By NUNYO DEMASIO

After teasing a legion of admirers over the years, Eddie Murphy soon returns to standup comedy following a decades-long hiatus. As part of a multifaceted reboot, Murphy hosted “Saturday Night Live” late last year to terrific reviews and high ratings — his first such role since 1984. Murphy will star in upcoming sequels to movie classics “Coming to America” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” But the actor’s imminent return to standup has generated the most intrigue and excitement.

During Murphy’s 32-year absence, Dave Chappelle emerged as perhaps America’s premier comedian, who Eddie Murphy himself declared a “comic genius” Murphy, 58, and Chappelle, 46, both have earned a Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the nation’s highest honor for comedy.

In the latest episode of the NUNYO & COMPANY podcast, the real Ray Donovan named Chappelle as his favorite comedian while quickly adding that Eddie Murphy had held the personal title before abandoning the stage in the late ‘80s. Donovan’s reply to a staple of the show came just before Murphy confirmed his highly anticipated return to standup.

On NUNYO & COMPANY’s debut episode, David Stern — the late, great NBA commissioner — was torn between naming Jon Stewart and John Oliver as his favorite comedian. Pressed to choose a #1, Stern went with the elder statesman (Stewart) in a virtual tossup.

So in that vein, who gets the slight edge between Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle? Who’s funniest? Who’s America’s king of comedy in a golden age that gives us Amy Schumer, Bill Burr, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Katt Williams, Kevin Hart, Sarah Silverman and more?

As the first black superstar to portray unabashedly assertive, independent characters on the silver screen, Eddie Murphy influenced — and spawned — a generation of top comedians as well as actors. He remains the most successful comedian in film history.

Murphy’s latest, “Dolemite is My Name,” was based on the legendary yet overlooked life of blaxploitation hero Rudy Ray Moore: Murphy flourished in one of the most challenging roles of his singular career. His brilliant performance in the Netflix movie, released in October 2019, earned a Golden Globe nomination. although speculation of Murphy contending for the 2020 Best Actor Oscar didn’t pan out.

Dave Chappelle developed a terrific resume in films, after playing several supporting roles during the ‘90s, including a blustery insult comic in Eddie Murphy’s “The Nutty Professor.” Putting the supreme talents together in the 1996 film — at a standup show — produced a hilarious, memorable scene: Murphy’s character (Buddy Love) humiliates Chappelle’s (Reggie Warrington) by rattling off silly one-liners featuring your-mother-is-so-fat jokes. Of course, in real life, a snapping contest between the two titans would certainly be competitive.

After avoiding the big screen for some years, Chappelle appeared in 2018’s “A Star is Born, the enormously successful remake. However, comparing even Chappelle’s commendable filmography to an icon’s, whose movies have grossed close to $7 billion worldwide, proves futile. Murphy’s box-office hits easily eclipse a number of ill-conceived duds. “Beverly Hills Cop,” with its fourth iteration in production, remains one of the top grossing comedies in film history.

And few actors possess Murphy’s prodigious range in playing disparate characters. Thus, any poll would almost certainly give Murphy the nod in movies — and Chappelle for television skits: Cutting-edge and iconic, “Chappelle’s Show” aired on Comedy Central from 2003 to 2006 while setting viewership records that helped propel him to superstardom. Nonetheless, choosing Chappelle over Murphy at standup — or vice versa — would certainly stir a debate.

The middle-aged SNL veteran hasn’t done standup since he was twentysomething: Murphy’s two specials were instant classics: “Delirious” (1983) and “Raw” (1987). The latter became the most financially successful ever, grossing $50.5 million in the U.S. on a relatively small budget ($8 million). During the NUNYO & COMPANY podcast about the opioid crisis, DEA special agent Ray Donovan cited “Raw” and “Delirious” as the reason Murphy became his favorite comedian before Chappelle’s rise. The DEA honcho, who oversaw the historic capture of El Chapo, likely reflects the sentiments of many.

One of the best sketch artists in the storied history of “Saturday Night Live,” Murphy almost singled-handedly revived NBC’s iconic series during the ‘80s. But “Chapelle’s Show” — co-created by Neal Brennan — became among the greatest American comedy sketches ever by offering incisive and ingenious social commentary, particularly about race: The show’s auspicious debut featured Chappelle playing a blind KKK member (Clayton Bigsby) who’s clueless that he’s black. Just the concept itself was hilarious! The skit caused at least one viewer to rupture his hernia in laughter, prompting aid from paramedics (if actor Charlie Sheen’s wild story is to be believed).

Eddie Murphy’s late brother, Charlie, enhanced Chappelle’s variety show with unforgettable performances in “True Hollywood Stories” segments. He died of leukemia in 2017 at age 57. Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy share a deep, mutual admiration. Underscoring their genuine friendship, Chappelle and the great Chris Rock were among top comedians who took the stage with Murphy for his SNL return on December 21, 2019. The episode delivered the show’s best ratings in more than two years. Before that, Murphy and Chappelle made appearances in support of each other for their Mark Twain honors. (Chappelle became the 22nd recipient in October 2019, four years after Murphy’s achievement.)

