Eddie Murphy, 59, is one of the great stand-up comedians of our time, and he wants to get back to it. The legendary actor sits down with Tamron Hall, along with his daughter Bella Murphy, 19, on March 11 to discuss what’s next for him. Tamron asks Eddie about the status of his return to stand-up comedy in this EXCLUSIVE preview of the interview.
“As soon as the world gets back to normal and people can be around people and can do shows and stuff again, I want to get back out and do that again,” Eddie says in our EXCLUSIVE video. “I was trying to take it all full circle.”
Like with everyone, the pandemic put a pin in Eddie’s stand-up plans and changed everything. “I was having so much fun just being on the couch doing nothing. I was like, you know what? I can’t sit up on this couch forever. I have to get up off this couch. I didn’t want to leave it,” he admits. He notes that he wanted to get up and do “something funny.” He adds, “In case I sit on this couch forever, I left it on a high note, so we’ll do some full circle stuff.”
Eddie’s plan to return to stand-up comedy was revealed back in 2019. He opened up to The New York Times about wanting to get back to that aspect of his career, and his movie Dolemite is My Name paved the way for that. “I didn’t want to just pop back up,” he said. “I wanted a funny movie to remind them that they liked me. This movie turned out so strong that I figured this is a great way to come back.”
A Netflix comedy special was planned for 2020, but the pandemic put that on hold. In Sept. 2020 after his Emmy win, Eddie revealed that his stand-up comedy return was still very much in the works. His past stand-up comedy specials, Delirious and Raw, are available on Netflix. His stand-up and sketch comedy talents made him a household name and built the foundation for his long and successful career. His next film is the highly-anticipated Coming 2 America, which will debut March 5 on Amazon Prime Video. Eddie’s Tamron Hall interview will air on March 11. Check your local listings for airtimes.