We’ve missed you! Your voice, your clever understanding of the world, and your love of laughter will add a sparkle to our moments.
5
Yes, he saved SNL in my opinion also.
I like his shtick, darnit the past is bye-bye.
It’s simply the freshness concept, I suppose.
I recall liking Jerry Lewis and Woody Allen too
Jerry’s movies weren’t as humorous after the
1950s—60s.
Too much Eddie, Jerry and Woody I’m sorry to
confess, ain’t all that hilarious
I am an ole shmoe killjoy of 75, so s happened.
Unhappily, comic genius personalities get boring
I don’t even watch Letterman on Netflix.
This means comedy/satire can’t be ...what word am I feeling?
2
At age 20 Eddie Murphy became rich and famous in show business but he somehow avoided the self destructive stuff that has ruined a lot of talented people.
He should get an award just for that.
7
I have always admired comedians that could act in serious dramas. "Mr. Church" an under-appreciated story about a kind man. Eddie Murphy can act!.......
3
It's good to know that Eddie is back, can't wait to see him. The man is a comic genius.
9
I can't wait to see Eddie in the movie and on SNL and in anything else he wants to do! Welcome back!
12
I laughed so hard seeing Raw with my best friend when it came out that I nearly choked on a milk dud. Eddie Murphy doing stand-up comedy again? Yes, please!
16
I miss that laugh!
7
He is probably broke, bored, and has to manny children and wives to care for. Most of his movies were terrible. He was funny in live comedy, but lets face it he wants to cash in with so many new suckers waving money around.
3
@Ralph Petrillo Well, he did say he stopped worrying about his career "... 70M dollars ago." So maybe he just wants to do it for other reasons, like, I don't know, it's fun? It's what he does? He's good at it? He misses it?
27
Good for him. Eddie Murphy's genius blew me away in the 1980's. I saw "Delirious", "Raw'', and (of course) "Coming To America". I will always be a huge fan.
13
Growing up in small town Australia my only access to Eddie Murphy was VHS copies of Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America. My older brother got a bootleg audio tape of Raw that he kept in his car for fear that our father would destroy it. Murphy’s humour felt naughty and illicit, even if I was too young (7 or 8) to understand it all.
8
Eddie, we missed you! Even though you were never really gone.
"Don't call it a comeback."
11
Glad he is coming back, a true genius. And the trailer for Dolemite made me laugh!
11
My favorite -- and most prophetic -- Eddie Murphy movie (which I highly recommend everyone reading this watch for its timelessness) is "The Distinguished Gentleman."
Made 27 years ago, the subject of the movie hasn't changed one iota today! It's all still true.
Now that's a comedic genius!! He's my all-time favorite comic and performer! I'm glad he's coming back.
Thanks for a great article!
7
He's just not funny. Like his predecessor Richard Pryor, he a poor judge of projects.
2
Back in the day eddie murphy was one of the funniest people in the planet. However, much of his material will be considered offensive in today's "woke" society. Will he clean up his act to appease today's thought police and victim society or will he risk their wrath and the prospect of being ostracized and boycotted. It will be interesting to see.
6
bored,
I don’t like “woke” culture, either. But I hope you’re not so un-woke that you would laugh at jokes like this in 2019:
>>It petrifies me because girls be hanging out with them. One night they could be in the club having fun with their gay friend, give them a little kiss. And go home with AIDS on their lips! And then when her husband, like five years later, Somebody says, ‘Mr. Johnson you have AIDS’. ‘AIDS?! But I’m not homosexual!’, ‘Sure you’re not homosexual!’.”
5
Thanks for pointing this out. It wasn’t funny then -a “joke” Eddie Murphy made while many were in that moment dying of AIDS and its not funny now. If you need to be “woke” to see the cruel insensitivity in this then, you’ll never wake up now.
3
And I hope he brings that beautiful SMILE back with him....
16
He was great twenty five years ago. Now, not so much. I'll pass on the relaunch.
6
@ACT Great, more popcorn for me.
8
I love Eddie and I'm excited to see him come back, especially the coming to America sequel. For his standup, I truly hope the entirety of isn't just "people are sensitive, here are some edgy jokes about that for 1 1/2 hours". That seems to be the only thing even some of our best comedians talk about lately.
8
For the LGBTQ community, this article's near silence about Murphy's past homophobia and the damage it caused will be appreciated as completely inadequate. It would be as if an article about Roseanne Barr made only perfunctory mention of the racism scandal that ended her tv series. An argument can be made that an entertainer has a right to move on from past mistakes, but the moving on can't happen in the absence of full, clear and sincere accountability. I'd like to see comments from Don Lemon, RuPaul and Billy Porter.
23
@Lawrence D. Mass, M.D.
Some people don't like Al Gore because he flies around in jets and talks about environmental catastrophe. He's not really a performer but guess what? The message is still important regardless.
I'm a fan of Johnny Depp because he's got a convincing off beat repertoire that never fails to entertain me. I'm told I shouldn't be a fan because he abused his wife. Is that true? I didn't google it because it has nothing to do with the reason I see his films. Johnny Depp is a product, and if he's not currently in jail then I just don't care.
Eddy Murphy was very funny. He was also, clearly, a jerk, like a lot of other perfomers. I used to like her humour but I find roseanne barr just not funny, and even less so because she's a racist jerk. I'm perfectly ok that she doesn't have a show anymore. If Eddy Murphy ends up being funny I'll watch him and let you be you to lead the boycott. And I couldn't care less about to whom he apologises nor the opinions of Don Lemon, RuPaul or Billy Porter. Am I allowed to have an opinion and express it?
Oh and before you decide I'm cis or phobic just remember you know literally nothing about me other than the fact I find a few entertainers hilarious, regardless of your views, and you're not entitled to know anything more.
Best of luck on the boycott.
22
@Lawrence D. Mass, M.D., I agree that it probably should have come up in the piece. However, Murphy has done plenty of apologizing for for his (remarkably offensive and insensitive) past remarks and attitudes. How many times does a person have to admit they were wrong? Do you want groveling?
21
Lots of people ask that same question. The answer is usually if there’s some advantage still to the person in mentioning it, you’re never forgiven, even if you weren’t the one who did or said something.
3
Great article and interview. One of the greatest to ever do it, love Eddie till the wheels fall off and can't wait for the new projects.
8
Loved Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood on SNL.
11
I have missed him!! Can’t wait
9
It’s about time. Can’t wait to see EM 2020!
6
In the spirit of Eddie Murphy I can think of 9 reasons for his return: Dem 9 kids of his!
3
@Aristotle, he is the father of ten kids, not nine. That is nine too many, in this overpopulated world. Ten kids, five mothers.
4
He’s not always “the Star” but he’s always funny. His Donkey In “Shrek” is surely among the top five animation voice-overs ever. His dual roles as twins in “Bowfinger” is perfect. And his priceless breaking-the-fourth-wall takes in “Trading Places,” during moments so absurd he’s compelled to look deadpan into the lens, remind me of the great silent comedians.
23
Frankly, it's been hard to watch him since he left SNL...
4
He is uber-talented and makes me feel nastolgic for a time when comedy was raw. I’m curious if he’ll tame his stand up to fit this new era where everyone’s offended.
Btw, I was so impressed with his interview on Comedians in Cars. Seems like a cool guy.
9
Homophobe. I will never forget.
9
@alamode11
Nor will you apparently forgive. Glad I'm not your friend or relative.
9
@JW have you forgiven Roseanne Barr?
@DSD She doesn't think she did or said anything wrong. So, no.
3
"Your wife's a Bigfoot, Gus."
4
SNL is stupid, not funny. Maybe Murphy can bring some genuine laffs to this misfit of a comedy.
4
Eddie might have jokes about fatherhood?
Good luck, I guess.
But there is a glut of comedy "specials."
He doesn't owe us anything. If he's got enough money, he should just enjoy his children and his life.
2
The memory that sticks in my head of Mr Murphy is from 1986 in an article in a local independent paper interviewing him. In one paragraph he was complaining about racism and the lack of roles for black actors while in the very next paragraph viciously ridiculing gay men. Obviously he didn’t get the tie-in with his own bigotry. As a gay man I was done with him after that. This was an era when there no awareness of homophobia and the gay community were open targets. And yet Murphy didn’t seem to acknowledge the hurt he had caused until his career started to slide.
