The Real Reason Eddie Murphy Left the Oscars Early After Losing for ‘Dreamgirls’

Back in 2007, Eddie Murphy made headlines for supposedly storming out of the Oscars after losing Best Supporting Actor to Alan Arkin. Murphy was up for the award for playing James “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls, which he starred in alongside Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Jennifer Hudson. Arkin ended up winning for his portrayal of Edwin Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine. Murphy politely applauded when Arkin’s name was announced, but didn’t stick around for long.

While speaking with Entertainment Weekly in January, Murphy clarified that his early exit that night wasn’t out of anger like many assumed at the time. Furthermore, he insisted that he knew Arkin, whom he called “hysterically funny,” would win an Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine before they were in competition for one. DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg had actually screened the movie for Murphy before either of them was nominated.

“Now that performance right there is one of those performances that will steal somebody’s Oscar,” Murphy remembered telling Katzenberg.

Eddie Murphy Says He Didn’t Storm Out of the Oscars. He Just Didn’t Want to Be ‘That Guy’

As for why he left the Oscars early, Murphy revealed that people kept coming up to him following his loss and patting him on the shoulder out of pity. “Clint Eastwood came and rubbed my shoulder,” he recalled. “And I was like, ‘Oh, no, no, I’m not gonna be this guy all night. Let’s just leave.’” Murphy went on to reiterate that he didn’t storm out; he just didn’t feel like getting everybody’s sympathy for the rest of the evening.

In his recent documentary, Being Eddie, Murphy said that losing any award was a “mindf—k.” The reason, he explained, was that they essentially force you to get dressed up and go to the ceremony for nothing. “Whenever I lose, I’m like, ‘These motherf—kers made me come all the way down.’ I could have f—king lost at home,” Murphy joked. “I’m all in the f—king tuxedo. What a waste of time,” he continued.