Eddie Murphy is back and fans can rejoice. The beloved comedian made his return with last year’s Dolemite Is My Name and while the 58-year-old attended a number of interviews in light of his applauded performance, he made it clear that he’s working on his standup return since inking a deal with Netflix for a special. “I’m gonna start kinda working [it] out in the beginning of the year and then when it’s ready, you know, I’ll try to give myself eight or nine months to get it ready,” Eddie previously told Ellen DeGeneres. 

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Sources tell Page Six that Eddie’s words on how he’s going to test out his chops on small audiences and venues are very much true since the actor has apparently been sneaking into comedy clubs in New York to gauge the audience’s reactions to his jokes. We can’t confirm which clubs exactly Eddie has hit up and what kind of content he’s playing with but he recently called his past homophobic jokes “cringey.”

“Some of it. Some of it, I cringe when I watch. I’m like, oh my God, I can’t believe I said that!” he said when reflecting back on his 1983 Delirious days.