18
Eddie Murphy is a rare a wonderful talent, right up there with Robin Williams. I have always loved him and can’t wait to see more of him! 😘
17
I'm cautiously optimistic about Eddie returning to do stand up. He was unquestionably the very best 30 years ago.
If he can come back and perform a set nearly as good as Chappelle's right now, that would be a triumph for me. So rooting for him!
8
I think Eddie was great. However, he did get help writing his material for Raw. Paul Mooney helped him with that project. However, he is a funny individual and I believe he can come back . He just have to work pretty hard on his own to get this material perfect. He also have to consider the modern audience versus today which he did kind of stated. If he gets help, then it can definitely help with getting insight. Which there is nothing wrong with at this point. I believe he can do it just have to work a little harder. He has been gone for 30 years so yeah he has much material just have to act on it. (not the word I am looking for but hopefully you get it)
3
The smartest ones always work with smart writers. Mooney was there with Pryor also.
6
Funniest.Man.Alive.
Can't wait....
10
He’s in my top three greatest comedians of all time, easily. Can do us normals a favor, though, and start show some signs of aging, please?
5
@X, really good skin care?
1
Eddie is among the best to ever do it, but I doubt he can return to stand-up with any real success. The audience will clap because he is Eddie Murphy and seeing him on stage again will be a treat regardless. But to have taken so much time off -- about thirty years -- I can't see him snapping right back into things, despite what he may think. It just doesn't work like that.
@Paul Cantor
What you're ignoring is that Eddie will hit the clubs for months before putting together his Netflix show.
He's not trying to just snap right into things, he knows it's a process.
C'mon dude, he's a professional comedian... he's Eddie Murphy.
He's made plenty of bad movies, but he cares too much about stand-up to give us lousy product, not with his legacy and his immense talent.
7
Eddie was always a top-tier comedian, but has acting chops too. The 90's were tainted by a run of very mediocre (and some truly awful) films. Try watching him in "Dreamgirls", he plays a James-Brown type character and is truly Oscar-worthy for that role.
11
“I wanted a funny movie to remind them that they liked me.” That is a very revealing statement.
I haven’t always liked Murphy’s films (just not my genre), but I remember very well what made him stand out on SNL. His best humor was whimsical and honey coated, but with a searing bite. Mr. Robinson’s neighborhood forced viewers to look at uncomfortable truths, and laugh, and then question why they were laughing. I remember his recitation of “Kill My Landlord.” Not funny at all in content, but funny in context and character, and it messed with the mind of the viewer. I just Googled up and watched his “White Like Me” bit. It’s still funny, and biting, and over the top, and relevant.
Of course, I remember him doing the sillier stuff, too (Gumby, and a perfect James Brown). But it’s the velvet-glove punch that left the biggest impression. Much more effective than a routine brimming with hate. A firm poke in the ribs rather than a baseball bat to the head.
19
@Passion for Peaches
C-I-L-L my landlord!
9
@fast/furious, it’s an odd thing, but I was not able to find a clip of Murphy doing that poem. Maybe it’s a copyright issue? In searching for it, I did find an unsettling — but very funny — mini-clip of him playing a Bob Marley character singing “Kill White People,” at what appears to be a VFW meeting hall. As much as I condemn the sentiment, I like the weird tweak there: the “love and peace” Rasti singing that violent message in the bouncy, happy rhythm of reggae, in front of a lot of old, white men. It plays with a lot of expectations.
1
Mushy Eddie Murphy? I'll take a bit of that.
4
I cannot hear the song "Looking for Love" and not sing along with it as "Wookin' pa nub / in all da wong paces / ...".
21
@UES, I wonder whether his Buckwheat character would be acceptable these days. I’m guessing that it wouldn’t. He finessed that parody with skill, though.
1
@Passion for Peaches, I wondered the same ... I almost feel it's not even acceptable for me to enjoy the parody.
1
Well, I’m glad he’s back. I have always thought he was one of the most talented and underappreciated stars we’ve got. One day he’ll get his Oscar!
13
@Carol
Yes - long past due. He really deserved it for 'Dreamgirls'! He was heartbreakingly brilliant in that.
10
I adore Eddie Murphy. But let's be honest, his body of work is far, far more offensive than Shane Gillis's.
