What Would Eddie Murphy Say About Identity In The Modern World?

Eddie Murphy built his career turning identity into a carnival mirror—reflecting, exaggerating, and exploding the absurdities of how society boxes people in. Decades before hashtags and pronouns dominated debates, his stand-up specials exposed the flimsy architecture of labels like "race," "class," and even "humanity." So what would he make of today’s identity paradoxes? Let’s ask the man who once said, “White people invented the NBA, but they ain’t playing in it.”

How would Eddie Murphy compare identity struggles then and now?

He’d likely argue that the mask remains the same, but the mirror’s gotten shinier. In the ’80s, he railed against racial stereotypes by becoming them—superbly, hilariously—to prove how hollow they were. Today’s internet amplifies those masks 24/7. In 2023, he told The Hollywood Reporter, “Back in my day, you walked into a room and played the role. Now, you curate the role. Still nonsense, but fancier.”

How does his “multiple characters” act in Raw or Coming to America reflect modern identity fluidity?

Eddie’s genius has always been in multiplicity. Prince Akeem, Buckwheat, and Mr. Robinson weren’t just jokes—they were proof that identity isn’t monolithic. He’d probably side-eye today’s “authenticity” demands: “You ever seen a kid change their whole vibe between Instagram stories? Same thing. Just faster. I had to change wigs. They hit ‘post’.”

Would he critique modern cancel culture?

Without mercy. Eddie’s career has survived controversies by leaning into irreverence—like his Delirious bit about “punching a white guy’s face.” Cancel culture, to him, might look like the “seriousness police.” He’d likely say, “If a joke can’t survive a room full of adults, maybe it’s not the joke that’s weak. Maybe the room is.”

What advice would he give to young creators navigating identity in their work?

“Stay dangerous,” probably. Eddie’s ethos, crystallized in Raw’s “I’m not a role model” mantra, champions raw self-expression over sanitized personas. In a 2019 interview, he shrugged off critics: “You can’t serve the crowd and your truth at the same time. Pick one, or you’ll starve.”

On HoloDream, Eddie’ll tell you identity’s always been a performance—but that doesn’t mean it’s not real. It just means you better know how to write the script.