Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Noah Wyle grew up as a devoted fan of “Saturday Night Live”, with Eddie Murphy ranking among his favorite performers. Murphy joined the NBC sketch series in late 1980 at just 19, quickly becoming a standout. Years later, however, a brief encounter between the comedian and his 9-year-old admirer did not go quite as Wyle had hoped. After complimenting Murphy on his “SNL” performances, Wyle asked for an autograph. “He goes, ‘What are you doing up that late?’ And I said, ‘Can I have your autograph?’ He goes, ‘F*** off, man,’” Wyle recalled on the “Good Hang with Amy Poehler” podcast in October 2026.
To be fair, Murphy had a point: 11:30 p.m. is an unusually late hour for a 9-year-old to be watching television. Even so, Wyle believes the future comedy icon could have delivered the message with a little more kindness. “Whenever a 9-year-old needs an autograph from me, I sign that so fast,” the actor joked. The “The Pitt” Emmy winner has retold the story so often that it became part of his family’s shared history. One of his three children even turned the memory into a birthday present, printing a photo of Murphy and writing, “Dear Noah, you’re a great kid, Eddy Murphy,” with the comedian’s first name misspelled.
Wyle treasured the homemade gag and displayed it in his office. Murphy has not publicly addressed Wyle’s story about their early-1980s meeting, but the actor’s playful retelling makes clear that he is not holding a grudge. The moment nevertheless stayed with him—and ensured that Wyle would never forget Eddie Murphy’s time as one of “Saturday Night Live”’s biggest stars.
Eddie Murphy admits to being arrogant in his youth
Allan Tannenbaum/Getty Images
Although Murphy has yet to respond to Noah Wyle’s anecdote, he has previously acknowledged that his attitude was not always ideal during his rapid rise to fame. Murphy broke through in his early 20s, helping “Saturday Night Live” remain a major force after the departure of its original cast and establishing himself as one of his generation’s most influential comedians. Looking back, he has said he was too young to fully appreciate the scale of what was happening. “Major stuff is going on, and I’m just a baby, you know? And that’s a lot,” he told Derek Hough on Extra in 2025.
Murphy has also expressed regret over some of the material he delivered in the 1980s. In particular, he has reconsidered the jokes about women and romance included in his 1987 stand-up film “Raw.” “I was a young guy processing a broken heart, you know, kind of an a**hole,” he told The New York Times in 2019. His career cooled during the 1990s, with critics often pointing to his confidence and arrogance as contributing factors. Murphy eventually rebuilt his momentum—and gained perspective along the way. “I’m mushier than I used to be,” he said.
In response to the Wyle anecdote, some social media users pointed out that some of these factors likely influenced how he handled his young fan. “Eddie was 19. Most 19-year-olds are obnoxious, famous or not,” an X user argued. Others agree that this anecdote should be viewed from this perspective instead of being used to define how Murphy is today. “Will give him a break if he was 19. That makes more sense. Doesn’t sound like something Eddie would do,” a second netizen defended. Wyle himself doesn’t seem to hold it against Murphy.