Eddie Murphy is earning some high acclaim for his turn in Mr. Church — reportedly putting him in the running for a best supporting actor Oscar nomination — but he showed a leaning towards his more comedic side with his chat on Jimmy Kimmel Live Friday night. Kimmel covered everything, from Murphy’s joke about Bill Cosby at the Mark Twain Prize ceremony, their mutual love of Good Times, and the comedian’s possible return to stand-up.
It was an interview full of highlights, with a standout being Murphy’s nearly perfect Tracey Morgan impression while discussing the former SNL star’s recovery from his horrifying accident. Murphy tells the tale of how Morgan came to his house and he made him Ballpark Franks, only he does it as Tracy Morgan. He also recalls how Morgan told him they called him ‘Fat Murphy’ when he was a kid, so it’s fitting that his impression might be the best you’ll see. It’s up there with Donald Glover and Alec Baldwin, plus it arrives with a nice story too.
That wasn’t all for Murphy’s impressions on the night. He also pulled out one of his brother Charlie Murphy — which he’s done before on a few occasions — and how he pushed him to go to a local bar for Gong Show night to win $25. This is apparently how 15-year-old Murphy entered stand-up comedy and he also teases that rumored return a bit.
The tease comes while discussing his Mark Twain Prize and his Bill Cosby joke at the time. He tells Kimmel that it wasn’t really stand-up, but he was debating a possible return after working out and building back up with a return to the club:
“I haven’t done it in so long and I’m curious now to what –so much has changed. What would even come out?”
He also makes sure to say that he isn’t worried about what Bill Cosby would say to him and that he didn’t hear from Cosby at all. Not much of a departure for any fans of Raw out there.
This also ties into the lack of an Eddie Murphy online presence, which isn’t much of a surprise considering the number of broadsides and public scandals he had during the late ’90s. He doesn’t have email or Twitter and doesn’t know who he would talk to if he did. It might change if Murphy gets back into stand-up, but that’s a longshot. There’s really no need for a Twitter presence for a guy who sits around watching Good Times in his home, has his own personal bowling alley, and has a mega-career already cemented.
Also given his Mark Twain Prize choice of humor, he might get himself into trouble. Not a dumb move.
(Via Jimmy Kimmel Live)
