Martin Lawrence turned Eddie Murphy’s AFI Life Achievement Award ceremony into a comedy masterclass, dragging up a decades‑old humiliation and turning it into the night’s biggest laugh.
Lawrence’s Speech
Lawrence, 61, hit the stage as one of the final presenters at The AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy – now streaming on Netflix – and wasted no time reminding the audience that his relationship with Murphy didn’t start with red carpets and family dinners. It started with a flat‑out rejection.
As a young comic who had just moved to California, Lawrence hustled his way backstage at an event to get close to the man he idolized. He finally reached Murphy and shot his shot.
Lawrence told the crowd, “Eddie was leaning over so cool.”
“I said, ‘Eddie Murphy, I’m Martin Lawrence. Brother, can I take a picture with you?’ Eddie looked at me so smooth and cool. He looked me in the eyes, and he said, ‘No.’ And my face was cracked.”
Murphy, sitting beside his wife Paige Butcher, burst into laughter as Lawrence relived the moment he had to settle for a photo with Raw director Robert Townsend instead.
Family Now
But the best punchline came next.
Lawrence said, “Eddie, you know I love you, because now I can get all the pictures I want with him, because we’re in‑laws now. Ain’t that right, Eddie?”
It’s true – Murphy’s son Eric married Lawrence’s daughter Jasmin two years ago, officially merging two comedy dynasties. And the family just expanded again.
The pair are now grandparents.
Parenting Advice
Asked whether he or Lawrence had offered parenting advice, Murphy told E! News, “Oh, you don’t give advice like that.”
He continued, “You know, your kids don’t go by your advice. Your kids go by the example you set. They watch you.”
Murphy said, “The stuff you be saying, they don’t even pay that s*** no mind. They watch and see what you do. So, I don’t give a lot of advice.”
Eric and Jasmin first announced they were expecting their first child together in February, sharing a series of black-and-white photographs on Instagram.
In the images, Jasmin was seen wearing an off-the-shoulder dress highlighting her pregnancy, while Eric rested his head on her stomach and looked toward the camera.
The couple wrote, “Thank you Jesus for the greatest gift (three red heart emojis.)”