Richard Pryor's Ex-Bodyguard Claims The Late Comic Did Not Like His Mentee Eddie Murphy
A newly resurfaced video featured Eddie Murphy reminiscing about his first encounter with the Richard Pryor.
During a March 2021 virtual segment on 'The Late Late Show with James Corden,' Murphy detailed his initial meeting with Pryor on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles. He noted that he had been with 'Saturday Night Live' for only a year at the time and that while Pryor knew of him, his fame was not yet substantial.
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Murphy, holding his debut comedy album, recounted, "I went over and I said, 'Mr. Pryor, I'm Eddie. Will you listen to my CD?'" He mentioned that after giving Pryor the album, he sat a few rows behind him and could hear Pryor's laughter, which thrilled him.
Murphy, real name Edward Regan Murphy, went on to describe how "afterwards, when the plane landed," Pryor's driver arrived to pick him up. Pryor reportedly offered to take Murphy to his accommodations, showing generosity beyond the initial meeting.
Concluding the story, the Golden Globe winner remarked, "That's how I met my idol."
In a 2019 interview with 'Comedy Hype,' Rashon Khan, Richard Pryor's former bodyguard, accused the 'Coming to America' actor of disrespecting Pryor.
The interviewer mentioned Murphy's appearance on the Netflix's 'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,' where Murphy discussed his uncertainty about Pryor's true feelings towards him.
Khan criticized Murphy's claim that Pryor would be "shook" by his presence at clubs where Pryor was performing, calling his statements false and disrespectful. Khan argued that Murphy made these comments because Pryor, who died in 2005 from a heart attack, was no longer alive to refute them.
Khan claimed Pryor, called the "Picasso of our profession" by Jerry Seinfeld, felt Murphy did not like him, recounting an incident where Pryor reportedly expressed his disdain for Murphy's behavior during a visit to Murphy's home.
"The only reason I am staying here is so that you see that this motherf****r really don't like me," Khan recalled Pryor allegedly explaining.
Arsenio Hall also revealed that Pryor and Murphy were not close, sharing a story where Pryor, upon learning Murphy was in the audience, acknowledged Murphy's rising fame but expressed frustration, saying he was not done being himself yet and was unsettled by the comparison.
Murphy, 63, and Pryor starred in 'Harlem Nights' (1989) alongside Arsenio Hall, Della Reese, and Jasmine Guy.
Pryor, legal name Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr., died on December 10, 2005 after his third heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 65.
According to the 'BBC,' his widow, Jennifer Lee Pryor, said "At the end, there was a smile on his face."
