Eddie Murphy made reference to Will Smith’s infamous slap at the 2022 Oscars, as he accepted a top award at the Golden Globes.
The actor and comedian was presented with the coveted Cecil B DeMille award at the Golden Globes by fellow comedian Tracy Morgan and Jamie Lee Curtis on Tuesday.
Murphy is known for starring in well known films including Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming To America, The Nutty Professor and the Shrek franchise, among many others.
He is a six-time Golden Globe nominee and won the best supporting actor in a motion picture award in 2007 for his performance in Dreamgirls.
Accepting the award, Murphy said: “I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I can literally stand up here and keep saying thank you 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 want to let you know that there is a definitive blueprint that you can follow to achieve success, prosperity, longevity, and peace of mind.
🎉 The biggest round of applause for Eddie Murphy, this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient! Your decades of unbeatable comedy and incredible performances deserve to be acknowledged and celebrated! 🎉 #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/IWiU6LEmmf
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 11, 2023
“There’s a blueprint and I followed it my whole career, it’s very simple.
“There’s three things… just do these three things: Pay your taxes. Mind your business, and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out of your f****** mouth!”
Last year Smith stormed the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and her hair cut – not realising it was a result of the medical condition, alopecia.
Returning to his seat after the altercation, Smith had shouted, “keep my wife’s name out of your f****** mouth!”
Smith later apologised to Rock for the outburst, but was banned from all Academy events for the next 10 years.
The Cecil B DeMille award is presented to a talented individual for their outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.
Murphy joins past recipients of the award including Jane Fonda, George Clooney, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Robert De Niro, Audrey Hepburn, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Sophia Loren, Steven Spielberg, Denzel Washington, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and more.