Eddie Murphy admits the real reason he left the Oscars before losing to ‘Dream Girls’

Eddie Murphy sets the record straight on why he walked out of the 2007 Oscars before losing the Academy Award for best supporting actor.

The 64-year-old actor and comedian received his first Oscar nomination for his performance as James “Thunder” in the 2006 musical drama “Dreamgirls,” which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose and Danny Glover.

Murphy left the event shortly after losing to “Little Miss Sunshine” star Alan Arkin, missing out on Hudson’s win for best supporting actor and performing three songs from “Dreamgirls” that were nominated for best original song.

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Meanwhile, Murphy’s early departure sparked rumors that he was upset over his loss. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, “The Nutty Professor” star addressed this long-standing speculation and clarified why she left the event early.

“What happened was that I was at the Oscars, I lost, people kept coming to me [patting] me on the shoulder,” Murphy told the outlet. “Clint Eastwood came and rubbed my shoulder. And I was like, oh, no, no, I’m not going to be this guy all night. Let’s just go. I didn’t go outside. I was like, I’m not going to be a sympathetic person overnight. “

At the time, Murphy was widely considered a front-runner for the Academy Awards before the ceremony as his role had already earned him a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award and a Critics’ Choice Award. However, Arkin got a late boost with his performance in “Little Miss Sunshine” and got a late boost as the film picked up steam.

In the 2006 comedy, Arkin, who died in 2023 aged 89, played Edwin Hoover, the foul-mouthed grandfather of beauty pageant Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin).

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Murphy recalled that he had predicted Arkin’s victory after previewing “Little Miss Sunshine” months before its release, describing the late actor’s performance in the movie as “very funny.”

Arkin won his first Academy Award for his role in “Little Miss Sunshine.” (Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

“Jeff Katzenberg invited me to see ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ six months before it came out in theaters, and I literally watched the movie and I watched Alan – and I hadn’t been nominated for anything yet – and I watched the movie and I turned to Jeff after that and said, ‘Now that’s playing there’s one of those shows that’s going to steal Ophyr’s”.

“I said those exact words. I said, ‘He can steal someone’s Oscar,’ and he stole mine,” Murphy said with a laugh before adding, “No, I don’t feel like he stole mine.”

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Murphy went on to share the lesson he took from his loss, telling Entertainment Weekly that he believes “winning an Oscar is more of an art than a science.”

“Dreamgirls” also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Jennifer Hudson. (GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s not like oh, you do this, you do that, and you win an Oscar,” he explained. “No, all these intangibles that come with winning: campaigning and your past and what they owe you and —. All those things come into play when you get the Oscars.”

Murphy told the outlet that he believes Arkin checked all the boxes by winning that year.

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“If you add all those things to it, it’s totally deserving of an Oscar for his entire career,” Murphy said. “He’s an amazing player.”

Murphy expressed regret for preparing for and attending award shows but leaving empty-handed. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

In his new Netflix book “Being Eddie,” Murphy expressed his frustration with preparing for award shows and attending only to lose.

“The idea— for me is to dress up and come to something, because I usually don’t go to awards shows,” he said in a film with Entertainment Weekly. “Whenever I lose, I’m like, ‘These moms—they got me down all the way. I might—I’m lost at home. I’m all f—ing in a tuxedo. Stop wasting time.’

Murphy previously called out the Academy for not recognizing Black talent when he presented the award during the 67th annual Academy Awards in 1995.

Murphy recently released his new Netflix documentary, Being Eddie. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)

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“When they came to me, saying they wanted me to present the Best Picture award, my manager came to me and told me that the Academy had chosen me,” Murphy told the crowd. “My first reaction was, ‘No, I’m not going.’ And my boss said, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘I’m not going because they’ve never seen Black people in movies.’ He said, ‘What are you talking about? Black people win Oscars.’

“I probably won’t win an Oscar for saying this, but hey, what the hey,” he said. “Actually, I might not get into trouble because the way it was happening, we would get it almost every 20 years, so we won’t get to 2004. At that time, everything will pass.

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“I want you to know that I will give out this medal, but Black people will not ride the social norms, and we will not show the backers anymore. I want you to be careful.” They said, ‘Okay, it’s done.’ I said, ‘Should I be there?’ He said, ‘Well, you don’t have to get there until about nine or ten o’clock. The last prize of the evening.’

In the film, Murphy shares his opinion on why he never won an Oscar. (Photo by Rich Polk/NBC via Getty Images)

Murphy said his comments may have been the reason he was never awarded an Oscar.

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“The next day, it was like I didn’t say anything,” Murphy recalled in the film. “There were no pictures of me at the Oscars. There were no stories about me. It’s not like I said that. It was like I’m not at the Oscars and I haven’t gotten an Oscar. I haven’t gotten an Oscar yet, man. I’ve done everything. I’ve played everything.”

“I’ve done everything, and I’ve never won an Oscar, but I don’t think it’s because of that,” added Murphy, smiling.