NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Eddie Murphy is heading back to the place where he started his career.
This upcoming season, the 58-year-old comedian will host "Saturday Night Live" for the first time since 1984.
Murphy made a brief appearance five years ago for SNL's 40th anniversary special, but this will be the first time he'll be on the sketch comedy show as host.
"He's arguably the biggest star that SNL ever produced, but he became a star during the brief period when Lorne Michaels wasn't running the show, so he doesn't have that relationship," Rolling Stone chief TV critic Alan Sepinwall told WCBS 880. "And beyond that there was an incident in the '90s when David Spade told a joke on 'Weekend Update' showed a clip from some Eddie Murphy movie and he said, 'Look, a falling star.' Eddie Murphy was so offended that his old homeplace had made fun of him like that, that he vowed to never return."
Murphy was on the show from 1980 to 1984 during a critical period in the show's history.
"The show almost died," Sepinwall said. "The show was on the verge of cancellation and along came this kid from Long Island who instantly became a superstar and became the biggest movie star in the world for a lot of the 1980s. He kept the show on the air, he saved it."
After leaving "SNL," Murphy went on to star in numerous films including "The Nutty Professor,'' "Beverly Hills Cop'' and "Coming to America.''
Many fans hope Murphy will recreate some of his iconic sketches, including "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood," when he takes on hosting duties on Dec. 21.
"Saturnday Night Live" returns Sept. 28 for its 45th season with host Woody Harrelson and musical guest Billie Eilish.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Taylor Swift, David Harbour, Camila Cabello and Kristen Stewart will also be on the show this year.