Eddie Murphy was honored with the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award. The award is the American Film Institute’s highest honor for a career in cinema. A Tribute to Eddie Murphy was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 18, 2026.
On May 31, 2026, the star-studded event premiered on Netflix.
Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Arsenio Hall, Martin Lawrence, Stevie Wonder, and Jennifer Hudson were all in attendance.
Dave Chappelle spoke about how Eddie’s brother Charlie was so proud of his accomplishments. Charlie passed away in 2017 at the age of 57 after a battle with leukemia.
“Chappelle’s Show was very difficult to do, but it was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and one of the reasons that it was great was your brother Charlie,” Chappelle told Eddie. “Charlie used to tell us stories all day about your ascension to fame, and I just want you to know, every time he mentioned you, he always said how proud he was of you. He said, ‘I love my brother.’”
Comedy icon Mel Brooks made a rare appearance and lauded Murphy for his work in film.
“Some have talents that burst beyond the screen and onto the stage,” Brooks said. “They create characters that have us look inside ourselves. And there are some, very few, that did it all. But, tonight, beyond the echo of laughter, we honor a man full of greater surprises, and one who broke barriers to drive culture forward.” Murphy is one of the most successful and culturally influential figures in entertainment history.
A teenage stand-up prodigy, he single-handedly revitalized Saturday Night Live in the early 1980s, becoming a superstar. Transitioning to film, he starred in 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills Cop, and Coming to America. Later in his career, he starred in franchises like The Nutty Professor and Shrek. Over a five-decade career, Murphy’s versatility has earned him a Grammy, an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award nomination for Dreamgirls. Murphy won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.