Eddie Murphy May Return To Stand-Up Comedy Over At Netflix

Before Eddie Murphy became a big movie star, he was a stand-up giant. Largely considered one of the most successful comedians of all time, Murphy released his first comedy album in 1982, followed it up with the Delirious comedy special in 1983, and then a theatrically released stand-up concert from Madison Square Garden called Eddie Murphy: Raw in 1987, which grossed $50 million. Now, after a long absence from the stand-up special scene, it sounds like Murphy is lining up a big comeback.

A new report says the comedian is currently negotiating a massive deal for an undisclosed number of comedy specials at Netflix that would earn him a roughly $70 million deal (though that number could fluctuate when all is said and done). It would be the first time Eddie Murphy has done a stand-up special in about 32 years. Find out more below.

It should be noted that TMZ was the first to report on Eddie Murphy returning to stand-up comedy, so you might want to take this with a grain of salt. But that gossip garbage bin admittedly has some solid sources when it comes to stuff like this, so it doesn't feel like it's out of the realm of possibility. That's especially true when you consider Eddie Murphy's recent appearance on Jerry Seinfeld's Netflix series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

Here's a clip where Jerry Seinfeld chastises Eddie Murphy for not doing stand-up anymore:

Could this be a tease for Netflix's eventual deal with Eddie Murphy? It certainly seems possible. After remembering how Don Rickles, just a month or two before passing away, implored him to get back on the stand-up stage, Eddie Murphy said:

"I'm gonna do it again. Yeah, everything just has to be right. I gotta get up there and start working out. I have to get up and work. The only way to work out an act is to go to clubs and work out. I'm gonna do that again."

That conversation makes it seem like even if Netflix does strike this deal with Eddie Murphy, we might be waiting awhile before we see it. Though it's likely been months since this episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee was shot, it takes a while to workshop a stand-up set before it's ready to record in front of a live audience, even for a legend like Murphy.

Though some of Murphy's bits from his 1980s stand-up specials haven't aged well due to more progressive perspectives in this modern age, I think he still has some funny in him. He may have relegated himself to a lot of shitty studio comedies for the past couple decades, but in his rare appearances on late night and various other media, he's still proven to be quite funny and sharp. At the very least, it'll be interesting to see if he's still got it.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with my favorite Eddie Murphy bit, which reminds you how shitty Bill Cosby is: