When Eddie Murphy returned to Saturday Night Live over the weekend as part of the all star tribute for the program’s 40th anniversary, fans of his sketches which created such memorable characters as Gumby, Mr. Robinson and Buckwheat among other, were disappointed that he didn’t perform live.

Now thanks to fellow SNL alum Norm Macdonald, we may now know why. Macdonald took to Twitter to say that Murphy was approached to play Bill Cosby during the Celebrity Jeopardy but would not do it. Keenan Thompson ended up doing the sketch instead.

Read Macdonald’s tweets below:

And the idea was that it would be a bar set. And the idea was that Cosby would be mixing a drink in a video that was taped 6 months ago.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) February 19, 2015

It’s my job to talk him in to doing Jeopardy.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) February 19, 2015

We talk in his dressing room a good hour. When it’s over, I’m convinced he’ll do it.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) February 19, 2015

He doesn’t.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) February 19, 2015

Eddie Murphy, I realize, is not like the rest of us. Eddie does not need the laughs.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) February 19, 2015

Eddie Murphy is the coolest, a rockstar even in a room with actual rockstars.
— Norm Macdonald (@normmacdonald) February 19, 2015

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