Dick Questions Eddie Murphy On The 'N' Word | The Dick Cavett Show

Eddie Murphy discusses Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee and if he takes offence to the 'N' word.
Date aired - 11/4/1985 - Eddie Murphy
#DickCavett #EddieMurphy
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Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.
His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.
Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.
#thedickcavettshow

[@raymond18]

Why was it so hard for him to interview a black comedian? He had Pryor experience.

[@multiwale1]

Omg that punchline is all kinds of dope!!! U a rapper by any chance bro?

[@nayrelletv7675]

raymond18 😂

[@motob4406]

Well done

[@trampassmith6482]

Nice work, sir

[@doewe310]

He was awkward on the Pryor interview too though.

[@Stillreal312]

This is the type of awkward conversation you have when you're left alone with your friends friend

[@vini_nicius643]

LMAO

[@killgorian131]

No doubt, which is funny because Eddie once said they were friends outside the show.

[@Malouco]

This is how I talked with the chef at Lola55

[@G.G_one]

LOL

[@bobhaskell8780]

They had no connection at all.

[@KevinRohr]

eddie spinning that n-word drop into a joke about racists watching the show with approval was brilliant

[@Anfubvinch]

This is one of the most disjointed, awkward and at the same time weirdly entertaining interviews of all time

[@nzachm]

Exactly

[@leisureb]

Word.

[@bronsonosborne3962]

THIS WAS AWESOME

[@BThaSmoovUno]

And they were actually friends that hung out together, weird huh

[@Thatkenyannigga]

This is like ‘Between Two Ferns’ but not on purpose. 😂😂😂😂

[@CJCtelevisionnetwork]

thatkenyannigga perfectly said

[@deanhoban9517]

thatkenyannigga 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@awwskit3929]

thatkenyannigga lol

[@Rinchen8192]

I assume most TV talk shows would be like this without the "Laugh" prompts for the audience.

[@prasun911]

that's what I thought too lmaoooo

[@nashvilleboss3379]

Imagine Jimmy Fallon asking Kanye West this today.

[@TeaDrinker3000]

Knowing Ye, he'd prolly find a way to make it more racist himself

[@TS-qq7vr]

Trump could call him that straight up and he'd be cool with it.

[@GodWeenSatan]

It would make jimmy worth watching?

[@TS-qq7vr]

@@GodWeenSatan: I'd pay money to see Jimmy Fallon say "neee GAH" like that.

[@tobiaszwronka5920]

Lol or asking Chappelle

[@elvisindahouse124]

eddie murphy dealt with that so well. used comedy to ease the awkwardness in the room and turn it into laughter. truly one of the greats.

[@tomservo5007]

they are both friends off stage. Eddie probably dared him to say it

[@PengaYT]

@@tomservo5007 cap

[@prince.mushroom]

Definitely discussed beforehand

[@monember2722]

It was not always a big deal to say the "n" word. If you weren't calling someone the word. Anybody said it. Now it's practically sacred.

[@jsullivan2112]

@@monember2722 Definitely true it got worse over time.

[@johnbaugh2437]

Cavett’s interviews are usually excellent, even with challenging guests. This was so weird, even by 1980’s standards.

[@dakrawnik4208]

i've seen about 6 and they are all cringe

[@doiteffortless8396]

He said ni@&a like he had been holding it in all his life smh

[@georgiosnmanesiotis9561]

correct

[@woofwoofdoggo]

Fr

[@XxShadowGTxX]

Man said it like he was trying to sound it out at a fucking Spelling Bee 😂

[@calisongbird]

Do it Effortless yeah that was horrific

[@JA-yx9mq]

Do it Effortless dick cavvett’s not racist at all. he had plenty of black guests including jimi hendrix . not only that but he was famous for arguing with this racist senator from the south

[@mr.j7288]

Eddie Murphy is a Smooth young brother and handled this with class

[@ocan1033]

Yeah I agree. You look at Ed's first interview with Johnny Carson and he obviously has a sense for Johnny's less-evolved, Nebraska-boy take on race relations. And he calls Carson out on one of his questions about Murphy being able to "buy anything he wants" now that he's famous. Eddie was sharp enough to know that Carson probably used the word more regularly off camera and in Cavett's case it was just liberal guilt and awkwardness.

[@crazyleg2006]

Can't wait to see The King back on SNL in a couple months.

