Eddie Murphy Believes He Was Blacklisted by the Academy After Talking About Racism at the 1988 Oscars

Eddie Murphy believes the Academy blacklisted him because of a topical speech he once made at the Oscars. 

In the new Netflix documentary Being Eddie, which follows the legendary comedian’s life and decades-long career, Murphy, 64, recalls the time he presented the Oscar for best motion picture at the 60th Academy Awards in 1988. 

“Every now and then, somebody will see it and be like, ‘Wow. Eddie was talking s—- at the Oscars way back then?’ ” Murphy says. “I even said right before, I said, ‘I’ll probably never get an Oscar for saying this….’ And I went…. I went and did it.” 

During his speech, Murphy told the audience he initially wanted to turn down the role of presenter for the biggest award of the night. 

“My first reaction was to say, ‘No, I ain’t going,’ ” Murphy says in a clip from the 1988 award show. “ ‘I’m not going because they haven’t recognized Black people in the motion pictures.’ ”

Murphy points out the discrepancies in how many Black actors were recognized for their talents by the Academy in comparison to their White counterparts. “I’ll probably never win an Oscar for saying this, but hey, what the hey, I got to say it.…”

“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,” Murphy said.

Though Murphy was nominated for best supporting actor in 2007 for his portrayal of James “Thunder” Early in Dreamgirls, he lost to Little Miss Sunshine‘s Alan Arkin.

“I haven’t gotten an Oscar, and I’ve done everything. I’ve played everything and done everything. And I haven’t gotten an Oscar,” Murphy says in the documentary. 

“But I don’t think it’s because of that,” he jokingly adds.

Murphy recalls the day after the 1988 Oscars, saying, “The next day it was like I didn’t say anything. 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.”

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Murphy revealed that fellow comedian Robin Williams tried to talk him out of bringing up race at the Oscars. 

“I remember being with Robin Williams backstage. I was like, ‘I’m gonna say this.’ And he goes to me, like, ‘But why go there?’ ” Murphy recalled. 

“I was trying to be funny and say a little something, but be funny too. Have a little edge to what I said.” 

Being Eddie is directed by two-time Academy Award winner Angus Wall and features appearances from an A-list group of comedians, producers and actors. Aresenio Hall, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, Jerry Seinfeld, Kenan Thompson, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Tracee Ellis Ross and Tracy Morgan are among the star-studded list. 

The documentary celebrates Murphy “and his nearly 50-year career that’s seen him break barriers, invent genres and inspire generations of talent,” the synopsis says. 

Being Eddie is now streaming on Netflix.