text: Poor, poor Bill Cosby. A man still able to draw crowds to his live shows, where he casually jokes to "Be careful about drinking around me." A man recently feted with an exhibition at The National Museum of African Art. A millionaire many times over. Poor, poor Bill Cosby. It's so hurtful that more than two dozen women have accused him of sexually assaulting them. What a difficult time this must be for him. How fortunate there are other men in the world with the integrity to not "kick him when he's down." 
   
   In an illuminating glimpse backstage into the recent "SNL 40" celebration, comic Norm McDonald Wednesday described what it was like to hang out with Paul McCartney and Sarah Palin – and revealed the Eddie Murphy Bill Cosby bit that never was. As McDonald recalled it on Twitter, the original idea was to have Murphy part of the "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch. As he explained, writer Steve Higgins had "an idea that would blow the show wide open." He said, "The category would be potent potables, a common one on Jeopardy, but one we somehow had never done. And the idea was that it would be a bar set. And the idea was that Cosby would be mixing a drink in a video that was taped 6 months ago…. The iconic doors would open and on to home base would step Eddie Murphy. The audience would know what to do. Why is Eddie wearing a multi-colored sweater? He steps behind the bar, begins mixing a drink. The audience covers the fact he has not spoken. When he speaks, he is Cosby. Eddie Murphy doing a perfect Cosby impression. The audience does not let him finish. The sketch ends." That was the plan, anyway. Eventually, he says, it was "my job to talk [Murphy] into doing Jeopardy. We talk in his dressing room a good hour. When it's over, I'm convinced he'll do it. He doesn't. He knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than any one. Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down." It was a sentiment quickly echoed by Piers Morgan, who assented, "Something very admirable, too, about Eddie Murphy not wanting to kick Bill Cosby when he's down - given their history." ||||| When Eddie Murphy first announced that he would return to Saturday Night Live for the first time in more than 30 years, people started speculating wildly about which classic character he would reprise for the show’s 40th anniversary special. Buckwheat? Gumby? Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood? 
   
   So when Murphy finally took the stage last night, following an inspiring and hilarious introduction from Chris Rock, it was more than a little disappointing when he spent less than 60 seconds talking about what the show meant to him without performing any comedy whatsoever. 
   
   The reactions from those watching at home were less than thrilled: 
   
   Eddie Murphy finally shows up at an SNL reunion, is needy, not funny. — Matt Zoller Seitz (@mattzollerseitz) February 16, 2015 
   
   that eddie murphy spot was the norbit of guest spots #snl40 — Oliver Willis (@owillis) February 16, 2015 
   
   So…Eddie Murphy. 
   
   Unwilling or unable? — Bill Weir (@BillWeirCNN) February 16, 2015 
   
   If you're disappointed in Eddie Murphy's cameo on #SNL40, remember that he made Pluto Nash & Norbit. HE DOESN'T GIVE A FUCK WHAT YOU THINK! — Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) February 16, 2015 
   
   Things got even more awkward when the comedian appeared to have lost his way, speaking to the producers off-camera, saying, “I thought you guys were going to — right there you were going to do the — no?” He got out of it by joking, “OK, let’s do it again,” before the show eventually cut abruptly to commercial. 
   
   But while you could chalk up this moment to the magic unpredictability of live TV, NBC apparently wanted to pretend that last hiccup never happened, cutting the clip off before Murphy’s confusion in the versions posted to NBC.com and YouTube Monday morning. 
   
   As presented online by SNL, Eddie Murphy’s appearance still wasn’t funny, but it also was not nearly as painfully awkward. 
   
   Watch the edited video below, via NBC: 
   
   And then watch the unedited clip as it appeared live below, via NBC: 
   
   [Photo via screengrab] 
   
   — — 
   
   >> Follow Matt Wilstein (@TheMattWilstein) on Twitter 
   
   Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com ||||| According to a long series of tweets from comedian and former Saturday Night Live star Norm Macdonald, Eddie Murphy refused to be part of a skit because he did not want to impersonate Bill Cosby. Macdonald claims he wanted Murphy to impersonate Cosby in a “Celebrity Jeopardy” skit. “He knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than anyone,” Macdonald wrote. “Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man [Cosby] when he is down." Cosby said Thursday: "I am very appreciative of Eddie and I applaud his actions." 
   
   This is what the world missed, from 1987’s Raw.
target: – Norm Macdonald posted a very long series of tweets last night about Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary reunion special, and in it, he explains why Eddie Murphy didn't have a more prominent role on the special. Murphy, who hadn't returned to the SNL studio in more than three decades, only ended up on stage for 70 seconds, and all he did was give thanks for "being remembered for his contribution to the show," People reports. But the writers originally wanted Murphy to play Bill Cosby in a Celebrity Jeopardy sketch that would also feature Macdonald as Burt Reynolds. It was Macdonald's job to convince Murphy, and they talked it over for "a good hour," Macdonald tweeted. The idea was a video Daily Double with the category of "potent potables," Macdonald said, in which "Cosby would be mixing a drink in a video that was taped 6 months ago." So what was the problem? Murphy "knew the laughs would bring the house down. Eddie Murphy knows what will work on SNL better than any one," Macdonald tweeted. But "Eddie decides the laughs are not worth it. He will not kick a man when he is down. Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us. Eddie does not need the laughs." According to the Daily Beast, Cosby responded to the Murphy story by saying, "I am very appreciative of Eddie and I applaud his actions." Over at Salon, Mary Elizabeth Williams scoffs at the idea that Cosby is "down," writing, "You don’t want to do a bit, don’t do a bit, but don’t you dare turn it into an 'Aw, shucks, let’s go easy on the guy. Hasn’t he suffered enough?' moment." The skit did go on, with Kenan Thompson as Cosby. As for Murphy, Mediaite reports that his actual appearance on the show was extremely awkward, and NBC edited it to make it appear less so. Watch Celebrity Jeopardy and the edited version of Murphy's appearance in the gallery.