[@AprilCampbell]

Especially with the level of ignorance, inpreparedness and insistent on using the N word. What a piece of shit this guy. Murphy is a genius at making light of these racist who thinks that they are not racist bc they consider an industry person who has never been to their homes, their kids have never played together. This is sad

[@dramahawkpromotions9621]

Yeah Eddie is cool

[@MichaelRusso]

Eddie Murphy is a great man of character. He is miles above Dick Cavett.

[@kaifreeman9558]

This is the most bizarre interview I’ve ever seen

[@patrickpaganini]

Totally - weird eh. Eddie Murphy is quick thinking - he punished him.

[@will8573]

that's because you are a sensitive person that has no experience with real interviews and you only watch jimmy fallon and all that bs

[@JNava]

Dick was leaning towards that subject little by little “you like Mark Twain?” “Do you read? Have you read Huckleberry Finn” “Are you offended by the word Neega?” Like he was beating around the bush, trying to approach the question carefully but he FAILED really bad at it. This isn’t the way to go about asking that question. lmfao

[@lanetomkow6885]

Your comment made me burst out laughing too. Thanks hahahaha.

[@BelleTolles]

I thought the same way. Like he happened upon the idea to use Mark Twain to get to the question. Because otherwise why are you asking Eddie Murphy about Mark Twain out of nowhere

[@jaypostsvideos4011]

@@BelleTolles ...Because Mark Twain is the greatest comedic mind to come out of the US and Eddie Murphy was a comedian?

[@keewindeugenemenra]

He said the n word like that teacher in the Boondocks. Edit: Music. Listen to it. Channel. Click on it.

[@keewindeugenemenra]

@1111111 11 I remember.

[@danielbell2925]

The insane part is that in his prime he worked with civil rights icons

[@box5bastard277]

Like the real teacher who said it lol yell

[@jacksmith9729]

Now that’s spot on. Did a double take like wait he couldn’t be referencing that, it came out 30 yrs later

[@John-X]

neegah

[@simonpeter5032]

Usually dick's jokes don't make me laugh but "we've told them this is new orleans" caught me.

[@clifst.laurent1068]

Yes! That one got me

[@KeizerHedorah]

I don't usually laugh at dick jokes either but that was a knee slappa fosho

[@Zamarae]

That joke was so mundane

[@MundiaKamau]

@@ZamaraeNo it wasn't🙂

[@francisaugistino701]

I adore this interview for many reasons. It showed Eddie as a leader, and as the perfect guest to answer ill placed questions from a veteran interviewer. Dick was very odd this evening, but Eddie was graceful and full of class. Shows exactly why Eddie made the big time, talented, quick witted, and incredibly smart, even though he’s only 24-25 in this clip.

[@theboxingbiker]

Watch the interview he did with Ali and Frazier. He was trying to agitate them, Ali caught it early and put him in his place fast.

[@mmhcreates]

Someone who is confident Vs someone who is feeling anxious and insecure.

[@kel-melprevail8127]

3:35 the quick wit...it takes intelligence and perfect comic timing to come up with a tiny skit like that.... Genius

[@jayfay786]

He dropped the n word out of no where. Eddie is a class act.

[@cxidp]

It only seemed out of nowhere because he made a literary reference that went over Murphy's head. This was in Twain's book. Of course it is a vile word. But discussing its history in literature is not vile.

[@TheKWord]

George Karst nah he definitely dropped it out of nowhere, he could have brought it up the use of the N word in a more more sophisticated way that he did

[@cwell510]

Naw, he was slowly working his way into that word. He first told Eddie about Mark Twain, then asked him about Huckleberry Finn, and went off the deep end by asking him about the N-word.

[@cxidp]

Indeed, Collin illustrates my point. Again, as vile as the n-word is we should still discuss its history. Since Eddie Murphy never read Mark Twain his reaction was tense. The sad irony is that Murphy, whose early career included masterful satire of bigotry, is unaware of this outstanding tradition he shares with Mark Twain.

[@ccshredder9506]

@@cxidp I think the fact that Cavett is presenting to an audience that may have read HF, he knew those people would want to know his reaction to the fact that it's actually in the book, which Murphy doesn't know cause he hadn't read it. I think he was trying to rile him up to the point of either opening up as a person in front of millions of ppl, or he wanted a reaction due to shock. He got #2.

