Eddie Murphy Honored With AFI Life Achievement Award as Tribute Streams on Netflix This Sunday

The 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Eddie Murphy premieres exclusively on Netflix this Sunday, May 31 - marking the first time in history the Emmy-winning tribute special streams on the platform, bringing the celebration to a global audience.

What the AFI Life Achievement Award is: It is the American Film Institute's highest honor for a career in film. Recent past recipients include Francis Ford Coppola, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, and Denzel Washington. Murphy is the 51st recipient since the award was first given in 1973.

The ceremony: The gala tribute took place April 18, 2026 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Presenters and performers included Bill Burr, Dave Chappelle, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Hart, Martin Lawrence, Spike Lee, Eva Longoria, Tracy Morgan, Mike Myers, Judge Reinhold, Chris Rock, Kenan Thompson, Robert Townsend, and Stevie Wonder.

The moment everyone is talking about: Murphy stood before the star-filled room, looked out at his family, his colleagues, and the people who had shared his journey, and said: "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. 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."

His career in brief: Murphy began performing stand-up at age 17 and joined Saturday Night Live at 19, becoming the youngest cast member at the time. From there came Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor, Dreamgirls - an Oscar nomination - and the voice of Donkey across the entire Shrek franchise. Spike Lee, who presented the award, said: "Eddie made us laugh and made our nation feel better."

What Dave Chappelle said: Chappelle spoke about visiting Murphy's home recently, where seeing Murphy's grandchildren playing offered a deeper perspective on his life - a man whose legacy stretches far beyond the screen.

How to watch: The special is on Netflix starting May 31. Ahead of the tribute, Netflix also has Being Eddie, the 2025 documentary chronicling Murphy's rise from teen comic to box office titan.

A room full of Hollywood's biggest names standing to honor one man for a lifetime of making people laugh - that is, in its own way, a testimony to a gift faithfully used.