Eddie Murphy Recalls the Day John Belushi and Robin Williams Allegedly Offered Him Cocaine

Eddie Murphy has alleged that comedians John Belushi and Robin Williams offered him coke in the ’80s – but he refused and is grateful he did.

“I remember when I was 19, I went to the Blues Bar. It was me, Belushi and Robin Williams,” he recalled on The New York Times podcast “The Interview,” published Saturday. “They started doing coke, and I was like, ‘No, I’m cool.’ »

The “Beverly Hills Cop” star, 63, said he turned down their alleged offer because he wasn’t interested in trying the drug.

“I didn’t take any moral stance. I just wasn’t interested in it,” Murphy explained. “Not having the desire or the curiosity, I would say that was providence. God was watching me at that point.”

The “Nutty Professor” star went on to describe the rise and fall of so many stars, including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Belushi and Williams, as “cautionary tales.”

Belushi died of a heroin overdose at the age of 33 in 1982, while Williams committed suicide in 2014 at the age of 63. The King of Pop and the King of Rock’n’Roll also died prematurely and unexpectedly.

“When you become famous at a very young age, especially when you’re a black artist, it’s like living in a minefield. At any moment, something can happen and destroy everything,” Murphy noted to the New York Times. “It felt like this was all happening, and I was totally unaware of it.”

He added: “Today, at this age, I can look back and say, ‘Wow, I walked through a minefield for 35 years.’ How do you survive a minefield for 35, 40 years? You’ve got to have somebody looking out for you.”

Murphy has been in the business for decades, getting his start on “Saturday Night Live” at age 19.

Although he achieved a level of fame that put the world at his fingertips, he confirmed that he never started drinking and only tried weed when he was in his 30s.

In the same Times interview, Murphy opened up about his years-long feud with David Spade, which began after the latter joked that his career was failing during a 1995 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” .

“It was like, ‘Yo, how could you do that?’ My career? Really? A joke about My “Career?” he remembers.

“So I thought it was a low blow. And I thought that was a little racist. »