It’s no surprise that to honour comedy icon Eddie Murphy for his many achievements in the entertainment industry, one would have to go above and beyond. Thankfully, it seems his “Shrek” co-star and fellow funnyman Mike Myers clearly got the memo.
On 18th April 2026 (Saturday), tons of Hollywood legends gathered to honour Eddie with the AFI Life Achievement Award. The award is the highest honour bestowed by the American Film Institute. Among the previous recipients are director Francis Ford Coppola and actresses Nicole Kidman and Julie Andrews.
As per the ceremony’s customs, several of Eddie’s fellow actors and comedians shared remarks to commemorate and pay tribute to the star, including Martin Lawrence, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock. However, it was Mike Myers who sparked the most laughs during the evening, walking onto the stage as Shrek, donning green makeup with ogre ears on the side of his head.
Mike and Eddie worked together on the DreamWorks franchise, with Mike voicing the titular Shrek and Eddie voicing his friend and partner-in-crime, Donkey. During his speech, the 62-year-old praised his co-star for his work on the franchise, saying, “None of ‘Shrek’’s success could have happened without Eddie Murphy.”
@chrisgards #MikeMyers dressed up like #shrek to honor #EddieMurphy
The actor continued, saying, “Eddie’s character, Donkey, is a masterpiece, as is every character Eddie has created over the years.” Mike also called Eddie “one of the greatest”, adding that he’s honoured to have worked alongside the comedian. He then concluded his tribute, saying, “It is my absolute honour to say and to be able to tell my kids that I got to work with Eddie Murphy.”
Eddie’s AFI tribute will premiere as a special on Netflix on 31st May 2026 (Sunday), with director Spike Lee serving as award presenter and host. At the same time, “Shrek 5” is slated to premiere this July.
Sources: Entertainment Weekly, Twitter
