Eddie Murphy Bought The Sugar Shack Painting For $50,000 That Could Now Earn Him Tens of Millions of Dollars
Comedian turned-actor Eddie Murphy rose to fame as a cast member on the widely watched comedy show Saturday Night Live. The American actor earned a Golden Globe in the Best Actor category for the 2006 movie, Dreamgirls. Over the years, Eddie Murphy has been a part of multiple projects like The Nutty Professor, Daddy Day Care, Dr. Doolittle, and Coming 2 America.
Last year, Eddie Murphy made headlines when he revealed about possessing an iconic painting during his appearance on a famous chat show.
Eddie Murphy On The Sugar Shaft Painting From The Good Times Sitcom
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in January 2023, comedian turned-actor Eddie Murphy spoke about the sugar shaft painting from the Good Times sitcom. The Going 2 America actor confessed that the iconic painting is owned by him. He said-
“I have that painting now,”
Kimmel interrupted to mention that the painting is sold at Christie’s for millions. The SNL star clarified that the painting which was sold for $15.2 million was a duplicate and he still owns the real one. He said-
“I think I paid 50 grand for that picture. After Marvin Gaye passed away, I bought it from his estate.”
Murphy bought the painting “The Sugar Shack” from late Marvin Gaye’s estate.
Not only did Gaye have the original copy that now lies in the hands of Murphy, but he used the painting — created by legendary artist Ernie Barnes — on the cover of his 1976 album “I Want You pic.twitter.com/w1xW2cfzyv
— High on History (@High0nHistory) March 17, 2024
In 2022, Christie’s announced that the painting had set an auction record as it went on to receive 27 times the previous record. “Ernie Barnes ‘The Sugar Shack was sold for around $15.2 million only after 10 minutes at the auction block in 2022.
Eddie Murphy Reveals Why He Was Not Fired From The Saturday Night Live During The 80s
Eddie Murphy appeared in the special segment of Saturday Night Live’s Stories From the Show in 2020 and reflected on his time on the comedy show. The Academy Award-nominated actor even mentioned how he survived the tumultuous times during the 1980s. He revealed that his first episode as a cast member was aired on December 13, 1980, right after the series creator Lorne Michaels left the show. Eddie Murphy recalled the audience’s disdain with respect to the changes. He said-
“It was hard at first for the simple fact that the show was so beloved. So the audience was like, ‘F— all of y’all, and f— this show.’”
Murphy mentioned that the head writer Michael O’Donoghue fired almost everyone except for him and Joe Piscopo. He further said-
“[O’Donoghue] came in and said, ‘And the only reason Murphy didn’t get fired was because he ate that dog food. He looked at me like ‘What the f—?’ But it was too late and I kept the show. But I was that close. If he had known that was hash, none of this would be happening.”
When Saturday Night Live went through one of the most rocky times, Eddie Murphy was only 19. Instead of understanding the anger and rage of the audience, he was happy to be a part of the show. He eventually left the comedy show in 1984 in order to pursue his acting career in Hollywood. In 2019, Eddie Murphy was back on Saturday Night Live to promote his movie Dolemite Is My Name after a gap of over three decades.
