Multiple blockbusters, an Emmy Award and over three decades later, Eddie Murphy is ready to return to stand-up. The beloved comedian and actor, whose Coming 2 America just aired on Amazon Prime, revealed his plans to return to the stage in a recent conversation with Kevin Hart.
“Eddie, I don’t like talking to you about stand-up no more. I’m not fallin’ for the fuckin’ trap,” Hart joked on Thursday’s episode (March 4) of his SiriusXM podcast, “Comedy Gold Minds with Kevin Hart.”
“I’m sick of you. I’m sick of your shit,” he continued. “Every time we talk, he leaves me with a piece of information and I feel like I got gold.”
Laughing, Murphy explained that he was planning to follow up his latest films and historic return to “Saturday Night Live” with a new stand-up show.
“My plan was to do Dolemite, ‘ Saturday Night Live,’ Coming 2 America and then do stand-up,” he told Hart.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 put a damper on those plans.
“… Then the pandemic hit and it shut the whole shit down,” he continued. “Then I was going… the whole time last year I would have been out working on my act trying to get my shit right, and then the whole thing shut down.”
However, once the 59-year-old is in the clear to perform for live audiences, he’ll return to stand-up.
“Hey, when the pandemic is over and it’s safe for everybody to go out and do it, then the plan is to do it,” Murphy added.
Although he’s made headlines in recent years for his roles on the big screen, Murphy’s stand-up career enjoyed a legendary run. In 1987, Murphy released his second stand-up comedy film Eddie Murphy Raw, which was filmed in New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Raw received a wide release and remains the highest-grossing stand-up comedy film of all time, raking in over $50 million at the box office.
Murphy’s 1982 self-titled debut album was also certified platinum, and his double-platinum album Eddie Murphy: Comedian won him a Grammy Award for Comedy Album of the Year. He is also ranked No. 10 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 greatest stand-up acts of all time.
Find a snippet of Hart and Murphy’s conversation below. The full interview, which also features Murphy’s Coming 2 Americ a co-star Arsenio Hall, will reportedly air on Wednesday (March 10).