Live From New York (good read) co-author James Andrew Miller - http://thinkprogress.org/culture/2015/02/11/3621656/forgotten-subversive-brilliance-eddie-murphy-snl/

"I would put it this way. I would use four words: he (Murphy) saved the franchise. I think there are a lot of arguments to be made over who may have been the best cast member or the funniest cast member, but I think that 19-year-old Eddie Murphy hopped on Saturday Night Live at a time when its future was very uncertain. It was a time when it was without its godfather, Lorne Michaels. It was a time when there weren’t a lot of other standouts in the cast. I think some people had grown tired of it. There was no guarantees that this was going to go on… Many others played critical roles in SNL reaching 40 years on the air. But Eddie was vital."

Washington Post - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/11/AR2005111102037.html

"In addition to having others laud Murphy, Bowser includes micro-moments from great Murphy sketches -- Murphy as Gumby, Murphy as Buckwheat, Murphy as "Mister Robinson," and Murphy as James Brown prancing around a hot tub. Murphy's inspired exuberance easily survives the intervening years; the camera didn't just love him, it worshiped him. Murphy and pal Joe Piscopo are credited with saving the show from cancellation."

Splitsider - http://splitsider.com/2011/04/the-lost-roles-of-eddie-murphy/

"Murphy’s four-year stint at SNL was arguably what saved the show from the jaws of cancellation during the non-Lorne Michaels years, and every cast member and comedy writer who has used the show as a springboard to fame since owes their career to Eddie Murphy. He dominated the show, appearing in nearly every sketch and introducing a bevy of hilarious characters and impressions. His comedic persona was surprisingly well-formed for someone who was only 19 when he joined SNL. Murphy’s first few movies, too, were just as strong as his SNL work. 48 Hrs., Trading Places, and Beverly Hills Cop were all massive blockbusters and critically-acclaimed comedies too, each one funnier and more financially successful than the one before it. Murphy’s early career had some real momentum going, more so than any film comedian I can think of at the start of their career. Can you name someone who starred in three great movies right off the bat, without a slip-up? If Eddie Murphy’s entire career had gone as well as those first five years did, then he would without a doubt be deserving of icon status."

http://www.popmatters.com/review/132111-saturday-night-live-the-best-of-eddie-murphy/

"While it’s not entirely true to say that Eddie Murphy singlehandedly saved Saturday Night Live, it’s not entirely that far off the mark, either. After the final dissolution of the first, classic cast by 1980 – lost to increasing fame, personal strife, and drugs – and the temporary loss of creator Lorne Michaels to contract disputes with NBC, the future of the groundbreaking comedy sketch show seemed tenuous. Hanging on by a thread for the 1980/81 season, new life and relevance was breathed into the show by the arrival and meteoric rise of Murphy."

Clearly, this ain't some shit that Rock just said on Sunday. Other fellow cast members have said this (peep the SNL VHI shits and the Live From New York book). Again, I'm not getting into whether it's true or not. Too many factors to weigh. Just saying. People that were close to the show at that time seem to have that opinion, so I'd trust them over say, someone posting on okp.