A documentary titled, “I Am Richard Pryor,” debuted on Paramount Network a while back. It is billed as a celebration of “the life and career of the iconic comedian who lifted himself out of poverty to achieve worldwide success.”

The documentary features many clips from Pryor’s comedy specials and acting roles, but the film also dug deep into his upbringing. His past in Peoria, Illinois, which Pryor would only begin discussing openly later in his life, was addressed.

I remember the candid words of Richard Pryor many years ago, in regards to his relationship with a transgender…but more importantly, the details regarding his childhood.

Richard Pryor openly admitted to being with a transgender woman…and after you see the details within this article, you’ll probably have a better understanding about who he was.

Richard Pryor Proudly Admitted Dating A Transgender

The iconic comedian, Richard Pryor Sr. said he tried a relationship with a transgendered man for about two weeks. He said:

“I never kept him a secret. My best friend for instance, knew I was f**king a dude, and a drop-dead gorgeous one at that. I even admitted doing something different was exciting. But after two weeks of being gay, enough was enough and I went back to life as a heterosexual.”

Pryor’s Childhood Sexual Trauma Revealed

Check out what Richard said happened to him as a child (via NY Daily News):

Richard talked about being molested as a boy. He recalled telling his family how a priest had kissed him on the lips, and how his dad and uncle plotted to blackmail the priest by encouraging young Richard to flirt with the reverend on the phone. Pryor’s grandma put an end to that charade. But there was an earlier incident, one where an older man named Hoss forced Richard to have oral sex with him in an alley. “I told no one,” writes Pryor. “Ever.

“Years later, when the superstar went back to Peoria to make “Jo Jo Dancer Your Life Is Calling,” the man showed up at Pryor’s movie trailer with his son. “I was seized by that old sense of fear,” Pryor writes. “The boy was about the same age I’d been when his father raped me. . . . I couldn’t believe it. After preparing a lifetime for this moment, I suddenly had nothing to say.

“Pryor adds that he shook both their hands: “I hoped the boy fared better.

The abuse hardly turned Pryor off sex. Instead, he came to know countless women. Many were hookers. One was a transvestite who looked like Josephine Baker. One night, “I discovered that she was actually a he. For some reason, I didn’t care. . . . But after two weeks of being gay . . . I went back to life as a heterosexual.”

Richard Pryor’s Son Speaks On Being A Gay Part-Time Drag Queen

Meet Richard Pryor Jr., as you can see he is a splitting image of his pops, he’s an actor, singer, comedian, and yes, he says he’s gay and proud of it. There are a lot of similarities between he and his Dad. In an interview with Feast of Fun, this is what Richard Jr. had to say about the how his parents handled him confessing to them that he was gay:

Dad took it well, but Mom freaked out. She was like “Oh where did I go wrong?!!” She thought that it was her fault. I expected it to be the other way around. You always think that people don’t know, but then you tell them and they’re like “Well I already knew.”

So are you saying that your Dad already knew you were gay?
Oh God…how could he not know? One time I had picked up these two hitchhikers and my Mom caught them in the house when I wasn’t there…they were naked and when I got home my Mom called and said “Richard Jr. your Dad wants to speak to you!” Then my Dad just outright asked me, “Are you gay?” and I basically just cried & lied my way out of that one…LOL. This was before I came out, but he knew. I came out and then went back in [got married], and then came out again.

On dressing in drag as his alter ego, “Ivanna Schtup”:

To me it’s performing…anything you do as far as being in front of people…it’s performing, it’s acting. That’s the way I’ve always looked at it. it was never a thing for me like: ‘I wanna be a woman, you know. It was just the thing of me performing and just releasing a lot of things that were inside of me out as far as performance and being very theatrical.

We, at ILoveOldSchoolMusic, like to study the behavioral patterns of the greats of our past. By doing so, we’ll often find that there’s a message and ultimately, a lesson to be learned from the great ones.  Respect to the late, great Richard Pryor; and also to his son, Richard Jr., for sharing their truths with the world.