Eddie Murphy brings back Gumby, Mister Robinson in first ‘SNL’ hosting stint since 1984

Murphy hosted the show once before -- in 1984, while he was still part of the "SNL" cast, CNN reported.

Muprhy was joined onstage during his opening monologue by Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan and Kenan Thompson, NBC News reported.

Murphy appeared in the show’s first three sketches, bringing back Mr. Robinson -- a parody of “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” -- and Buckwheat, a spoof of the character from the “Our Gang” and “Little Rascals” two-reelers more than 70 years ago.

In “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood,” Murphy trotted out his word of the day -- gentrification.

“It’s like a magic trick,” Murphy said. “White people pay a lot of money and then, poof, all of the black people are gone.”

The other early sketch -- a satire of “The Masked Singer” -- featured Murphy as Buckwheat. He quickly gave away his character with his singsong, child’s voice.

“Memember me!” Murphy said in a corn cob costume.

Murphy took a jab in his opening monologue at comedian Bill Cosby, whose top-rated television show was blossoming during the mid-1980s. Cosby is now serving time in prison for sexual assault.

“Who’s America’s dad now?" Murphy asked. “I have 10 kids now,” Murphy said. “Eleven if you count Kevin Hart.”

Murphy's Gumby character barged onto the show's "Weekend Update" with a memorable tirade, NBC News reported.

“I’m Gumby, damn it,” he said. “Let me tell you something. I saved this damn show from the gutter.”