And during a FaceTime chat some years ago, the legends professed their love for each other. Chappelle ended the call by declaring Murphy “the king.” Still, Chappelle’s deference to Murphy doesn’t prevent the rest of us from debating their current greatness.

Chapelle himself overcame an extended absence after famously (or infamously) bolting his hit show — and a $50 million contract with Comedy Central — in May 2005. He had grown uneasy about racial dynamics that steered him to sell his soul for mainstream’s laughs and big bucks. Stunning virtually everyone, Chappelle rebuffed the lucrative deal for two more seasons. But he explained to Oprah Winfrey in 2006: “I felt like [the show] got me in touch with my inner coon. They stirred him up.”

During his 12-year hiatus, Chappelle occasionally made surprise appearances at comedy clubs and other venues to test material. He even set an endurance record by performing for more than six consecutive hours. Officially returning to standup in 2013, Chappelle’s popularity remained buoyant. Three years later, he signed a reportedly $60 million contract with Netflix for a series of standup specials that would deliver multiple Grammy Awards. But Chappelle’s recent specials, specifically “Sticks & Stones” — released in late 2019 — generated negative reviews from pundits for who disliked his jokes about sexual assault victims, drug addicts, Asians, feminists and the LGBT — “the alphabet people.” During the act, Chappelle dismissed sexual abuse allegations against Michael Jackson.

Pundits, who had lauded Chappelle’s groundbreaking series, deemed him as being out of touch in the era of #MeToo and LBGTQ: On Rotten Tomatoes — the leading aggregator for TV and film reviews— Chappelle generated a critics score of 33%. Conversely, Chappelle earned an almost perfect score (99%) from the public. Whoops! Such a discrepancy indicated who was actually out of touch: Chappelle’s comedy specials on Netflix were the most watched in the company’s history.

A good chunk of that audience will almost certainly watch “Coming 2 America,” which is set for release in December. But Eddie Murphy’s return to the stage is what has turned many of his fans agog. His three-decades-long hiatus dwarfs even David Chappelle’s lengthy drought. Murphy plans to make up for lost time with multiple standup specials for Netflix in a deal reportedly worth $70 million.

Approaching senior citizenship, the father of 10 has pointed out a half-century of life experiences to draw from. After quietly recording standup material over the past three years, Murphy intends to formulate a polished 90-minute set to take on tour.

Reflecting on his standup heyday, Murphy admits that some material was over the top: “Delirious,” in particular elicited a backlash for skewering gay men — including by freely using the derogatory term — and making light of AIDS. Pressured by gay activists, Murphy belatedly apologized in 1996 for the homophobic material, blaming the ignorance of a 21-year-old bachelor.

Murphy considers himself to be a different person at this stage in life — much more sentimental and informed. He intends to avoid being offensive enough to trigger controversy. But the brilliance of “Raw” and “Delirious” stemmed partly from Murphy’s political incorrectness, youthful exuberance and even gratuitous vulgarity. Many fans loved his deliriously outrageous takes at a time when such jokes were tolerated.

Will the older/newer Murphy diminish the hilarity of his jokes? Will audiences be less impressed with a mellower Murphy, relinquishing the crown to the younger, unabashedly rawer Chappelle?

Murphy is purposely disconnected from the digital era: He proudly lives without a computer, and remains dismissive of social media. Murphy, who stays busy with his large brood, admits to avoiding newspapers and magazines. Instead, Murphy learns much about current events though the grapevine.

Of course, Eddie Murphy emerged as a once-in-a-generation comedian during a period without Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And his masterly, uncanny skills at impressions are timeless. As a regular TV viewer — especially of Netflix — Murphy considers himself in touch with the transformed comedy landscape.

One quality that the more circumspect comedian maintains is his supreme confidence. Murphy told the New York Times in 2019: “The way I look at things and paint pictures with words, I’m still that guy. I’m still going to be what I was. And then some.”

Eddie Murphy is certainly that guy, but with Dave Chappelle’s rise is he still THE guy? Perhaps a more fun question is: who’s the greatest standup comic of all time? This requires adding to the equation late greats such as George Carlin, Lenny Bruce and Robin Willams; other living legends such as Jerry Seinfeld; and even the jailed icon: Bill Cosby.

But none of them receive NUNYO & COMPANY’s nod for the best of the best. Here’s a hint: This person fittingly earned the inaugural Mark Twain prize in 1998. A better clue? He influenced Murphy and Chappelle more than any comedian: Good guess: the one and only Richard Pryor, who was as mesmerizing, ingenious and impactful as any standup comic.

But back to the living legends: There’s no wrong choice between Eddie Murphy and Dave Chappelle (or another giant you feel merits consideration). We’re fortunate to have these two great comedians in the spotlight simultaneously, providing us with life’s best balm— laughter — during these crazy times.