The &34;Being Eddie&34; subject tells EW, his comic peer gave him second thoughts about the speech, but not because of potential controversy. Eddie Murphy says Robin Williams tried to talk him out of critical Oscars speech: 'Why go there?' The &34;Being Eddie&34; subject tells EW, his comic peer gave him second thoughts about the speech, but not because of potential controversy. By Jillian Sederholm Jillian Sederholm Jillian Sederholm is news director at . She has worked at EW for more than eight years.

The "Being Eddie" subject tells EW, his comic peer gave him second thoughts about the speech, but not because of potential controversy.

Eddie Murphy says Robin Williams tried to talk him out of critical Oscars speech: 'Why go there?'

The "Being Eddie" subject tells EW, his comic peer gave him second thoughts about the speech, but not because of potential controversy.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is news director at *. *She has worked at EW for more than eight years. Jillian has previously worked as a reporter, social media editor, and homepage producer at NBC News, Digital First Media, Newsday, and *Random Lengths News.*

EW's editorial guidelines

November 11, 2025 4:48 p.m. ET

Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams at the 1988 Academy Awards. Credit:

- Eddie Murphy gave a sharp speech at the 1988 Oscars about the Academy overlooking Black performers.

- The comedian tells EW fellow comic Robin Williams tried to talk him out of it, worrying it wouldn't come off as funny.

- In Netflix's *Being Eddie *documentary, Murphy laments that the speech did not get more attention at the time.

Before handing out the top prize of the night at the 1988 Oscars, Eddie Murphy took Hollywood to task for overlooking Black stars. It was a speech that another comedy giant tried to talk the *Coming to America *star out of just before he took the podium.

"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 recalls, while speaking to * *about his new Netflix documentary *Being Eddie *(out Wednesday).

It wasn't the speech's hot-button content that made Williams hesitate as much as Murphy's tone in delivering it.

"I was like, 'Oh, you don't think it's funny?' It was more, is it funny? Rather than it's controversial," Murphy explains. "I was trying to be funny and say a little something, but be funny too. Have a little edge to what I said."

Eddie Murphy in 'Being Eddie'.

Courtesy of Netflix

Ultimately, Murphy did make his speech before handing out the Best Picture prize to Bernardo Bertolucci's *The Last Emperor. *

Telling the audience that when his management first extended the Academy's invite to present, he declined. "I'm not going because they haven't recognized Black people in motion pictures," he said in his speech, pointing out that only three performers had won in the Oscars' 60-year history: Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, and Louis Gossett Jr.

"And I'll probably never win an Oscar for saying this, but hey, what the hey, I gotta say it," his speech continued. "Actually, I might not be in any trouble 'cause the way it's been going is about every 20 years we get one, so we ain't due to about 2004. So by that time, this will all be blown over."

His onstage remarks continued as a retelling of his conversation with his manager. "So I came down here to give the award. I said, 'But I just feel that we have to be recognized as a people. I just want you to know I'm gonna give this award, but Black people will not ride the caboose of society, and we will not bring up the rear anymore. And I want you to recognize us.'"**

"I wasn't thinking of the ramifications of it," Murphy tells EW. "I was just trying to be funny in the moment and I wanted what I was saying to be relevant."

In *Being Eddie, *the comic bemoans that his speech did not get the media attention he expected, recalling no headlines about his message the next day.

Eddie Murphy reveals how late brother Charlie led to rare 'totally vulnerable' moment

Todd Bridges recalls Eddie Murphy enlisting Rick James for a baffling drug intervention

Still, perhaps the voting body was paying attention: Two years later, Denzel Washington became the next Black Oscar winner in an acting category for his supporting role in *Glory.***

One thing in Murphy's speech that did come true — for now — is that he did not win an Oscar himself. He was nominated in 2007 for Best Supporting Actor for *Dreamgirls, *which he ultimately lost to Alan Arkin for *Little Miss Sunshine.*

Arsenio Hall and Eddie Murphy in 'Coming to America'.

Paramount/Courtesy Everett

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

*Being Eddie *chronicles the comedian's legendary career, as a teen stand-up who joined the cast of *Saturday Night Live *just out of high school, and experienced a meteoric rise as a leading man in films including *48 Hrs., Trading Places, *and* Beverly Hills Cop. *And just as he did in his Oscars speech, Murphy used his platform to highlight the importance of Black representation in entertainment, often finding himself forced to kick open doors and blaze a trail for others.

Directed by Angus Wall, the documentary features interviews with Murphy and many people who have worked with or been inspired by him, including Arsenio Hall, Brian Grazer, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Tracee Ellis Ross, Tracy Morgan, and more.**

*Being Eddie* premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, Nov. 12. Watch the trailer above.**

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Oscars"

Read More

---

Source: Oscars

Published: November 13, 2025 at 09:38AM on Source: RED MAG

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle