Eddie Murphy reflects on his OCD and how he learned to manage it

Eddie Murphy says he’s lived with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) since his childhood.

The comedian, 64, made the admission in his new Netflix documentary Being Eddie, revealing that he first noticed symptoms of OCD as a child growing up in New York.

“I used to have that OCD when I was a kid. I didn’t know what it was,” the Beverly Hills Cop star shared in the documentary. “I’d check the stove in the kitchen to make sure all the gas was off, lie down for a few minutes, then get back up and check again. I did that for about an hour every night.”

Murphy recalled that no one in his family knew about his repetitive behaviours. “Every night. My mother didn’t know. I used to make this goofy sound too, just sitting there watching TV going, ‘uh-mm, uh-mm,’” he recounted.

One night, Murphy saw a news segment about obsessive-compulsive disorder and realised it described him. 

“They were talking about OCD, and I was like, ‘Oh, that’s what I be doing.’ Then they said it was a mental illness, and I thought, ‘Nope, not me,’” he said with a laugh. “I made myself stop. I told myself, ‘I’m not doing that anymore.’”

According to the Mayo Clinic, OCD involves recurring thoughts and fears (obsessions) that drive repetitive behaviours (compulsions), often causing significant distress or disruption to daily life.

Murphy admits the habit hasn’t vanished entirely. “I still check the gas every night,” he said in the film. “But if I catch myself checking twice, I go, ‘No, you’re not starting that again. Go to bed.’”