James Brown Told Eddie Murphy He Needed to Stop Cursing If He Wanted to Make It in the Industry

Angela AndaloroFri, June 26, 2026 at 5:57 PM UTC

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Eddie Murphy (left), James BrownCredit: Getty(2) -

James Brown had decades in the entertainment industry under his belt when he first met Eddie Murphy

Brown shared words of wisdom for the comedian, who was in the early days of his own success in stand-up and films

Murphy, 65, recalled the advice Brown gave him during an early encounter

Eddie Murphy appreciated all the advice he got from other men in entertainment.

The comedian, 65, shared an unforgettable piece of advice he got from James Brown during his appearance on Apple TV+'s Number One on the Call Sheet.

In the clip, Murphy recalls, "James Brown told me to, he asked me to. He told me I should stop cursing. He said, 'You want to be in this business a long time? You can stop that cursing.' "

That wasn't the only bit of industry advice the late singer offered, however.

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Murphy continued, "He said, 'Do you think you got a million dollars?'I said, 'Yeah, I do.' He said, 'You ain't got a million dollars. If you do got a million dollars, you take it, you bury it in the woods."

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Brown explained it was the best way to keep the cash secure, "Because the government will take it."

"I said, 'But can't the government take your land?' He said, 'But they won't know where the money is.' That's a true story. So that's the kind of advice I used to get," he laughs, adding, "We didn't have a lot of elders."

Eddie Murphy performing at Madison Square Garden in 1987Credit: Gary Gershoff/Getty

In May, Bella Murphy, the comedian's 24-year-old daughter, spoke with PEOPLE about her role in Netflix's Roommates. The movie was Bella's feature film debut without her father, with whom she costarred in 2021's Coming 2 America. She kept his words in mind as she worked on the film, sharing his words of wisdom for her.

"He's definitely given me lots of great tips over the years," she told PEOPLE. "Some good ones that I really try to remember with my performances is to know that doing less is more."

She also added that taking "my time more" has been a helpful note in "letting moments organically happen."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”