Eddie Murphy, 59, just won his first ever Primetime Emmy Award for his amazing return to Saturday Night Live on Sept. 19 and it looks like part of his celebration will include a stint on a comedy stage! The actor and comedian revealed that before his big win, he was already planning on “absolutely” returning to stand up but the COVID-19 pandemic has been causing a delay.
“We were planning before the pandemic hit to do it this year, we were working on stand up and getting the stuff together,” he told HollywoodLife after his Emmy win. “We were going to do it. But all this stuff happened, so as soon as it is cleared to go back out there. We will go out there and do that, that has been the plan.. That was the plan, that is the plan!”
Although Eddie confirmed that he will return to the comedy stage, he made sure to further explain that he’s taking the pandemic seriously and will have no shows planned until he’s sure everyone is safe to come out to see him. “I don’t know right now if there should be any comedic commentary. We’re still right in the middle of everything,” he said while backstage at the Creative Emmys, according to Yahoo. “In a year or so, we’ll need comedic commentary and some laughs, but now we’re right in this. As soon as it’s clear to go back out there, that was the plan, that is the plan.”
Eddie’s comedy talent is the reason he won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series and it makes his return to the stage truly special for his fans. His recent award-winning SNL appearance in Dec. 2019 was the first time he hosted the show in 35 years and it included him reprising some of his most memorable characters such as Buckwheat, Mister Robinson, and Gumby. In a video acceptance speech, which can be seen below, he seemed super thrilled to be honored with the prestigious win and thanked the Academy as well as SNL creator Lorne Michaels.
Before his latest appearance on SNL, Eddie made a brief appearance for the show’s 40th anniversary in 2015. The small gig is actually what inspired him to eventually return nine months ago. “They had the 40th anniversary a few years back and I went there and I saw everybody and I saw all the other actors and actresses and people in the crew and I got this big burst of nostalgia and I started feeling like ‘Oh, I want to go back,’” he said in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres on Dec. 5. “I’ve been wanting to go back there since then. But wanted to go back at the right time.”
With an Emmy win now under his belt, we’d say it was definitely the “right” time! Congratulations, Eddie!