Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor Was 6 When She Met Dad Richard Pryor for First Time, and Kept His Identity Hidden from Students (Exclusive)

**Exploring a Legacy: Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor’s Memoir Unveils Family History**

Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, the daughter of the late iconic comedian Richard Pryor, has embarked on a deeply personal journey with the release of her memoir, *Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Notorious Word, and Me*. At 59 years of age, Stordeur Pryor, who serves as a history professor at Smith College, reflects on her formative years and her relationship with her renowned father amid a complex tapestry of family history.

In a recent interview with PEOPLE, Stordeur Pryor shared her initial reluctance about discussing her connection to Richard Pryor. As a young adult, she tended to guard this part of her identity, not wishing to be defined solely by her father’s fame. “It was like my big reveal,” she explained. “Somebody might tell somebody that they grew up in a cult or whatever their big reveal is. Mine was that I was Richard Pryor’s daughter.”

The journey to public acknowledgment has not been easy for Stordeur Pryor. Met with inquisitive and often intrusive questions about her father and their relationship, she felt an aversion to exposing her private life. “I didn’t like the world’s questions,” she admitted. “Questions like, ‘Were you close? Did you really know him?’ created an uncomfortable dynamic for me.” She expressed disbelief at the curiosity people had regarding her family’s circumstances, indicating an unspoken boundary she had established to shield herself throughout her life.

Richard Pryor’s legacy in the world of comedy is monumental, and his influence remains significant to this day. Stordeur Pryor seeks to engage with this legacy in her memoir, reminding readers of the critical role he played in shaping modern comedy. However, it wasn’t merely her father’s renowned status that inspired her writing; it was also her deep pride in their relationship. Despite her reluctance to openly discuss her heritage, she has never felt ashamed of who he was.

The memoir offers a retrospective examination of not only her father’s life but also the socio-political context he navigated as a Black man in America. “I had cultivated this protective barrier for so long, and I didn’t know how to talk about it,” she reflected. In this new narrative, she confronts those sentiments, drawing connections between her father’s experiences and her own.

This semester, Stordeur Pryor has also introduced a new course at Smith College titled *Richard Pryor’s America*. The course represents a significant shift from her previous approach of maintaining boundaries between her personal and professional lives. Reflecting on her teaching experience, she noted that some of her students, particularly those from African-American backgrounds, were not as familiar with her father’s work as she had expected. “They allowed the course to be messy,” she recalled with a laugh. “I thought, ‘What do you mean you need context?’ This history is part of me.”

The course encouraged students to delve into their own family histories, creatively linking their research to Richard Pryor’s body of work. She found it rewarding to see students make these surprising connections, stating, “It was really beautiful, and I think he would’ve loved that.”

Through her memoir and teaching, Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor is carving a space for herself within her father’s legacy, while simultaneously exploring her own identity. Releasing *Something We Said* not only serves as a personal catharsis but also aims to foster a deeper understanding of Richard Pryor’s influence on comedy and race relations in America.

Her book is now available at various sellers, inviting readers to engage with her family’s history and the wider narrative of an influential figure in American culture. As Stordeur Pryor continues to teach and share her story, she simultaneously weaves her narrative into the rich tapestry of American history, allowing for new interpretations and appreciation of her father’s work.