Eddie Murphy Says Bill Cosby Saw Him as a 'Threat' and 'Gave Me a Hard Time' in the '80s

"This is back when it was one Black person at a time was getting in the mix," said Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy is reflecting on how Bill Cosby reacted to his rise in the comedy space.

On a recent episode of The New York Times' The Interview podcast, host David Marchese asked Murphy if it was true that late comedian Richard Pryor once gave him a "hard time" early in his career.

"No he didn't. When did Richard Pryor give me a hard time?" the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F actor responded, adding, "Bill Cosby gave me a hard time."

Murphy said it is a "myth" that he and Pryor — who died in 2005 at age 65 and costarred with Murphy in 1989's Harlem Nights — "didn't get along." Meanwhile, according to Murphy, Cosby, now 86, claimed to take issue with "language" Murphy used in his routines.

"Language was the way he could come at it," said Murphy. "It wasn't so much language; it was the times that we were in. This is back when it was, you know, one Black person at a time was getting in the mix."

Related: Eddie Murphy Says Marlon Brando Told Him He Didn't Like Clint Eastwood: 'Can't Stand That Kid with the Gun'

"When I come on the scene, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby were like, 'Oh, this is the new s--- that's coming up?' If there's a new thing coming on, that's a threat to whatever their thing is," explained Murphy. "That's what Bill Cosby had."

The actor said Pryor, though, "could look at me and see I was, 'Oh, he's my reflection, and that kid's trying to be like me.' So he wasn't threatened. Bill Cosby was like, 'Is this the new way it's gonna be now? They're gonna be onstage grabbing their d--- and talking all crazy?' So he could come at me with 'Oh, the language!' when it was more: 'It's one at a time, and is this the new guy who's gonna knock me out of the spot?' That's what was going on back then."

To Murphy, he didn't see the comedy landscape like that at the time. He said on the podcast, "They were competitive in that respect. I wasn't even thinking about them like that — I was puppy-dogging both of them when I met them."

Murphy, a Saturday Night Live alum, broke into an eventual Oscar-nominated movie career with roles in '80s films like Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs. and Trading Places. At the same time, he performed comedy tours and had popular specials, including 1983's iconic Eddie Murphy: Delirious.

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Cosby has faced allegations of sexual assault in recent years. Back in 2021, his 2018 indecent assault conviction was overturned and he was released from prison. He has since been met with additional lawsuits from additional accusers.

Back in 2019, Murphy made a joke about Cosby in his opening monologue while hosting Saturday Night Live. The father of 10 kids said, "If you had told me 30 years ago that I would be this boring stay-at-home house dad and Bill Cosby would be in jail, even I would’ve took that bet." He added, impersonating Cosby, "Let me tell you, Who is America’s Dad now?!"

Related: Why Eddie Murphy Ditched His Iconic Laugh After Beverly Hills Cop: 'I Forced Myself to Stop' 

A spokesperson for Cosby spoke out at the time, saying in a statement that Cosby "broke color barriers" in the entertainment industry "so that Blacks like Eddie Murphy, Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart and et al., could have an opportunity to showcase their talents for many generations to come."

The statement added that it was "sad that Mr. Murphy would take this glorious moment of returning to SNL and make disparaging remarks against Mr. Cosby."

Murphy's latest film Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is now on Netflix.

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