Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy started his Hollywood journey with the late-night comedy show Saturday Night Live, where he first rose to fame. He has since become one of the most celebrated actors and comedians in the industry, with several accolades under his name. Over the years, he has also become compliant with some of the best comedians as well. However, he didn’t initially hit it off with all of them.
During an appearance on the late-night talk show Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Nutty Professor star opened up about his first interaction with his fellow comedian, Pual Mooney, and how they almost got into a fight outside of a comedy club.
Eddie Murphy Recalled His Argument With Paul Mooney
Before he got the opportunity to star in Saturday Night Live, Eddie Murphy used to perform stand-up acts at comedy clubs. Recalling the time he performed at The Comedy Store in the 80s, the actor shared an incident that led to an argument between him and the veteran comedian Paul Mooney.
He shared that he did not know much about Mooney, and when he was given the light to conclude the act, he said, “Who’s supposed to be coming on?” The actor recalled that Paul Mooney was named as the next performer, but he refused to get off the stage and asked the audience, “Do you want to see me or Paul Mooney?”
Hearing everyone’s applause, he continued his act for about an hour. When he came off stage and actually met Mooney, he was very mad at the comedian. The argument started with Mooney advising Murphey to get off the stage on time. And it escalated after the Dreamgirls actor refused to share his routine with the Bamboozled actor.
The Oscar nominee shared that he was with John Landis in the parking lot when it happened. And Mooney threatened both of them. “F*ck you too, white man.’ If I had a gun, I’d shoot the both of you,'” he recalled Mooney’s words to Landis and him on Late Night with Seth Meyers. It was also his first meeting with the veteran comedian.
Paul Mooney Apologized to Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy has shared that Richard Pryor has had a significant influence on him, and he was the one who inspired him to become a comedian. After he got into an argument with Paul Mooney, Pryor was the one who sorted the matter between them. When the late actor learned about the whole thing that took place, he called Paul Mooney and John Witherspoon, who was also with Mooney the other night, and made them apologize to Murphy.
“He was all, ‘Hey, you guys are just being mean to that kid because he’s the new hot s***,’” he recalled on Late Night with Seth Meyers. The 62-year-old actor also said that Pryor was very nice, as having his support must have meant a lot to him. Both Murphy and Mooney were on good terms after their reconciliation.
Source: Late Night with Seth Meyers
