Eddie Murphy Rejected Doing Drugs With Robin Williams and John Belushi: "God was Looking Over Me"

Eddie Murphy has survived the highs and lows of Hollywood stardom for over many years— a feat he attributes not just to luck, but to something bigger guiding him through. A while ago, during a candid reflection on his career in The New York Times podcast, The Interview, Murphy recalled the pivotal moment that probably changed the course of his life— turning down drugs on a fateful night out with comedic legends Robin Williams and John Belushi. He remarked, "Over the years, I trip about that moment because I was really young, and it was so easy to try some coke. I wasn’t taking some moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it."

Back in 1980, Murphy was just 19 years old and fresh on the cast of Saturday Night Live. He recalled, "I remember I was 19, I went to the Blues Bar. It was me, Belushi, and Robin Williams. They started doing coke, and I was like, 'No, I’m cool.' I wasn’t taking some moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it. To not have the desire or the curiosity, I’d say that’s providence. God was looking over me in that moment." Though his decision seemed small at the time, Murphy has reflected over the years on how that one act may saved his life. The consequences of that night soon became all too real. Just two years, later, in 1982, Belushi died of a drug overdose at the age of 33— a tragedy that shocked Hollywood, as noted by Entertainment Weekly.

As per Fox News, Williams, too, struggled with cocaine addiction, but following Belushi’s death and the birth of his first son, he made a vow to quit and turned his life around. Murphy recalled, "There are a bunch of things like that I look back on and be like, ‘Wow.’ And that just reaffirms my faith. I know that God is real. There’s been a bunch of times when I could have wound up crashing and burning…Richard had substance problems and alcohol [problems]. He had all these demons and stuff. We had nothing in common, outside of the fact that we were both funny."

Now, looking back on his nearly four decades in the spotlight, Murphy shared his gratitude to God and the divine intervention guiding him through his rocky career. Despite the temptations and excesses surrounding him, Murphy avoided falling into substance abuse—a rare feat in an industry littered with such pitfalls. Instead, he kept his focus on his craft, becoming one of the most celebrated comedians and actors of his generation.

For Murphy, the night at the Blues Bar served as a wake-up call. Murphy explained, "When you get famous really young, especially a Black artist, it’s like living in a minefield. Any moment, you can step on a mine. Any moment something can happen that can undo everything. But I was oblivious to the fact I was in a minefield…And now, at this age, I can look back and be like, ‘Wow, I came through a minefield [over] 35 years.’ How do you make it through a minefield for 35, 40 years? Something has to be looking over you."