[@AntJonez218]

3:11 😂😂😂 the way Eddie Murphy reacted was like wtf why did you jus say that 😂.

[@RobertMichael]

Ant Jonez 218 😂😂😂 like wtf

[@curtisking8393]

He seems to have genuine confusion and discomfort which makes it even more sad that it was said to him while he was on TV.

[@jxsxph8671]

He seems like for a second he was about to go off and I dont blame hi.

[@christopherperson1939]

Yea and you could tell that Eddie was having a good time and a lot of respect for Dick Cavett, before he made that fucking comment

[@kayracan3663]

It was normal back then.

[@jbideastoo]

That was probably the most awkward thing I have ever seen. Eddie handled it like a champion.

[@SomeCrazyMofoke]

I like how Eddie Became the Interviewer. And them looks he was given Cavett. Priceless.

[@rickrick5041]

That was a bit awkward lol

[@pcs56]

Dick trying to show how cool he was because he and Eddie were friends IRL.

[@Bitchtheman]

It was less tense when Hitler tried explaining mein kumpf to his Jewish accountant.

[@nochannelmusician769]

A little bit I GUESS

[@box5bastard277]

@@Bitchtheman now that was hilarious🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣yell

[@abelmedina7879]

Yeah cuz hes like aaay i remember MLK dieing?..What do tou think when I say the work n*****

[@JRAw89]

Eddie's double-take blink when Cavett drops the N bomb on him nonchalantly is just perfect!

[@blackmagic-kp6gd]

Exactly he was so caught off guard cause the way cavett. Said it made me mad too

[@michaelcaraccia7819]

@@blackmagic-kp6gd But when Eddie let them say it in Trading Places that was cool. Cause that was for money and all.

[@jjjlove2260]

@@michaelcaraccia7819 was that not a film?

[@eddyrocks]

It was so out of no where too he was just as caught off guard by it back then as I am today

[@monember2722]

@@eddyrocks probably not. Back then the word was just a word unless you were calling someone that to insult them. Anyone said it if it wasn't used to insult. Different times. Now the word is unspeakable.

[@thelunaticfringe9511]

I love Cavett I think he's a wonderful interviewer but this is far from his finest hour. Murphy is a class act. He had really funny responses to some not so great questions

[@stewmott3763]

Yeah, Cavett must have not had his coffee yet or something. Well off his usual pace.

[@will8573]

first off dick cavett is way better than these stupid interviewers like jimmy fallon and all those doofuses and dick and eddie were friends

[@robl7532]

This moment we all got to see Mr. Murphys true talents. Owning a room. He ran this so well, and made Dick look stupid on his own long running show.

[@jayallen81]

Murphy was boring. He is also a raving homophobe.

[@Gorrgrim]

@@jayallen81 So you came to watch this video and scour through the comments to make this comment? You have a hate boner for Murphy you have to seek him out?

[@alicemiriah]

How’d he make him look stupid?

[@JohnSmith-su3ze]

@@jayallen81 So what? Eddie can hold whatever opinion he likes. You're not the dictator

[@visualizecreate2530]

That is the talent of a comedian.

[@user-gk3lu1gg9t]

Imagine a talk show like Jimmy Kimmel talking to a black actor like, say, Denzel Washington, and saying "Are you offended by the word "NIGGEEUHH"?

[@tristramcoffin926]

Jimmy Kimmel wore blackface on his show. So, not much of a stretch.

[@Fireoncityy]

Different times man. Imagine stoning a person to death 2k years ago. Thankfully atleast in part. Humans change. Unfortunately not everyone and not everything.

[@euphoricatheist6694]

@@Fireoncityy It's not unfortunate that not "everything" changes. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[@officialgoogleyoutube]

@@euphoricatheist6694 ?

[@euphoricatheist6694]

@@officialgoogleyoutube He said "Humans change. *Unfortunately* not everyone and not *everything*. " I was pointing out the redundancy of "everything" in that sentence. Obviously not everything needs to change.

[@DarkMsStress]

These type of questions were what young Eddie used to call, 'The Negro Files'. He called out Letterman for doing the same during an interview on his show.

[@TheWaitingRoomTWR]

DarkMsStress like x files but for blacks?

[@Harley157d]

I think I saw that interview. Letterman asked him what he does with all his money, and Eddie said, would you ask Elizabeth Taylor that same question

[@DarkMsStress]

@@Harley157d That was it.

