Eddie Murphy explains why he left the Oscars after ‘Dreamgirls’ loss

Eddie Murphy is setting the record straight about the reason he left the 2007 Oscars early after 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” Early in the 2006 musical drama “Dreamgirls,” which also starred Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose and Danny Glover.

Murphy left the ceremony shortly after losing to “Little Miss Sunshine” star Alan Arkin, missing Hudson’s win for best supporting actress and his co-stars’ performance of three songs from “Dreamgirls” that were nominated for best original song.

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At the time, Murphy’s early departure sparked rumors that he had walked out in anger due to his loss. During a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, “The Nutty Professor” star addressed the long-standing speculation and clarified why he really left the ceremony early.

“What happened was I was at the Oscars, I had lost, and then people kept coming over to me and kept [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 gonna be this guy all night. Let’s just leave. I didn’t storm out. I was like, I’m not gonna be the sympathy guy all night.”

At the time, Murphy was widely considered the frontrunner for the Academy Award ahead of the ceremony as his role as had previously earned him a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award and a Critics’ Choice Award. However, Arkin gained late momentum for his performance in “Little Miss Sunshine” gained late momentum as the film surged in popularity.

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

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Murphy recalled that he had predicted Arkin’s upset victory after first watching “Little Miss Sunshine” months ahead of its release, describing the late actor’s performance in the movie as “hysterically funny.” 

“Jeff Katzenberg invited me over to see ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ six months before it came out in the theaters, and I literally watched the movie and I watched Alan — and I hadn’t been nominated or anything yet — and I watched the movie and I turned to Jeff afterwards and I said, ‘Now that performance right there is one of those performances that will steal somebody’s Oscar,'” Murphy remembered. 

“I said those exact words. I was like, ‘He could steal somebody’s Oscar,’ then 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 that he took away from his loss, telling Entertainment Weekly that he believes “winning an Oscar is more art than science.”

“It’s not like oh, you do this, and you do that, and you win the Oscar,” he explained. “No, it’s all this intangible stuff that comes with winning: campaigning and your past stuff and what do they owe you and s—. All of that stuff comes into play when you get Oscars.”

Murphy told the outlet that he believed Arkin checked all the boxes for the win that year.

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“When you add all of that stuff into it, he totally deserves his Oscar for his whole career,” Murphy said. “He’s an amazing actor.”

In his new Netflix documentary “Being Eddie,” Murphy expressed his chagrin over getting ready for awards shows and attending only to lose. 

“The mindf— for me is that I get dressed and come to the thing, ‘cause I would usually not go to award shows,” he said in the film per Entertainment Weekly. “Whenever I lose, I’m like, ‘These motherf—ers made me come all the way down. I could have f—ing lost at home. I’m all in the f—ing tuxedo. What a waste of time.'”

Murphy previously called out the Academy for not recognizing Black talent while presenting an award during the 67th annual Academy Awards in 1995.

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“When they came to me, and they said they wanted me to present the award for Best Picture, my manager came to me and told me that the Academy had picked me,” Murphy told the crowd. “My first reaction was to say, ‘No, I ain’t going.’ And my manager said, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘I’m not going because they haven’t recognized Black people in motion pictures.’ And he said, ‘What are you talking about? Black people win Oscars.’”

“I’ll probably never win an Oscar for saying this, but hey, what the hey,” he said. “Actually, I might not get in any trouble because the way it’s been going, about every 20 years we’ve been getting one, so we ain’t due until about 2004. By that time, this will all blow over.

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“I just want you to know I’m going to give this award, but Black people will not ride the caboose of society, and we will not bring up the rear anymore. I want you to recognize us.’ They said, ‘Well fine, it’s done.’ I said, ‘When do I have to be there?’ He said, ‘Well, you don’t have to get there until about nine or 10. It’s the last award of the evening.'”

Murphy said his comments may be the reason he’s never been awarded an Oscar.

“The next day, it was like I didn’t say anything,” Murphy recalled in the documentary. “There were no pictures of me at the Oscars. There was no coverage of me. There was no mention that I said that. It was like I wasn’t at the Oscars and I haven’t gotten an Oscar. I haven’t gotten an Oscar, man. I’ve done everything. I’ve played everything.”

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

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