5
@Samuel Russell And far, far better. Or, try good instead of awful.
5
So many memories of laughing out loud during his SNL and live shows. Loved his rendition of the song "Roxanne." Eddie's always been brilliant and it's great to know he's coming back.
12
My goodness, I'm 49, white, and from the Midwest, and I'd STILL say that Eddie Murphy was the funniest man I've ever witnessed...
30
@Glenn 49, white, and from the Midwest? I thought that meant you were only allowed to like unfunny comedians.
@Glenn
His appeal is boundless!
2
Well, he did say on the Seinfeld car show he wanted to get back into it, he just didn't have any material/experience from being reclusive for so long.
8
Eddie was great in "Tower Heist" - a fun ensemble movie. I've loved him since the 80's, and I can't wait to see his new stuff.
5
I like middle aged Eddie! But the again I liked 80s Eddie too. The Martin Lawrence era - that was not the highlight. Sounds like he’s completing the circle in the best way possible.
4
I wish people would stop calling everything a "reboot". You don't "reboot" a decade.
7
Love to see him bring back "Wheat" and his version of Mr. Rogers.
7
Go Eddie! It'll be such a treat to see.
7
I admire that he refused SNL Bill Cosby skit for their 40th Anniversary. He wasn't going to kick Cosby when he's down.
12
@TWShe Said
I also think it was disrespectful to Eddie... as the article said, he basically saved the show, and they want to bring him back for the Anniversary Show to trash Cosby?
I'm sure Eddie is disgusted by what Cosby did, but... I completely understand why he refused to go after Cosby on the 40th.
2
Eddie got some pretty big shoes to fill for his comeback... his own!
8
welcome back Eddie!
5
I can't wait to see Eddie just be Eddie again. I think the comedy world -- no, make that the entire world -- needs to hear his observations and stories.
8
That Murphy was blindingly talented was apparent from the start of his stint on SNL. Now that he's matured after some time away from the spotlight it will be interesting to see where he goes next.
12
@BP Murphy is so talented that his gigantic career still feels like it hasn't fulfilled its potential... I wonder if his one weakness is bad taste in picking projects.
2
So excited for Eddie Murphy to come back to standup. He was of of the best standups in a very crowded field
9
Welcome back Mr. Murphy and hurry up.
12
past time for this, we need you now more than ever eddie.
nice conversation with jerry in cars and coffee, take a look.
hoping to see you on snl
welcome home..
6
Eddie is the atom bomb of entertainment and he's about to drop. I look forward to this.
15
I am the oldest of two children born to Iranian parents who immigrated here almost 50 years ago.
I first heard “Delirious” on audio cassette from an older friend (another Persian) when I was seven. From that moment I was obsessed, and all I wanted was to be Eddie Murphy.
I practiced his laugh (God, that laugh!) I practiced his jokes, his cadence, his impersonations. When we got cable I scoured TV Guide for “48 HRS” and “Trading Places”. When we bought a VCR, I must have rented each at least once a month. I rushed to the theaters with my parents to see every movie - “Beverly Hills Cop”, “BHC 2” and “3”, “The Golden Child” (I waaaant the kniiiife....pleeeeease”), “Coming to America”, “Harlem Nights”...all the way until “The Distinguished Gentleman” and popping in for “The Nutty Professor”.
My parents and relatives loved him, too, and were humorously tortured and conflicted over his uproarious, poetic vulgarity. “He’s so funny. Why does he have to talk like that?” my mom would bemoan.
I loved his episode of “Comedians...” with Seinfeld. He’s thoughtful, wistful, vulnerable, and wise. I particularly enjoyed his candid revelations about Bill Cosby.
In short, he’s a childhood hero and he’s coming back and I couldn’t be more excited and happier for him.
92
You know what is interesting? His comedy back in the day was cutting edge. Not of that would fly today.
8
@Sonia, I disagree that “none of it would fly today.” While some of his humor was deemed inappropriate even at the time (he was guilty of making wildly insensitive and anti-gay jokes, and shame on him for that), and some of his parodies (Buckwheat?) might not be of this time, I think his best “disguised commentary” work is still relevant.
2
He's still wookin' pa nub
19
@DickeyFuller - Tice! Maybe Fee
8
In many of the comments and in the article, nobody seems to be mentioning Eddie's biggest success was actually "Shrek" I'd bet "Donkey" made a lot more more for Eddie than Akeem or Axel Foley. While I grew up on RAW, Trading Places etc. To the younger generation...He likes "Waffles!" That's why his comeback will be huge.
10
@JAA
Also Mushu in Mulan. Less popular than donkey for sure but younger viewers will recognize the voice as long as he still sounds the same.
3
@JAA, I loved his Donkey character! Voice performances don’t always get the attention they should.
I love the Buckwheat has been shot sketch.
Mr. Wheat ... Yesss
repeat!
Love Eddie and glad you are back.
6
YES!!!!!!!Seeing RAW live was the comic highlight of my teenage years. Watching Eddie on SNL was the funniest TV ever was.Eddie will Kill!Thank god!
3
Murphy was such a giant in his day, it is difficult to think of any entertainer, let alone any comedian, who has that type of clout today. He was definitely not "mushy" then. I still recall how radio stations replayed his answering machine greeting (Eddie please! Take me back!). Vicious and everyone knew who she was. Glad he has changed.
Trading Places is my favorite EM movie, haven't seen it in a while. I have to remedy that.
6
The news of Eddie Murphy's return made my day. Even now, if an Eddie Murphy movie is on cable I sit down and settle in for nonstop laughs. Can't wait.
10
YouTube Eddie Murphy's first time doing stand up on The Tonight Show. There it all is: supremely confident, at ease, hilarious, charming, brilliant.
7
Rudy Ray Moore's albums are so filthy, juvenile, and disgusting that they can still cause laughter to this day.
5
Loved his movies. And the sly wink in "Coming to America" where Randolph and Mortimer Duke from "Trading Places" are panhandlers on the sidewalk.
20
This article is making my morning. Bravo Mr. Murphy and welcome back! You have been missed and are so needed in the world right now. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen Raw, Delirious, Coming to America, et. al. They still make me laugh uncontrollably. Eddie, you are a gem. Here’s to another 30 years of making us laugh and feel good. Thank you!
66
I'm looking forward to your return Mr. Murphy! :)
3
His 1984 "White Like Me" SNL mockumentary is brilliant and still darkly comic 35 years later. Smart funny man. Glad he's returning to stand-up.
59
@Susan Beaver
"Go ahead! Take it! Nobody will care!"
5
Very, very funny guy, in pretty much any medium. Very few comics make me start to chuckle just to see him. He's one. John Candy, John Cleese, Martin Short, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy. All I need. Which pretty much gives away my age!
16
Eddie Murphy was a difficult comic to like overall if you are female. At points, I felt his comedy was tinged with real hate for women BUT I am intrigued to see his sharp wit, his insanely talented gift for impersonations, and his fiercely outsider view of the world coming back for another round. Maturity gives us wisdom and depth, even to edgy comics, and I’m intrigued to see what that looks like for Eddie Murphy. PS also delighted to see the new film dedicated to Charlie. “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” from the Chapelle Show literally make me weep with laughter, especially Charlie’s unmasked genuine respect & admiration for Prince killing it on the basketball court in heels & velvet! Find & watch if you haven’t already!
32
I love Eddie Murphy, but are we all just giving him a pass or forgetting about Norbit, The Haunted Mansion, Daddy Daycare, The Adventures of Pluto Nash and the Nutty Professor?
Those movies need to be hurled into the sun ASAP.
10
Norbit was genius, urban comedy set in the surburbs, every laughs at that movie on several levels!
4
Pacino, Streep, Dr Niro etc. have been in plenty of stinkers. What matters is the good stuff.
23
@Nick
No more than Robin Williams would have to apologize for Mork and Mindy or Mrs. Doubtfire. All funny and entertaining stuff.
2
"I ain't fallin' for no banana in my tailpipe!"
Comic genius, laugh out loud, from Beverly Hills Cop.
Look it up and make your day.
13
I’m mid 50s and notwithstanding all the great stand-up comics of the past 30 years -CK, Hart, Chapelle — there has not been any energy like the comics of the 70s or 80s. I think it was because of the lack of media and an inability to see rawness and truth elsewhere. Comedians prowled the stage back then. I think it will be impossible for Eddie to recreate, but he doesn’t have to. Those two show were cultural moments.
