‘SNL’: Eddie Murphy’s Mr. Robinson Vents About Neighborhood Gentrification

Eddie Murphy SNL Mister Robinson's Neighborhood Sketch (Credit: NBC)

Eddie Murphy returned to Saturday Night Live this weekend and brought back his beloved “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood” sketch.

In the parody of children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Murphy walked into his old dilapidated apartment and started singing about how much the neighborhood had changed since we last saw Mister Robinson.

“I was gone for a bit, but now I’m alright. My neighbors was all black, but now they’re white,” he sang. “The white people came and changed everything, but I am still your neighbor.”

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Murphy then explained to his young viewers the meaning of gentrification.

“Hi boys and girls. It’s your old pal Mister Robinson. So much has changed since we last spent some time together,” he said. “My neighborhood has gone through so much, it’s called gentrification. It’s like a magic trick — white people pay a lot of money, and then poof! All the black people are gone!”

Mister Robinson then had an awkward exchange with two white neighbors, played by Mikey Day and Heidi Gardner. The couple stopped by to tell him their 72 inch Samsung TV had been delivered but poof, it was missing.

Murphy denied knowing anything about the whereabouts of the TV.

“Oh, you think I stole your TV because I’m black,” he shouted at the couple, before turning to the camera and saying, “It always works boys and girls.”

After the embarrassed couple left, Mister Robinson revealed he did know something about the missing TV.

“Can you believe the nerve of them, boys and girls?” he asked, then turned on a brand new 72 inch TV with the word “RACIST” written on the screen.

Later in the show, Murphy brought back his Gumby and Velvet Jones impressions.