Paul Mooney Cancels Shows in the Wake of Allegations He Had Sex with Richard Pryor’s Son as a Teenager: WATCH
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EVER SINCE allegations emerged this week, that comedian Richard Pryor wanted to kill legendary Black comedian and writer Paul Mooney after he had sexually assaulted his son, Richard Pryor Jr., the press around Mooney has been quiet.
Not any more.
According to TMZ, “Paul Mooney isn’t leaping at the opportunity to show his face in public after being accused of misconduct with Richard Pryor Jr.—he comic just pulled out of a show—and we’re told he’ll be taking the next few weeks off.”
Mooney was set to take the stage Wednesday in Atlanta at the ATL Comedy Theater, where he was serving as the MC for the night in a long lineup of comedians. But, a sign outside the venue made it clear … PM wasn’t going to show.
A rep for Paul tells us the allegations recently made by Richard Pryor’s former bodyguard have seriously stressed Mooney out … and he needs to lay low for awhile. We’re told he’ll be canceling all of his scheduled appearances in the next few weeks until things simmer down.
The story emerged nearly a week ago, when Complex reported, “On Monday, an interview excerpt was posted to YouTube showing the ex-bodyguard of Richard Pryor alleging that the late comedian offered $1 million for someone to kill Paul Mooney for sleeping with Pryor’s son, Richard Jr.”
That bodyguard, Rashon Kahn, is the writer of an upcoming book called Everything Wasn’t Funny, and he shared a rather dark anecdote which he claims was the reason that Pryor and Mooney’s professional relationship and friendship ended. For those unaware Mooney, who still performs to this day, previously co-wrote material for Pryor, and was also the head writer for The Richard Pryor Show.
When asked about their relationship around the time of Pryor’s death in 2005, Kahn alleged that at that point it’d been bad for nearly two decades. “From Jo Jo Dancer [1986] on their relationship became fragile because Paul Mooney had f*cked Richard’s son by that time,” Kahn said. At that point he states that Mooney “violated” Richard which appears to have led several media outlets to inaccurately report that whatever went on between the two was rape, though what Kahn appears to mean is Pryor’s trust because, again, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Callingcame out in ’86, and Richard Jr. was born in 1962.
“So from there on, whatever Paul Mooney was to Richard, and there was a time when Paul Mooney was Richard’s friend (…) so when Paul did what he did it was a violation of friendship, first, and then my son,” Kahn continued. “And in some circles that’s supposed to be dealt with.”
When asked by the interviewer if the subject of retaliation was ever brought up, Kahn replied in the affirmative and stated that it was “to the extent that Richard didn’t want [Mooney] on the planet anymore.”
According to Vibe, “The younger Pryor, now 58 years old, confirmed the story but did not name Mooney. “Whatever happened in my life, it happened when I was young. Way before the ‘80s,” he told TMZ earlier in the week. When asked if the sexual relationship was “consensual” Pryor Jr. replied, “How can any relationship be consensual if I was a teenager?”
He added, “I really have nothing to say at all about the situation.”
Read the full story here and watch the video below of Kahn himself.
Khan also claims that if Paul Mooney accepted himself and “came out” he would have had a bigger career.
