Eddie Murphy Reveals Why the Oscars Have Eluded Him Since That Critical Speech

If you have ever wondered why Eddie Murphy still doesn’t have an Oscar, he has a theory — and it goes back to a moment only he could pull off: roasting the Academy while standing on its stage.

Murphy revisits his Oscars mic drop in Netflix’s 'Being Eddie'

In his new Netflix documentary, 'Being Eddie', the 'Beverly Hills Cop' legend looks back on the speech he gave while presenting at the 60th Academy Awards in 1988. He says he almost turned down the gig because, in his view at the time, the Academy wasn’t recognizing Black artists. Then he went out and said the quiet part out loud.

'I’ll probably never get an Oscar for saying this…'

Not exactly the kind of line that wins you the room. Murphy says people still stumble on the clip and are surprised he went there on Oscar night — and yeah, he knew it might cost him.

Did it actually cost him? He jokes about it, but the sting is real

Murphy has a single acting nomination to date: Supporting Actor for 'Dreamgirls' in 2007, where he lost to Alan Arkin for 'Little Miss Sunshine'. In the doc, he runs through the résumé — he has, in his words, played everything, done everything — and still doesn’t have the statue. He cracks that he doesn’t really think the speech is the reason, but you can hear the shrug in it.

The morning after: erased from the party

According to Murphy, the immediate response to that 1988 moment was... silence. He remembers waking up the next day to zero photos of him at the ceremony, no coverage, no mention of what he said. His takeaway: it was like he wasn’t even there.

• 1988: While presenting at the 60th Oscars, Murphy says he nearly refused the job over the Academy’s lack of recognition for Black artists and tells the audience he might never get an Oscar for saying so.
• The fallout he recalls: practically no media acknowledgment the next day.
• 2007: Nominated for 'Dreamgirls', loses to Alan Arkin for 'Little Miss Sunshine'.
• Now: In 'Being Eddie', he revisits that speech, the long awards drought, and jokes that the two might not be connected — even if the timing and the vibe suggest otherwise.

It’s classic Murphy: say the thing, take the hit, keep moving. Whether the Academy ever circles back is anyone’s guess, but the doc makes it clear he hasn’t forgotten the moment — and he knows we haven’t either.