Eddie Murphy is known for being quite the womanizer in Hollywood,
having been linked to several women, including Mel B of the Spice Girls.
In fact, over the last 30 years, he's had ten children with five different women.
While the actor's first and last marriage never worked out, and technically his second
'marriage' wasn't even legal, his love life has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.
Supermodel Nicole Murphy and Eddie first laid eyes on one another in 1988 at an awards show.
It didn't take long for their romance to kick off,
and they dated seriously for about two years before welcoming their first daughter in 1989.
Just a few years later, the comedian popped the big question to Nicole,
and she said yes. They married and went on to have another four children together.
However, just a few years into his marriage, Eddie was stopped by police in the early hours of the
morning for picking up a transgender prostitute woman at a prostitution spot in West Hollywood.
While police weren't able to find that any illegal activity occurred on Murphy's end,
the sex worker was picked up on an outstanding prostitution warrant.
When the actor was confronted with the scandal, he claimed he was just giving her a ride home.
There's no doubt that Nicole was shaken by her husband's brush with the law,
but whether she bought his excuse of 'giving her a
ride home’ is something that still makes fans scratch their heads.
Unfortunately, their marriage didn't last,
and after 12 years together, the couple called it quits.
"The welfare of our children is our main concern, and their best interest is our first priority,"
The former couple released in a public statement.
This marked Eddie's first and last legal marriage, and it seems to have been a bumpy road to love
ever since then. Following his split from Nicole, the comedian moved on to dating Scary Spice,
Melanie Brown, and in Hollywood's eyes, they seemed destined to be the ultimate
power couple … that is, until things fizzled out and ended up in a courtroom.
Spice Girl singer Mel B claimed that it was 'love at first sight’ and confessed in her 2018 memoir,
Brutally Honest what she remembered: "It was as if a 2,000-volt electric current
had passed between us." She went on to explain she felt like she had known Eddie all her life,
and she was staring her destiny right in the face.
After meeting in 2006 at a Beverly Hills party, the pair fell hard and fast for one another. With
a blossoming and passionate new relationship, Eddie didn't waste any time before offering Mel
to move into his mansion and even chauffeured her around in his Rolls Royce. The Singer declined the
offer to move in, but Eddie gave her a credit card and said it would "make him happy" if she used it.
Despite that, Mel returned the card after a couple of weeks, and as the pair grew more passionate,
she insisted that they did not sleep together until six weeks into their relationship.
After they did spend the night together, Mel shared, "It was like poetry,
every touch, every kiss, every sense out of this world."
Adding that they were both "completely besotted with each other."
Mel admitted that she was truly romantic and wanted nothing more than a good love story.
She felt like what she had with Eddie was real; she wanted him,
and she loved him more than she had ever loved any other man before.
And it seemed that Eddie felt the same way too. In fact,
Mel confessed that the actor had even asked her father for permission
to marry her and admitted that he wanted to start a family with her.
As it turned out, Mel soon fell pregnant, but
sadly their romance quickly took a turn for the worse. In a shocking confession to the press,
Eddie claimed he wasn't even sure he was the father of his then-unborn child.
"I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test.
You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir." The actor shared with reporters.
Mel was shattered; she couldn't believe that the man that she loved would have thought that she
could have been pregnant with another man's child. The Singer later gave birth to Angel,
a beautiful baby girl, in 2007, but Eddie still demanded a paternity test.
So, two months later, Mel announced that Murphy was indeed the father of their child.
"He wishes he never said it, because that baby was planned; we planned that baby together and
we were madly in love and it just went wrong, dramatically went wrong." The Singer shared.
Sadly, the actor didn't choose to bond with Angel until recent years,
and this left Mel heartbroken and furious. In 2020 the Singer dragged Eddie to court after
filing papers to force the actor to declare his income, so she could demand more child support.
Despite the fact that his last relationship ended on a very sour note, Eddie was determined
to continue his search for love. He moved on to dating an American businesswoman, Tracey Edmonds.
After dating for more than a year and seeming head over heels in love,
the couple tied the knot in Bora Bora on New Year's Day in 2008.
However, their honeymoon was anything but romantic.
As soon as the couple had made their vows, there was nothing but non-stop fighting.
A friend close to Tracey revealed that Eddie became very "bossy and physically
intimidating" and insisted his mother accompany them on their honeymoon," claimed the source.
This was ultimately the final straw for Edmonds, who had already compromised so much.
"Eddie started yelling at Tracey in front of people," a wedding guest told the magazine.
"He did it on a few occasions and it was very embarrassing."
They ended things two weeks later, and as it turns out, the wedding had
not even been legally binding in the US. So, technically the marriage didn't even count.
"While the recent symbolic union in Bora Bora was representative of our deep love,
friendship, and respect that we have for one another on a spiritual level,
we have decided to remain friends," they said in a joint statement.
But despite all the drama, Murphy didn't close himself off to relationships, and, at age 51,
he found his match when he began dating Paige Butcher. The pair got together in 2012,
and while enjoying an extended engagement after proposing in 2018,
they've been mastering the art of the blended family. His new fiance had no problem accepting
all of his other children and stepped up to be a loving member of the family. The
couple also welcomed two children together, making Eddie a father of a whopping ten kids.
His kids range in age from 32 to as young as 3 years old. That's a lot of kids,
especially for someone who is as busy as Eddie. But according to the 60-year-old actor,
it's all about finding the right balance — and knowing where his priorities are.
Eddie said he keeps his kids at the "center of everything."
The actor admitted that being there for his kids has meant slowing down his filming schedule,
but it sounds like he doesn't seem to mind one bit — it's a fair trade since he "loves fatherhood."
"I found over and over again and along the way I realized that if you put your children first,
you never make a bad decision," he said.
He also explained that he feels "blessed" with his kids' good personalities.
"I don't have one bad seed. I don't have any like, 'Oh you are the one.' I don't have any of that,"
he joked. "My kids are so great, normal people — and nobody is, like, the Hollywood jerk kid."
Considering the fact that his children all grew up with one of the most famous dads in Hollywood,
we'd definitely say that's a win! It definitely seems like Eddie is dedicated to fatherhood.
Especially if he's willing to sacrifice making movies - and the big paychecks
that come along with them - to be able to spend quality time with his special family.
He might not have been very lucky in love, but as it turns out,
his kids have been the best thing to have come out of his relationships.
Despite Eddie's imperfect relationship track record, he's always put his children first.
"The brightest part of my life is my kids … My world revolves around them." The actor added,
"I do love my family and kids and I love being around them. And I'm always there with them."
And it's not just his kids who get along with his fiancee. Murphy's ex-wife, Nicole,
also has a good relationship with Paige. All three of them came out to celebrate Bria's film,
Amateur Night, and happily posed for photos together.
Eddie Murphy's personal life hasn't been perfect, but the funnyman never gave up on
the potential for love, even after all of his other relationships failed. Murphy embraced
the good that came out of his various relationships — he's called his kids the
"brightest part" of his life, after all — and has been unapologetic in his devotion to his family.