Eddie Murphy has shed light on his infamous exit at the 2007 Academy Awards after losing in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as James ‘Thunder’ Early in Dreamgirls.

His fellow nominees that year included Mark Wahlberg for The Departed, Jackie Earle Haley for Little Children, Djimon Hounsou for Blood Diamond and Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine, with the latter walking away with the win.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Murphy clarified that he didn’t leave out of spite or disappointment, but because several of his fellow attendees felt bad for him.

“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,” Murphy explained. “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 went on to recall seeing an early screening of Little Miss Sunshine and instantly predicting Arkin’s Oscar win. “Jeff Katzenberg invited me over to see Little Miss Sunshine six months before it came out in the theaters,” he said.

“I literally watched the movie and I watched Alan – and I hadn’t been nominated or anything yet – and I watched the movie and I turned to Jeff afterwards and I said, ‘Now that performance right there is one of those performances that will steal somebody’s Oscar.’ I said those exact words,

“I was like, ‘He could steal somebody’s Oscar,” he laughed, joking: “Then he stole mine.”

As for Murphy’s upcoming projects, it was announced last year that Shrek 5 will no longer be premiering in 2026.

Back in 2024, DreamWorks surprised fans by announcing Shrek 5, which originally came with a premiere date of July 1, 2026 and was meant to arrive in time for the franchise’s 25th anniversary. The company also announced that the film will see the return of franchise leads Murphy, Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz. Zendaya joins the voice cast as Shrek and Fiona’s daughter.

Shortly after, the film was postponed to December 23, 2026. Now, however, it has been confirmed that the film is scheduled to arrive on June 30, 2027.

A reason for the delay has not been shared. News of the delay came just weeks after it was revealed that a Donkey-focused spin-off is in the works, according to Murphy.