Eddie Murphy Calls David Spade's 'SNL' Joke About Him 'Racist'

Eddie Murphy's calling out a fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum ... reflecting on how angry David Spade's joke about his career made him -- and, saying he thinks there was racist intent.

The comedy legend sat down for a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, published Saturday, and he mentioned a joke Spade made on a "Weekend Update" segment from December 1995.

If you haven't seen the clip ... a picture of Murphy pops up on screen and Spade jokes he's spotted a "falling star" -- this came months after Eddie's movie "Vampire in Brooklyn" bombed at the box office.

EM tells NYT the snipe hit him particularly hard 'cause he'd been one of the biggest stars in the show's history ... adding it wouldn't have survived without him.

On top of that, Eddie says he knows Spade wasn't the only person to hear the joke ... 'cause producers review everything before it goes to air -- so, he felt the whole institution was coming after him.

Ultimately, Murphy explains he felt the joke was personal saying, "I thought that was a cheap shot. And it was kind of, I thought — I felt it was racist."

He doesn't really explain his reasoning here ... but admits the joke kept him away from 'SNL' for decades until he appeared at the show's 40th anniversary in 2015.

FWIW ... Eddie says he's cool with Lorne Michaels and Spade now -- and, he even hosted 'SNL' again in 2019 to rave reviews.