Eddie Murphyis revealing the real reason he didn't stick around for the rest of the 2007 Oscars after losing in his category.
The "Beverly Hills Cop" star, 64, in aninterview with Entertainment Weeklylooked back on the Academy Awards ceremony where he lost the best supporting actor award for "Dreamgirls" toAlan Arkinfor "Little Miss Sunshine." At the time, Murphy was reported to have left the Oscars early after his loss, with aTMZ article alleginghe "stormed off" and dubbing him a "sore loser."
Nearly 20 years later, Murphy denied this to Entertainment Weekly, maintaining he actually left because he didn't want to continue receiving sympathy from other stars all night.
"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," he said. "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."
Murphy also told Entertainment Weekly he saw Arkin's Oscar win coming. In fact, he recalled watching "Little Miss Sunshine" for the first time and saying Arkin's performance was "one of those performances that will steal somebody's Oscar," though Murphy clarified, "I don't feel like he stole mine," adding that Arkin, who died in 2023, "totally deserves his Oscar."
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The 2007 Academy Awards took place weeks after the release of Murphy's comedy "Norbit," which received some of the worst reviews of his career. This has led to speculation over the years that this movie being so disliked may have played a role in him losing the Oscar, even though he was nominated for a different film.
Murphy further addressed the 2007 Oscars in his recent Netflix documentary "Being Eddie." In the film, the comedian said he feels frustrated when he loses an award, not because he didn't win but because this means he made the effort to come down to the ceremony for no reason.
Eddie Murphyavoids awards shows because 'everybody's dressed and acting and fake'
"I'm never like, 'Oh, I didn't win,'" he said. "I'm like, 'Hey! Don't make me come down here for nothing.' It's always wonderful to win stuff. But if I don't win … I'm still Eddie in the morning."
Eddie Murphy's friends and family helped celebrate the debut of Netflix's "Being Eddie" during the premiere on Nov. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. The new documentary film on the comedy legend's life is available to stream on Netflix." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
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Paige Butcher and Eddie Murphy" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> See Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence and more stars at the 'Being Eddie' Netflix premiere
Eddie Murphy's friends and family helped celebratethe debut of Netflix's "Being Eddie"during the premiere on Nov. 12, 2025, in Los Angeles.The new documentaryfilm on the comedy legend's life is available to stream on Netflix.
Murphy also discussed his feelings about awards shows in aninterview with USA TODAY.
"That's one of the reasons why I don't go to award shows and stuff, the feeling of being in a room full of famous people who all want win some trophy, that feeling is such a s----- feeling," he said. "Everybody's dressed and acting and fake … just being in a room full of famous people is just a weird − I don't like it."
Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eddie Murphy reveals why he really left the 2007 Oscars early
