The last time Eddie Murphy performed standup comedy was a brief routine — less than a minute — ripping into Bill Cosby when he accepted the Mark Twain Prize for Comedy in 2015; prior to that, Murphy hadn’t performed onstage in 28 years.
However, the “SNL” alum is looking to stage a standup comeback, a revelation he makes when he buckles up with Jerry Seinfeld for the new season of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee”.
“You know that you not doing standup drives people crazy,” Seinfeld tells Murphy. “You know that, right?”
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According to Murphy, Seinfeld isn’t the only one of his fellow comedians to tell him the same thing, revealing that the late Don Rickles would often encourage him to return to the stage.
“I’m going to do it again. Everything just has to be right,” Murphy says, implying that it’s tough to try out material onstage when you’re as famous as he is. “You have to get up there and start working out.”
“You should buy the Comic Strip, and I’ll come and work out there,” Murphy suggests.
“If you want to do that, I’ll do it,” Seinfeld responds. “I’ll call it Jerry Seinfeld’s Comic Strip.”
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Following the release of the “Comedians in Cars” teaser, reports emerged claiming Murphy was in discussions with Netflix for his first standup special in more than three decades.
TMZ is reporting that Murphy has been in discussions with the streaming service that could see him star in “an undisclosed number” of standup comedy specials.
“We’re told negotiations are hovering right around $70 MILLION for the deal,” notes TMZ, pointing out they haven’t been able to confirm an exact amount.
However, TMZ notes that $70 million would not be outside the range of what Netflix has paid other comedians for their specials, reminding that Dave Chappelle was paid $60 million for three standup specials in 2017, while Chris Rock earned $40 million for a pair of specials in 2016.
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Murphy’s last full standup act was documented in the 1987 film “Raw”, which grossed more than $50 million to become the highest-earning standup comedy film of all time.
In addition to Murphy, the new season of “Comedians in Cars” will see Seinfeld welcome such guests as Ricky Gervais, Matthew Broderick, Seth Rogen, Jamie Foxx and Martin Short.
The 11th season of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” premieres on Friday, July 19.