[@will8573]

eddie and dick were friends

[@crpggamer]

When I watched Eddie Murphy as a kid in the 80s this is exactly what he was like in all his movies. Basically really relaxed and always had a good joke. This reminds me of Beverly Hills cop.

[@LordMarlle]

If i hadn't just seen the video of Eddie reminiscing about his friendship with Cavett and how Eddie would dare Cavett into all manner of things I too would have been a bit saddened. Now he seems like the most fearless man alive. Still a supremely weird piece of television

[@michaelweston2285]

half the interview: "how old were you in this particular year?"

[@konstantinopoulos33]

Wow it’s so weird because you’re a black comic but you’re not Richard Pryor. You’re twenty years younger! Isn’t that weird? That you aren’t the same person?

[@LardGargantuus]

yeah really dumb interview

[@amilcarballantyne]

...sigh...no guys the thing with Eddie around this time was that he had achieved so much at a young age...he got his big break at 20 and achieved things in his early 20s that some comics took decades to achieve. In this interview he's only 23 or 24

[@michaelc225]

@@amilcarballantyne thank you jesus people are dumb sometimes

[@glenndrexler1677]

Dick! Your'e falling Apart"!

[@NxDoyle]

This period was not Dick's finest. On numerous occasions it felt like he had forgotten one of the fundamentals, namely, putting a guest at ease.

[@barrontrump3943]

cant put a insecure colored to ease without giving him something for free

[@tiago7160]

@@barrontrump3943 how was eddie insecure? hes in a room full of white people in the 80s i would like to see how comfortable you would be with someone making it awkward in a room full of black people on tv

[@barrontrump3943]

humbl3hackn3y its a simple word that was said regarding a legitimate issue and he came off insecure about itDoesn’t matter who’s around you.

[@tiago7160]

@@barrontrump3943 dick was just awkward about it don't blame it on eddie dick was making bad jokes not adding nothing to the convo don't tell me you didn't cringe/ eddie cringed he wasn't insecure i don't think you know what that means/if you gonna say it say it normally with confidence then they zoomed to his face to see his reaction it felt like dick wasn't comfortable saying it he should've just called it the n word

[@tiago7160]

to say it doesn't matter who's around you is pretty ignorant because we as humans act diff depending who we with and how comfortable they makes us feel he made him uncomfortable he just said it out of nowhere no warning it he could've lead it there and then asked him and you know it

[@beautsarah1]

Every person who has been in Eddie’s position knows exactly what his thinking and what he’s saying without saying it.

[@tournaline3448]

Yep.

[@reubenselvam4864]

1. Never seen Eddie flummoxed before, even though it was brief 2. That host lives up to his name

[@sliceserve234]

This comment wins the award

[@politicaloutsider413]

Dick Cavett was the one flummoxed, lol. Dick Cavett was and still is a closet bigot.

[@coypu2005]

@@politicaloutsider413 Cavett was never a bigot. You say this because he’s white?

[@suslarry7]

​@@coypu2005 it think this video alone shows how much of a bigot he was tho🙄

[@hooliogoolio4446]

The class of murphy is off the charts here

[@joshjones9749]

At such a young age is what's crazy.

[@eti401]

I love them both, but this is unbearably uncomfortable

[@august6389]

@@RPMcM09 no, he just wanted to set up a conversation for Eddie but Eddie gave short answers. I think dick was trying to be a bit too funny though lol

[@onlyplayaseattacoswiththei9433]

@@august6389 I think Dick is a dick

[@imafatbastard6193]

Watch them on letterman together. They were actually friends

[@BJMallory]

Ethan Colburn maybe Charlie was backstage getting ready to come out and whoop Dick Cavett’s ass.

[@garfieldharrison510]

Very uncomfortable

[@joaquinvargas3915]

Such a weird interview. Cavett is usually WAY better than this, and it's not like he's never had a brilliant black artist on his show before. Really strange. Eddie handled it beautifully, made Cavett instantly realize his awkwardness.

[@eriks8382]

I think it’s because from his personal interactions with Murphy, it’s probably the first time he’s actually had to consciously talk his way through racial topics. Watch his interview with jim brown and Lester Maddox again or Richard Pryor he didn’t actually do much talking

[@gizmodude6250]

Damn he just came out of nowhere with that question 😂

[@olu7477]

It would be nice to hear Eddie's thoughts about the interview today

[@olu7477]

@ducktravisty louisiana Interesting!

