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After being in the comedy business for over three decades, Eddie Murphy has began to reflect on his legendary career. He recently admitted that he has come to the realization that some of his old material was cringeworthy and is even a bit difficult for him to watch.
In an interview with The New York Times, the Brooklyn funny man said his material from Raw and Delirious was “a bit much.”
“I was a young guy processing a broken heart, you know, kind of an a–hole,” he told the Times.
Back in 1996, he apologized for his offensive content after gay activists rallied to have his late night television appearance on “The David Letterman Show” cancelled.
“I deeply regret any pain all this has caused,” he said in a statement. “Just like the rest of the world, I am more educated about AIDS in 1996 than I was in 1981. I think it is unfair to take the words of a misinformed 21-year-old and apply them to an informed 35-year-old man. I know how serious an issue AIDS is the world over. I know that AIDS isn’t funny. It’s 1996 and I’m a lot smarter about AIDS now.”
In the early days, Murphy admits that he crossed the line with his jokes about sexuality, the AIDS epidemic and more.
“That’s a bit much, my goodness,” he said about his jokes from the hit comedy special. Despite it’s provocative nature, Raw grossed $50 million in theaters.
Murphy is now preparing for his next release, Dolemite Is My Name, which hits theaters October 4th.