6
@Billy Bobby, what? no chris rock? Hart, really?
2
So happy to hear that Eddie is back. You've been sorely missed.
12
The King has returned!!
9
Eddie Murphy is back! The perfect medicine for our troubled times.
Best news in a very long time!
5
I hope he slays it. Comedy these days is impossible, with everyone being "triggered" or in their "safe zones" or whatever. Comedy is supposed to make you uncomfortable, and is supposed to look at things from different angles. Sacriligious is good; it's the observational humor -- "hey, what's the deal with airline food?" -- that has no place in today's perilous shifting of global tectonic plates. Go Eddie! Kill it, man!
21
Some balance is returning to the universe with the return of Eddie Murphy. I for one am very much looking forward to laughing from my gut again. In the current situation we find ourselves, divided and angry at our leadership, we need Eddie Murphy to distract us with his gift. The timing couldn't be more perfect. I really need to watch "Dolemite...". SNL will be funny again for once. ;)
6
My boyfriend and I saw Eddie Murphy when he did a stand-up show at MSG many years ago. About ten minutes into his routine some people who were offended by what he was saying began to walk out of the theater. Maybe they were expecting the censored SNL version of Eddie Murphy. We stayed for the entire show and we had a great time.
10
@susan, do you happen to remember what the subject of the offensive material was? Or was it just his harsh vocabulary that made them walk out?
As an immigrant having "come to America" in Jan. 1980 at the age of 11, I grew up watching Eddie on SNL. I went to see both Raw and Delirious at the cinema while living in a predominantly African-American county (Prince George's) in Maryland--considered the Washington D.C. area. I've never laughed so hard or felt so welcomed in this country than I was in the African-American community of that area, of that difficult time (crack, murders, Mayor Barry, etc.). I have been a lifelong fan of Eddie's. I am ecstatic that at age 50 myself now, I am seeing my comedic hero back up in the limelight. Welcome home, Eddie...you never left for some of us.
21
Welcome back Ed, we missed you!
4
Eddie Murphy was a giant when we were growing up. Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hours... he was HUGE. Next to Richard Pryor, he is probably the most influential comedian ever. The man is simply a genius. Watch him do his thing in Bowfinger, it's impossible not to bust a gut. But his origins are stand-up and having him back on stage would simply be a massive treat.
7
You go, Eddie. We've missed you.
Great comic and comedic actor.
6
Enjoyed watching 'Mr. Church', who kept reminding this viewer of Eddie Murphy. 'Coming to America' left me cool, but then so did my date. And 'Shrek', what would this wonderful animated movie be, without Eddie's braying?
Thank you, Sir, for your extraordinary personality and energy. You have a gift for holding the attention of your audience and the swagger it takes to be the unforgettable Star that you are.
6
So excited to see Eddie Murphy again. I still love Coming to America and Murphy in all his characters.
10
I went to see Raw with my older son, who was 23 at the time. It was hysterically funny AND so embarrassing to be laughing at things I would never mention to my son. I wouldn't have missed it for the world. But it would have been 'easier' without my adult son, for sure.
10
Welcome back, Mr. Murphy. You were missed.
35
A fantastic article. I had pretty much forgotten that there was ever an Eddie Murphy, and how great he was was. And when I saw how old/young he is, I was shocked. Then I realized that he was a child when he started.
6
Eddie Murphy has made a film almost every year since the 80s (60 films). He has never left the limelight, just the stage.
Those of us that grew up watching him on SNL and his films have always held him near and dear to our hearts and our funny bones. He is, and will always be, considered one of the comedic greats.
As kids, we memorized Delirious and Raw and, to this day, it is laugh-out-loud material. I am looking forward to the new stand-up special. I'm already laughing....
In response to a previous comment that Eddie needs money. His net worth is more than $120 million. He hardly needs money. He is a comedian and entertainer at heart. Many comedians move into tv and film, but then return to their stand-up roots.
He's only 58 years old, so, thankfully, there will be many years of Eddie ahead.
36
@Hope We, who have been lifelong fans, love him. He never left.
6
Eddie Murphy’s ‘Coming to America’ is the greatest comedy of all time. I’ve seen it maybe 30-40 times, and it never gets old. I’m delighted he’s coming back and look eagerly forward to his new movie.