[@andreaandrea6716]

Absolutely!

[@kawaiiafangirl]

@ducktravisty louisiana absolutely true. The majority of people here who are offended on Eddie's behalf don't know that at all.

[@dominokaitis4483]

@@kawaiiafangirl what did he say

[@dominokaitis4483]

@@olu7477 what did he say?

[@gimpinmypants]

I love Cavett but I've watched him interview a few black people and he tends to bring up race and it gets awkward. The only person he didn't bring up race that I've seen is Jimi Hendrix and that was a great interview.

[@timothylyle2025]

The man with two hrs D's utxuyb

[@-a-cb-l9000]

Personally I think Cavett was struggling with his personal views on race and it really showed with other races when interviewed.

[@friedman01]

Definitely shows his cloistered social circle and that he hasn’t really interacted with non whites

[@token555]

Cavett was never good at interviewing ANYBODY who wasn't straight-laced. If you've seen him trying to interview Lennon and Joplin, you know what I mean.

[@-a-cb-l9000]

@@token555 will take a look into that.

[@chainsawhanshaw]

That Memphis joke response had me rolling

[@thefantasyreview8709]

"Elivs was from the deep south...back then there were no shoes in Tuppalo" - Eddie Murphy is damn funny.

[@suzannepinder7555]

When he said they had no shoes & then asked "your wife is from there?" That was the get back @ him part...so you married a barefoot woman? Hilarious...he tried to avoid answering too.

[@DavidWCooke]

How the f'k did he jump to Mark Twain from JFK??? He really wanted to get that conversation started. 🙄

[@tim3198]

Watch the video again. It has to do with what they were exposed to as children, what their frame of reference was or came from.

[@JonnyOgg]

cavett is pretty lucky that murphy handled this so gracefully.

[@bal_masque]

@fynes leigh I'm about 99% sure shows never had rehearsals back in the day.

[@aminaismaiil]

Yeah, i swear he had Muhammad Ali on his show soo many times he never had the nuts to say it infront of him

[@JA-yx9mq]

@@aminaismaiil what are you talking about?? dick cavett didnt call anybody the n word he was literally asking eddie what was his stance on the word within the movie/book . if your gonna get upset because someone was REFERENCING something then your too sensitive

[@JA-yx9mq]

@Bleu Barclay 😐

[@JA-yx9mq]

@Bleu Barclay your trying too hard

[@BillWithers96]

Most of you commenting don’t understand Eddie and Dicks relationship. Eddie likely dared him to say it before the show lol Context is everything.

[@amann3161]

Most likely not

[@ahmedj1254]

Lmao he’s right. He dared him. They’ were super close. Look it up.

[@hrtmike17]

Came here to say this. Eddie dared him lol, their relationship was hilarious

[@troyk4452]

@@amann3161 I'd say your thoroughly burnt lol...

[@therealbs2000]

That is a damn good bit and nobody got it

[@thoughtfuldevil6069]

3:09 this is the weirdest thing to imagine seeing on television from the year 2021.

[@samanthadavis8203]

I love how cool Eddie handled himself and kept out smarting him

[@timmy4312]

There was no such tension between the parts, so by outsmarting what do you mean?

[@samanthadavis8203]

@@timmy4312 the host was being subliminal

[@timmy4312]

@@samanthadavis8203 how can one even be that

[@samanthadavis8203]

@@timmy4312 same way one can be sarcastic

[@Tech-tonic187]

@@samanthadavis8203 exactly the fact that your explaining this to the fool shows how tone deaf and ignorant people are to this day lol

[@Pablito46]

Today Cavett would've been fired on the spot.

[@VGMDK1999]

And deserved it

[@kinkydaddy3147]

He should have been back then

[@michaelfrazia4569]

So every rap song or black comedian who uses the word should be removed from the airwaves? When you allow some to say something while banning others you create more separation and segregation. Sweeping something under the rug and pretending it doesnt exist isnt effectively solving a problem.

[@ulf5202]

Thomas Anderson no he wouldn’t deserve that it’s just a word

[@glittpow4540]

Ulf if it’s just a word then why do white people always want to say it so badly

[@brkitdwn]

Eddie cringing the whole time. Me cringing the whole time.

