Eddie Murphy has been married and divorced more than once.
Over the years, Eddie Murphy’s extensive career has made him an entertainer across generations. There is even a federal law named after him — not for his own crime, but for something that his character did on screen.
Additionally, Murphy has fathered numerous children and contributed to multiple charitable projects.
Not everyone is fully aware of the prolific actor and comedian’s relationship history.
Before Eddie Murphy’s first marriage, he became a father
In 1989, Eddie Murphy welcomed his first child, Eric, with Paulette McNeely, who was his girlfriend at the time.
One year later, in 1990, he and then-girlfriend Tamara Hood welcomed his second child, Christian.
However, neither of those women were his first marriage. That came just a few years later, though he met his future wife before Eric was born.
In 1988, Eddie Murphy met Nicole Mitchell. The two would (eventually) enter a long-term relationship.
After first making each other’s acquaintance at that year’s NAACP Image Awards, they hit things off.
Before they tied the knot in March of 1993, Murphy and Mitchell lived together for two years.
Eddie Murphy poses with the Cecil B. Demille Award in the press room during the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023. (Photo Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
That marriage brought Eddie Murphy five children — and his first divorce
Together, Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell share five children.
Those children are Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, and Bella.
In August of 2005, after over 12 years of marriage, Mitchell filed to divorce Murphy. They finalized the divorce in April of 2006. As celebrity divorces go, that was relatively fast.
Eddie Murphy accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award onstage during the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020. (Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
In 2006, Eddie Murphy followed his divorce by dating Mel B — yes, Scary Spice of Spice Girls fame. This is where things take a complex turn.
When Mel B became pregnant, there were questions regarding the paternity. After she gave birth to daughter Angel Iris Murphy Brown on April 3, 2007 (Eddie Murphy’s forty-sixth birthday), her representatives shared that Murphy was the father.
By 2010, reports announced that he was getting to know his daughter. Initially, at least according to Mel B, that bond did not exist.
Eddie Murphy speaks onstage at the Celebration of Black Cinema at Landmark Annex on December 02, 2019. (Photo Credit: Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for the Celebration of Black Cinema)
Then came Eddie Murphy’s second marriage
On January 1, 2008, Eddie Murphy rang in the New Year by marrying producer Tracey Edmonds. Sort of.
About two weeks later, they put out a public statement to describe the ceremony as a “symbolic union.” They emphasized that their relationship was not legally binding, TMZ reported at the time.
And it soon became clear that they resolved to remain friends rather than continue as romantic partners. That must have been a weird January.
Eddie Murphy and partner Australian actress Paige Butcher arrive for the premiere of “Candy Cane Lane” at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California, on November 28, 2023. (Photo Credit: MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)
In 2012, Eddie Murphy began dating Paige Butcher, an Australian model. Four years later, the two welcomed a daughter (Izzy) in May of 2016.
Two years after that, in November of 2018, they welcomed a son (Max). Max’s middle name is Charlie, after Murphy’s late brother.
In September of that year, just two months before Max’s birth, they became engaged to marry. By all accounts, that engagement has yet to end in any of the ways that engagements end — a breakup, death, or marriage.
Eddie Murphy Divorced: His Marriage History with Paige Butcher was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.