was presented with his award by Tracy Morgan and Jamie Lee Curtis, and on the red carpet earlier in the evening, the former “30 Rock” star credited the “Coming To America” actor for inspiring him to get into comedy.
Morgan told “Access Hollywood”: “Eddie is the reason why I do comedy. Eddie is my OG.”