[@msfabulista]

That ‘uh huh’ Eddie drops at 4:20, along with that stare and comments afterwards, is so so telling.

[@KMC706]

Dick Cavett immediately ran to the “I have black friends” defense.

[@Kishie98]

Thinking the same damn thing! 😩

[@wildmercuryfilms]

KMC Murphy did the same damn thing. Murphy would say: “I have black friends. I have black relatives.”

[@theAMrecords]

Did the same with Richard prior🙄

[@UberLummox]

Oh bullshit. You can't be serious.

[@wrmacdonald9383]

Seemed Cavett was more interested in interviewing 'a black man' than in talking amiably with Eddie Murphy. And Murphy comes off much more nuanced than Cavett.

[@barnabaswannabe4652]

"And then I will spend the rest of our time trying to prove I'm not a racist...name drop, name drop, name drop, awkward giggle"

[@arthub9]

That's precisely what he tried to do.

[@hasselett]

Well, he is not a racist. His question was clearly extremely misconstrued on account of how he delivered it. He shouldn't have said the word like he did, as it completely derailed the conversation.

[@nerdguru86]

@@arthub9 exactly

[@cocopus]

waaaaah dont say de n word is waaassssiiiissstttt

[@mollers92]

@@hasselett That, I think, was the problem when he interviewed pryor as well. He was so awkward about asking a straight question he tried to be funny and it just comes off terribly.

[@johnryder557]

I didn't think was going to stop laughing from Eddie Murphys mockery of country accents lol

[@AllusernamesgoneFUCK]

3:09 Eddies reaction is priceless

[@greyinvader]

Even in this interview Eddie was hilarious. It's definitely time for a comeback.

[@mariahyohannes]

he has a new movie dropping on netflix this month or later this year and coming 2 america next year

[@rrbaggett7]

@@mariahyohannes Omigosh, you've made my week with this news. Thank you!

[@FrancoisDressler]

Hosting SNL this Christmas too!

[@thebackup2121]

Even tv audiences in the 70's were going yikes to this.

[@benjamincox4211]

The Backup this was 1985

[@DocNintendo]

It was 85 you dummy

[@nancybabbage1169]

i dont care you didnt know this was the 80s your sentiment was bang on.

[@josedirks3973]

Coz they been trained to only use the n word when theres no black people around.

[@asherouk7308]

Retrospectively, the 70s and 80s are almost the same in that it was a politically incorrect, tell it like it is, pre-internet Cold War world.

[@Kinodawker]

The casual way he brings it up is so funny. Also the way he shocks himself and says “did I say that?” Then drops the hard r like ten seconds later. Lmfao

[@mgraves9484]

I'm 63, I love Eddie Murphy, I love Dick Cavett -- Eddie owned this interview.

[@slamjackson2137]

Wtf? Cavetts just dangling his age and “experience” over Eddy’s head the whole time, so weird, it’s not even an interview, it’s like he’s just sizing him up, intimidated and at a loss, trying to project his insecurity. And then the N word shit, which could’ve been an important discussion but was fumbled horribly by Cavett. Holy moly. Props to you guys for uploading this.

[@therealrussellsmyth]

Perfectly put What a creepy dude

[@shashankiyer5751]

Thats what great about this channel, they're putting flaws and everything in here for the rest of time, takes a brave man to do that

[@therealrussellsmyth]

islanti why are you so triggered by the comments ?

[@jonathanjordan315]

@islanti This is from the 80's - the N word wasn't acceptable then. One look at Eddie's face tells you that Cavett crossed the line, even by 1980's standards

[@spindillio]

Cavett has had some tremendous interviews, many of which you can watch on KZbin, but this one was terribly awkward.

[@23kc]

Wow, that was really awkward.

[@troyk4452]

Lmfao !! "Lil baby listen the presidents been shot " Hes the greatest...

[@neheboi1012]

Lmaoo, the way he said the word reminded me of that boondocks scene.

[@Dee-Hendricks]

Lmao! Eddie was like...let's just go to commerical.

[@jennifervaughn2466]

Lol 😂

[@ZinsWorld]

I love how eddie called him on it. Wanted to "get away saying the word on tv in front of him"..... it was so out of nowhere and the tone was almost aggressive...... and the way the camera held eddies face to make sure to get his reaction...... tell me that wasn't planned.....

