Richard Pryor might have been a mediocre comic if he had followed the career path that first propelled him to the stage in the late 1960s. According to his official biography, the comedian made his first television appearances on such big-name showcases as “The Ed Sullivan Show,” plying a brand of family-friendly comedy pioneered by Black comedians such as Bill Cosby, before taking a lucrative contract performing for audiences in Las Vegas. But frustrated by the identity being foisted upon him, Pryor abruptly walked off stage during one performance, bent on reimagining his act in a form truer to his lived experience.
Pryor had been raised in abject circumstances, having suffered sexual abuse as a child and lived through poverty, taking a string of low-paid jobs after being expelled from school at the age of 14. Having returned to comedy after what The Guardian claims was Pryor’s onstage “epiphany,” the comedian re-emerged as the ultimate chronicler of Black American life, whose fearlessness and taboo-breaking material redefined stand-up comedy forever. Unashamed in delving into the darkest recesses of his own damaged psyche, Pryor crafted bits from even the most painful elements of his life, including notorious stories about his private life which, at the height of his fame, had already made headline news.
Seinfeld has described Pryor as “the Picasso of our profession” (via The Guardian) while he was also honored for his contribution to the craft in his own lifetime, winning the inaugural Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998, per The Chicago Tribune.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN’s National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
