Jamie Foxx talks about one constant element found in Eddie Murphy’s house atmosphere
Jamie Foxx just dropped a hilariously unexpected truth about Eddie Murphy’s house, and that is, it smells too good for comedy.
During The Hollywood Reporter’s Stand-Up Emmy Roundtable, Foxx joined fellow comedians Sarah Silverman, Seth Meyers, Roy Wood Jr., Chelsea Handler, and Hasan Minhaj for some laughs and storytelling.
While reflecting on what makes great stand-up material, the 57-year-old actor and comedian brought up a visit to Murphy’s house around the time Coming 2 America premiered, and let’s just say, he had a pretty good story to tell.
“He says he’s going to try to go do stand-up. I say to him, ‘You can’t.’ He says, ‘Why?’ I say, ‘This ain’t funny. Your house is too nice,’” Foxx recalled, drawing laughs from the group.
And then came the kicker.
To emphasize just how over-the-top luxurious Murphy’s life is, Foxx shared a very specific memory, “He had a scent. You know, the sh-- that pumps through the house.”
Seth Meyers jumped in to clarify, “Like a hotel?”
Foxx confirmed—and even remembered asking Murphy what that fancy smell was.
“What is that smell?” he asked. “It’s pomegranate,” Murphy replied.
Foxx said that was the moment he knew stand-up just wasn’t in Murphy’s future anymore.
“The fact that you know that s--- lets me know that you ain’t funny, bro,” he joked, pointing to the idea that comedy often comes from a place of struggle, not pomegranate air fresheners.
Foxx even admitted he’d faced a similar creative roadblock himself, saying, “I didn’t have anything to talk about.” But things took a serious turn in 2023, when he experienced a near-fatal stroke while filming Back in Action with Cameron Diaz in Atlanta.
“This stroke happened, and I’m like, ‘Oh, this is a platform.’ But I don’t want to have to have another stroke, even though we have [a deal for] another hour,” he quipped.