[@nikoskabbadias]

Well spotted, the rest of the interview the camera is on who is speaking, at that moment camera turned to Eddie early and stayed on him... Not that it would be very likely that you d say that word in front of a black person on camera, by accident... Bunch of scumbags the producers of this show.

[@MustangRed1967]

I think it was. (Planned)

[@ram29jackson]

@@MustangRed1967 all tv is. All is propaganda

[@eltoro969]

I believe Dick knew he was on his way out of the loop at this time and wanted to be more rad and edgy than before but it failed big time.

[@Cypress1600]

Logic wtf is wrong with you?

[@dyamigerhold8009]

I think we can all agree that the way Eddie handled Cavett's ignorance in this pretty much saved the whole interview

[@Leefoster10]

They was friends

[@Mr.JoeMontanya]

Go watch the Jimmy kimmel interview they were friends Lol

[@gsymmonds3487]

"Where did that come from?" Yes indeed. WTAF? But Eddie Murphy what a Genius, what a king. He is so above in intelligence and power.. This is the way to deal with racism.

[@kwamemullins2975]

An exceptional high school teacher of mine, asked me the same question in 1985, but in a matter of fact way. It happened after a lot of the very small percentage of Black students freaked out after reading Huckleberry Finn. The same teacher had my back some years earlier after the white students were whispering behind my back. Thank you Mr. Lind for being a man and great teacher. Rest In Peace.

[@johndalton3180]

This is lovely. I'm glad you remember him fondly.

[@joeyvalek985]

this is the most awkward interview i’ve ever seen

[@tymesho]

Absolutely. And didn't Eddie handle it with class?.......wow.......

[@ajjackson1526]

Oh, you haven't seen the Pryor one yet?

[@dn7685]

Check out this awkward tupac interview. Its really cringy. m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/faGzk4x9f7eaZrM

[@tymesho]

@@yezz-_-3570 LOL, indeed.

[@tymesho]

@@yezz-_-3570 ty!

[@wishiwascooler]

Damn, this interview was done 8 days before I was born!

[@Skeware]

3:09 that was weird but at the same time perfectly handled by Eddie.

[@nikoskabbadias]

If you felt like you are bad at your job, take a look at this

[@preciousw]

Lol

[@Ciridan]

i must have missed something

[@frostkid08]

@@Ciridan clearly and you can't be black haha

[@frostkid08]

@Respect/Walk talk show host calls person derogation insult that people literally have died over.... Great....

[@SpeccyHorace]

@@frostkid08 He didn't call him it.

[@TheEriklindberg]

wow Eddie handled that so well, with a smile and charm

[@kcmarcy]

Bizarre 😮 I couldn't even watch to the end. It's like Dick had temporarily lost all rational thought, social skill and charm. I'm impressed at Eddie's composure. I salute you sir.

[@stefanhoimes]

This interview is from two years before I was born. I'm glad to live in a world where people don't (generally) say that word on TV like it's nbd or funny anymore.

[@joshgoodman9882]

3:11 in this moment he knew he was gonna have to make *Norbit*

[@wiseguymaybe]

I think Eddie should have gone to commercial right after Cavett said "We told them this is New Orleans." Kind of leave on a high note.

[@EltonBeatles]

The George Constanza move.

[@wiseguymaybe]

@@EltonBeatles😆😆😆Exactly,/

[@nancybabbage1169]

after that one joke the whole thing went down the toilet so fast, Cavet was off his rocker here.

[@pacifront83]

Eddie is the gold standard; a legend.

[@swiger416]

This feels like someone from the 50's interviewing someone from the today.

[@aussieman7772]

That’s like a really accurate feeling

[@derekgiesbrecht1554]

Totally, really good observation!

[@fundamentalbear8347]

I think The Eric Andre show set looks alot like this one

[@petemarr824]

Ouch!. That went down as bad as it could be

[@BEEBEE159]

That was a really weird and uncomfortable so-called interview. I can't imagine how hot it must have felt sitting in that room. Dick Cavett was acting very strange indeed, like a closet racist.

[@trapez77]

You sound stupid he didn’t say anything that could be racist. Your just mad that he said the forbidden word even though he wasn’t calling someone that name

[@BeeHatGuy]

@@trapez77 he may not be racist, just being incredibly ignorant there, but you on the other hand, are definitely racist

[@60toyaface]

the way he said it was so funny "are you offended by the word niiiiiiiiiiigaaaaaaa in it?"

