Eddie Murphy receives life achievement award by AFI, drawing standing ovation at star-filled tribute

Eddie Murphy accepts the 51st AFI Life Achievement Award during a tribute to him on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) 2026-04-19T10:24:15Z Los Angeles (AP) — Eddie Murphy took a moment to look out at the star-studded room at the American Film Institute ceremony — at his family, his peers, the people who have shared his journey — and let it all sink in. “Seeing all of my family, all my kids, my beautiful wife, and seeing all the different people I worked with, I’m just really filled up,” said Murphy, who received the life achievement award at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Saturday night. “This is a special moment. I wish y’all could feel what I’m feeling, see what I’m seeing. I almost teared up. I’m going to get backstage and cry.” Just before accepting the award, Murphy was met with a standing ovation, stepping onstage and moving through the ballroom as the applause followed. Along the way, he passed Spike Lee , Martin Lawrence , Dave Chappelle , Chris Rock , Arsenio Hall and Judge Reinhold. The tribute, which also featured appearances from Bill Burr, Kevin Hart, Eva Longoria, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Kenan Thompson, will premiere as a special on Netflix on May 31. Murphy, 64, has moved from a teenage stand-up sensation to a breakout force on “Saturday Night Live” to a box office mainstay with films like “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Coming to America,” “The Nutty Professor” and the “Shrek” franchise. Large images from those defining moments filled the venue, tracing a career that has crossed stand-up, television and film. (