Eddie Murphy's SNL appearance now has the highest viewership, dethrones Melissa McCarthy

Actor Eddie Murphy made a comeback on Saturday Night Live and brought in the highest ratings for the show since May 2017. Melissa McCarthy was dethroned by Eddie Murphy as her episode previously had helmed in the highest number of viewers. Read on to know more details about this story.

Eddie Murphy dethrones Melissa McCarthy on SNL

Eddie Murphy is one of the most sought-after actors when it comes to the comedy genre. Doctor Dolittle, Coming to America, and The Nutty Professor are some of Eddie’s most memorable performances. But Eddie Murphy was first noticed during his Saturday Night Live appearances. Several of his SNL characters over a period of time have gained iconic status.

Recently, Eddie Murphy made an appearance on SNL. This was his latest appearance on Saturday Night Live since his last appearance in 1984. His latest appearance on the show turned out to be profitable. SNL got its biggest audience since 2017 because of Eddie Murphy’s episode. Eddie Murphy’s SNL appearance raked in close to 10 million viewers. Prior to this, Melissa McCarthy's appearance in 2017 attracted a similar number of viewers.

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Eddie Murphy’s opening monologue also featured Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, and Tracy Morgan. Eddie Murphy made this SNL performance memorable as he reprised his landmark SNL characters, namely Mr. Robinson, Gumby, and Buckwheat. Apart from Eddie Murphy, this SNL episode became a star-studded affair as Lizzo was the night’s musical guest.

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Eddie Murphy’s SNL episode is now the highest-rated comedy telecast since CBS’ The Big Bang Theory series finale on May 16. The ratings and viewership of SNL apart from its telecast also comprise of its digital presence. Through the course of the latest Saturday Night Live season, its viewership has officially reached 89 million. The December 14 episode that featured host Scarlett Johansson and musical guest Niall Horan generated more than 30.4 million views on YouTube since its release. The episode is currently this season’s second most-viewed SNL episode on YouTube. 

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