Eddie Murphy had a decade like no other back in the 1980s. He single-handedly saved Saturday Night Live from cancellation, launched a massively successful film career that continues to this day, and recorded two of the most iconic stand-up specials of all time. Delirious premiered on HBO in 1983 to critical acclaim and was highly influential; Keenen Ivory Wayans later called it “a defining moment in comedy.” For 1987’s Raw, Murphy went even bigger, filming it at Madison Square Garden and releasing the footage in theaters—it even had its own theme song.
The leather outfits were unforgettable, and the jokes were endlessly quotable. When Murphy walked out on stage, he got a reception usually only reserved for rock stars. Other comedians were undoubtedly watching his specials, wondering how they could compete with what he was doing. There seemed to be nowhere to go but up for the 26-year-old Murphy.
But he hasn’t put out a special since. He’s done short comedic monologues, like when he accepted the Mark Twain Prize in 2015. He’s also been teasing a stand-up return for years that he says will somehow incorporate his music. At the end of the day, though, he hasn’t been a touring stand-up comedian in close to 40 years.
So when did he decide to hang it up? And what would make somebody do such a thing at the height of their success? A quick look at his touring history shows appearances well after he finished up his Raw tour in 1987. Further inspection reveals that some of the dates were for award shows and the like, and several shows he did in the early 1990s appear to have been musical performances (Murphy released a music album, Love’s Alright, in 1993).
Combing through his old interviews offers more specific insight. In 1989, Murphy told Rolling Stone that he was retired from stand-up, calling himself “the Sugar Ray Leonard of stand-up comedy,” and saying he didn’t have anything to gain from it anymore. He went on to say that he was sick of the flak he would get for his material being dirty, which he thought was ridiculous compared to what Sam Kinison and Andrew Dice Clay were doing at the time. Years later, he also said that it stopped being fun after he got into the movie business and that it “felt like too much work going back.”
He seemed to change his tune slightly by October 1990, however. During an interview with director Spike Lee for SPIN magazine, Murphy told a story about finding a surveillance device in his bedroom. When Lee inquired further, Murphy told him, “I have a joke about that, ‘cause I’m working on my stand-up and I got it in my routine.” It’s unclear if he ever tried this material out on stage at any point.
Then, in 1994, he told Gene Siskel that he planned to do stand-up again in three years, which would mark ten years since he’d last done it. That didn’t come to fruition either, but if what he told Siskel was accurate, it would mean he really did call it quits after wrapping up his 1987 tour. He might not have gotten around to celebrating the 10th anniversary of Raw, but maybe if we’re lucky, he’ll get back out there in time for the 40th anniversary in 2027.
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