Eddie Murphy is on his way back y’all. According to TMZ, the comedian and actor is in final negotiations with Netflix to make his stand-up comedy comeback. Details of the deal aren’t finalized but Murphy is reportedly nearing a huge $70 million payday to record a series of new specials for the streamer.
$70 million may sound like a lot for a stand-up comic. BUT, Dave Chappelle’s recent stand-up comeback earned him $60 million across three specials. Then, Chris Rock made $40 million on a two-special deal with Netflix. So, it’s not unheard of and the streaming giant certainly isn’t unwilling to back the truck up for comedians.
Murphy has been absent from the stand-up stage, and the spotlight in general, for some time now. He’s considered a pioneer in the stand-up world thanks to his specials Eddie Murphy: Delirious and Eddie Murphy: Raw. But, other than a few movies here and there over the last decade, he’s been pretty quiet.
He did speak about his return to comedy recently in a surprise appearance on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. “You know that you not doing stand-up drives people crazy — you know that, right?” Seinfeld asked Murphy.
“I’m going to do it again,” Murphy said. “Everything just has to be right. You have to get up there and start working out. Still gotta go to the comedy club.”
