Why Eddie Murphy ditched his trademark laugh

Eddie Murphy has one of the most distinct laughs in movies – or, should we say had? You may not have even noticed but at some point Murphy just stopped laughing like that. Turns out, it was a conscious decision he made once it became a trademark.

The problem for Eddie Murphy came when impersonations of him always worked in his laugh, which he was relatively unaware of up until that point. As he told CBR, “In the 80s, I was like, ‘I don’t want to be known for a laugh.’ That’s all [impersonators] did was that laugh…It was like, ‘Hey, you know what, I’m going to stop laughing.’ I forced myself to stop laughing, which is really an unnatural thing. You laugh, and it’s like, ‘I have to stop laughing like that.’ And now I don’t laugh like that anymore.”

Despite losing the laugh, it is still undoubtedly part of the Eddie Murphy routine when doing a proper impression. “We’re making too much of it. Even still! If you say, ‘Do an impression’, they’ll do that laugh. They’ll talk like me, and they’ll talk like the Donkey. If you say, ‘Do Eddie Murphy’, They talk, ‘Hey, how you doing!’ [Exaggerated laugh] And it’s like, that’s not me.”

So Eddie Murphy may try avoiding giving you the signature laugh, but he’s still delivering them, with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F looking to be a worthwhile installment in the franchise. It won’t be hitting Netflix until next week (July 3rd) but it’s even great to see Murphy back in the form a lot of us grew up watching.

Eddie Murphy will no doubt continue bringing these laughs at a steady rate, as there are plans for a Beverly Hills Cop 5, he is looking to get a remake of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World to the screen and he has already recorded some dialogue for the next Shrek, even further teasing that Donkey will be getting his own spin-off. And in the morning, he’s makin’ waffles!

Which Eddie Murphy movie makes you laugh the most? Give us your favorite in the comments section below.