Arsenio Hall's Second Act

The groundbreaking talk show host opens up about fame, friendship and fatherhood as he returns to the spotlight in coming 2 america

Arsenio Hall says his favourite memories from making the classic 1988 comedy Coming to America with good friend Eddie Murphy, 59, occurred when the cameras weren’t rolling. The comedian, 65, starts laughing as he recalls one night on the Paramount lot when he and Murphy had a two-hour break and decided to go to a nearby nightclub. No-one had yet seen their now-famous characters Prince Akeem and Semmi, so imagine the surprise when the duo arrived in full costume complete with Murphy’s long braid, royal robes and gold chains. Says Hall: “People must have been thinking, ‘These guys are really crazy!’”

More than 30 years later, Hall and Murphy are back as Akeem and Semmi in the film’s highly anticipated sequel, Coming 2 America (on Amazon Prime March 5). Today, the characters, an African prince and his aide hilariously attempting |to navigate New York City, are instantly recognizable – and the original film is more beloved than ever.

For Hall, the sequel also represents an emotional comeback moment. After rising to fame in the ’90s with his groundbreaking late-night talk show The Arsenio Hall Show, he stepped away from Hollywood to focus on raising his son. “It’s time for me to do some more acting and some more stand-up,” he says.

In the sequel the pair return to America to find Akeem’s long-lost son (Jermaine Fowler). Along the way, they reteam with original co-stars (see sidebar) and join new ones, including Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, and Wesley Snipes. “Tracy Morgan is funny every time he speaks. I wasn’t a guarantee to be in Coming 2 America,” jokes Hall. “But Tracy Morgan was gonna be in it.”