Eddie Murphy called some of his old stand-up material “ignorant” but said he isn’t scared about returning to the comedy stage in the cancel culture era.
Mr. Murphy, 58, is returning to stand-up comedy with a Netflix special after a decades-long hiatus. The upcoming Netflix film “Dolemite Is My Name,” a biopic starring Mr. Murphy as comedian Rudy Ray Moore, is meant to serve as the comedian’s segue into his stand-up comeback.
Speaking to The New York Times, Mr. Murphy said he regrets leaving stand-up at a time when he was being heavily criticized for jokes about AIDS and using homophobic slurs. He admitted those jokes were “ignorant” but said he’s not worried about making the same mistakes.
“I went through all that stuff, so this is not scary,” he said.
On the subject of anxiety among comedians today, he said, “All this stuff they are talking about: ‘Hey, welcome to the club.’”
