Mike Epps On Getting A Taste Of Depicting Richard Pryor, ‘It Was Amazing’

NAACP Image Award-winning comedian and actor Mike Epps said getting a taste of depicting the late legendary comedian and actor Richard Pryor “was amazing.”

According to reports, Epps revealed how happy he was about portraying Pryor in an episode of the HBO Lakers series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Back in 2021, the 51-year-old sparked rumors that he would be playing the iconic comedian after posting an image of himself wearing a mustache and short afro via Instagram.

“You’ve been coming here since the very beginning of this show, which is almost 20 years ago, and I feel like for 17 of those years, we’ve been talking about this project where you’re [going] to play Richard Pryor,” host Jimmy Kimmel told him. “And year after year after year, no project with you and Richard Pryor, and then finally, this year…a little taste of Richard Pryor…on the Winning Time. You play Richard Pryor, finally!”

Epps agreed, saying he got “a little taste of Richard Pryor.”

“I played a little taste of Richard Pryor, and it was amazing,” he said about his appearance on Winning Time. “Just for my name to even come up with Richard Pryor’s name, I don’t care if I did good or not.”

He added that Pryor was one of his idols and wished he got to spend time with him.

“I’m just happy my name came up. Yeah man, Richard Pryor he’s such an idol. I wish I could have met him, met him and hung out,” Epps said.

He recalled being invited to the trailblazing comedian’s home previously, but the Illinois native’s health was deteriorating at the time.

“He really couldn’t talk at the time. You know he was like this,” he explained to Kimmel as he mimicked Pryor’s physical movements and facial expressions. The ground-breaking entertainer, who became a comedic staple during ’70s and ’80s, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986. He tragically passed away from Myocardial infarction many years later in 2005.

Other than playing one of his dream roles, Epps has been promoting the Netflix show The Upshaws, which he will star alongside comedian Wanda Sykes and actress Kim Fields. The Upshaws is set to return via the streaming platform on June 29.