At the 2023 Golden Globes, Eddie Murphy won the Cecil B. deMille Award and made the joke that got the audience laughing more than any other time that night.
During his award acceptance speech, he said he wanted to share three pieces of advice that he learned during the industry. According to Variety’s tweet, he said that up-and-comers in the industry should “pay your taxes, mind your business and keep Will Smith’s wife’s name out your f—-ing mouth.”
Deadline said the Cecil B. deMille Award is one of two awards at the Golden Globes that honors the lifetime achievement of actors and actresses. Murphy has been an influential actor, starring in films like “Shrek,” “The Haunted Mansion,” Tower Heist” and others.
On the red carpet of the Golden Globes, Tracy Morgan told reporters that Murphy has inspired his career, according to Yahoo. Murphy, a six-time Golden Globes nominee, according to CNN, started his career on Saturday Night Live. He was a regular cast member until 1984 and then started starring in films like “Nutty Professor” and “Dreamgirls.” He is known as a talented actor and vocalist.
The Cecil B. deMille Award was established to honor Hollywood pioneer film director Cecil deMille. Many of the past winners have been influential actors and actresses. According to the Golden Globes website, “The first woman to receive the award was Judy Garland in 1962 (following Fred Astaire, something which delighted her to no end); the next was Joan Crawford in 1970.”
The Golden Globes website noted, “The list of winners provides a spectrum of talented human beings who have had a definite impact on the world of entertainment, be it Alfred Hitchcock, Lucille Ball, Sidney Poitier, Sophia Loren, Sean Connery, Barbra Streisand or any one of those thoughtfully selected for the honor.”