[@williamholland9171]

Eddie is a class act. Kept his cool and actually dominated the interview. I miss Eddie Murphy’s work.

[@alexanderramirez8670]

8:10 is literally how I felt for most of this video

[@zacharymchenry1272]

Right lol

[@ThomasBomb45]

The guest fucking cut to commercial lmao

[@BeierFilms]

So hard to watch. Cavvett did some amazing interviews when he was younger, including some in which he was very sensitive about race and got along great with his black guests. No idea why he was so cringy here. Kind of wished I hadn't seen this because it's hard to forget.

[@BlueSky-ub4fx]

Eddie Murphy = P R I C E L E S S!!! 🤣🤣🤣 that look at 8:11!! 🤣🤣🤣

[@CCCoNeTiMe]

Never seen this before; and I didn't think that I could love Eddie any more than I do and then he goes and shows me the greatest riposte ever.

[@jaspert2532]

The look on Eddie's face when Dick suggests they're friends...

[@toddhensley880]

Now what’s funny is Eddie did a WTF podcast interview with Marc Maron where he basically confirmed he was friends with Cavett but hasn’t seen him in years.

[@backseatpalace]

@@toddhensley880 yeah they went to baseball games together

[@ChristinaMitchell-USA]

Some of the greatest people of the last century were interviewed by Cavitt in the 1970s ... and many of those interviews are priceless treasures of history. But, oh wow, Cavitt had a really really off day when he interviewed Murphy.

[@israel.horowitz]

“Eddie, we’ve told them this is New Orleans...” 😂

[@gabrielbossei1609]

wow, I'm not american and just discovered who Dick Cavett is, but I got really interested in these interviews. But that's the first one I see Cavett so dull. He is so sharp in the 70's interviews.Can anyone explain me why?

[@VideoAmericanStyle]

Gabriel Bossei He got older, and consequently, more out of touch. Happens to the best of us!

[@gabrielbossei1609]

@@VideoAmericanStyle Yeah and I bet he wasn't that dull even with the coming of age, probably was just a really uninspired day!

[@Danimal77]

@@VideoAmericanStyle He wasn't old here. He was in his late 40's.

[@nyembsafric1]

Take a wild guess

[@thegoat8414]

Race baiting wasn’t as popular in the 80’s due to the party decade of the 70’s which was looked at as the first decade black people were “Completely Free” and fresh off the civil rights movement and it was easier to ask race baiting questions because most black celebrities were “super woke” and wanted to speak for their people, similar to what the media TRIES to RECREATE today with today’s black celebrities but these times don’t have the racial tension of times past.

[@Rhythmicons]

The band was like "Man we're going to have to save him."

[@ayyylmao101]

The way he tiptoed to the question only to drop it like an anvil with the WORST emphasis on the syllables absolutely killed me 🤣

[@happybongmore4363]

Dick...When you're in a hole...STOP digging! Hilarious.

[@jasperhalsey8574]

“Not a drop”

[@furkanaltun2116]

@E.A. de Ruiter i can memorize some expressions if it is like this always

[@michaelh6611]

Eddie turned that into a funny ass impression

[@greggc.touftree5936]

The only Dick Cavett Show video to be demonetized.

[@luelue5514]

... “not a drop” lmao go Eddy!

[@krisinsaigon]

I’ve just paused this so I can read through the comments, and the look in eddie’s eyes as Cavett keeps digging that hole is very telling

[@usaisgood8433]

It’s even worse that he had to defend himself by saying “oh....Ive interviewed Jim brown &....

[@blackmagic-kp6gd]

Exactly

[@SamQuentin]

But the and was Lester Maddox and George Wallace - two prominent racists and pro segregationists.

[@Chanelson2010]

@@SamQuentin yea hahahah

[@reputablehype]

I love how he's like "I've had all these people on the show" like it was an act of altruism and doesn't make him money.

[@brycewilson1909]

some of the revisionist history in these comments are ridiculous and couldnt be farther from the truth. Dick Cavett and Eddie Murphy were good friends before and after this interview. Cavetts talk show routinely went in to uncomfortable and awkward conversations and topics. anybody and everybody going on his show knew that.