Murphy's return to stand-up comedy is a long, long time coming.
Although there's no word yet on where and when he'll be performing, Eddie Murphy has confirmed that he's set to return to stand-up comedy in 2020.
Murphy hasn't performed in front of an audience with any kind of regularity since the '80s or '90s, having switched to acting early on in his career. Yet, for several years now, Murphy's been teasing a return to the comedy circuit, with rumours circulating that he's close to signing a $70 million deal with Netflix for a stand-up special.
While no news has come forward on that front, Murphy confirmed in a interview that he's going back on tour in 2020. Discussing his role in Netflix's upcoming original movie, 'Dolemite Is My Name', Murphy confirmed that he plans to "go on the road and do some stand-up" in 2020. The podcast, 'Present Company with Krista Smith', also touched on Murphy's return to SNL after three decades, not to mention his hope to host the Oscars at some point in the next couple of years - although the likelihood is that the Oscars will be host-free for the forseeable future.
Murphy's return to comedy comes at a time when comedians are now commanding huge figures for stand-up specials on Netflix. As mentioned, it's understood that Murphy is near to signing a major deal with Netflix, and 'Dolemite Is My Name' is also set in the world of stand-up comedy, albeit in the '70s, where he plays real-life comedian Rudy Ray Moore.
The question now is whether or not Murphy still has it in him to do stand-up comedy once again. Here's his famous bit from 'Raw' talking about the time Bill Cosby called him up to complain about how he used profanities in his comedy.