‘Taste the soup’.
23
This is a great interview and a very promising one, because it suggests Eddie's comedy now is going to be even better than it was in his younger days. He had all the brashness of youth then, and it worked for him, beautifully. But from his comments here you sense that maybe he'll be a bit more reflective, and maybe not so reliant on gross-out humor. I'm the co-author of the first history of SNL ("Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live") and Eddie was on the show during the time my partner and I were researching the book. He wasn't doing interviews in those days, so we never talked to him directly, but every week we attended the show, and when he came to work backstage, he'd walk past us, and everybody, surrounded by his entourage, looking straight ahead. He'd had to fight to get his shot on the show (nobody took him seriously at first -- he was just a kid, and the necessary "black guy" in the cast) and it was clear that, with some exceptions, he didn't consider himself part of any SNL "family" -- he'd done it on his own. This interview suggests that he's mellowed (as one does), and it will be interesting indeed to see how this plays out in his new standup. There's no question he's one of the most brilliant comics of our time, and it will be so good to see him doing standup again.
81
I'm sorry the article didn't mention "Harlem Nights", one of my favorite movies ever. There is a back and forth between Murphy's character and Richard Pryor's character that I can't reproduce here because it's foul (starts with Pryor asking Murphy 'How was your date?'), but it makes me crack up every time I think of it. And I'm looking forward to "Mr. Robinson" providing a funny counterpoint to the recent Mr. Rogers biopic.
Agree with the others who say watching Murphy makes them laugh until they cry or laugh until they are asked to quiet down. My word, we need that kind of deep laughter these days. Welcome back, Eddie!
43
I watched the recent episode of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” in which he and Seinfeld meet up. It was the longest episode by far because Seinfeld clearly didn’t want to cut it down - because Murphy is that special. It’s very much worth seeing. Murphy is a great guy.
128
@thm
The Stephen Colbert episode is also awesome.
4
Just last month, I was rewatching "Beverly Hill Cop" while on a flight. I was laughing so hard, the attendant had to stop by and ask me to quiet down. I am a 40 yr old guy, and Eddie Murphy's return to comedy brings me right back to the 80's. This is my happy place.
102
@The Libertine The scene where he gets himself past the maitre d' into the restaurant to see Victor Maitland is one of the funniest moments ever to grace a movie screen. I read somewhere the scene was completely ad-libbed: the director apparently told Murphy "just do whatever you have to do to get yourself into that restaurant".
"Yes, I think that would be best..."
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I can't possibly describe how excited I am to see his new material. He was THE MAN in comedy when I was growing up and now, at age 50, I still watch Beverly Hills Cop a few times a year. Welcome back, Eddie, we missed you!
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He’s coming back for the same reason any entertainer ever comes back: he needs the money. No shame in that, but there is in pretending otherwise.
Watching “Raw” makes him cringe for the same reason it does anyone else: it’s not good. Murphy had the same problem all other comedians trying to establish themselves after Pryor had, and have - how do you follow a defining act like that? Same challenge guitarists had after Hendrix, but most of them weren’t TV and movie stars.
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@James huge swaths of people disagree with you. While touching on some similar themes, he was a different comedian than Pryor, and was understood as one of the funniest stand up comedians in the 1980s. He was inarguably the biggest comedy star of the era.
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@James He doesn't need the money--go check out his net worth--so that argument doesn't stand. As to whether Raw is "not good," just about nobody agrees with you on that but you are entitled to your opinion. Murphy cringing at some bits might relate to his maturity now not whether the stand-up itself is aesthetically "good."
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@James
In fact Raw was the best standup ever performed at that time or at any time prior. Dave Chapelle has arguably put up comparable material since, but to say Raw is not good is just silly. It was tremendously funny. You may not have found it funny. But it was.
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Growing up in the 80s there was no one bigger or funnier than Eddie. I’m so happy he’s back.
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I would love to know if Murphy and Steve Martin - also one of the best to ever do it - discusses stand-up while shooting “Bowfinger”.
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I’m so excited for Eddie Murphy’s return. Billy Ray Valentine! Axel Foley! Raw and Delirious were VHS rental standards for me and my friends at the time (when I was probably 14). Awesome
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