Eddie Murphy has one of the most instantly recognizable faces in Hollywood. Whether you know him as part of the cast of the golden age of Saturday Night Live, Prince Akeem from Coming to America, or Professor Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor, Murphy is known the world over for his comedic personas. While his comedy roles might have won him the spotlight, one role is most important to him: dad to his 10 kids. In a recent interview with The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Murphy told of some of the hilarious reactions he gets when people find out that he is the father of 10 kids.
Murphy began having kids when he was 29 years old. His kids’ ages range from 30 to just 1 year old. Murphy also welcomed a grandchild last year. The definition of a blended family, Murphy’s children have 5 different mothers. Paige Butcher, Murphy’s fiancée, is the mother to two of his children, 3-year-old Izzy and 1-year-old Max. Murphy’s ex-wife, Nicole Mitchell Murphy, is the mother of five of his children: 30-year-old Bria, 27-year-old Miles, 25-year-old Shayne, 19-year-old Zola, and 17-year-old Bella. Murphy’s other three children were born of three of his ex-girlfriends. Paulette McNeely is the mother of 30-year-old Eric while Tamara Hood is the mother of 29-year-old Christian. Mel B of the Spice Girls is the mother to Angel, Murphy’s 12-year-old daughter.
During her interview, DeGeneres asked what it’s like to have so many kids. Murphy replied that he loves having such a large family. Murphy also acknowledged that people give him a variety of incredulous responses when they find out that he has so many kids. Looking around the audience, Murphy recognized the funny looks some people had on their faces. Continuing, Murphy feels that reactions to having such a large family differ by gender. Men often look at him like he’s crazy, wondering how much money it takes to raise 10 kids. Women, on the other hand, look at Murphy’s large family as an achievement and something very sexy.
Transitioning into his most recent projects, Murphy and DeGeneres began talking about Dolemite Is My Name. In the biographical comedy film, which is available for streaming on Netflix, Murphy plays 70s blaxploitation filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore. The film was lauded by critics and audiences alike and even generated Oscar buzz for Murphy’s performance. Murphy says that playing such an interesting and dynamic person in Hollywood history was a great honor for him. The actor also talked about the film’s amazing costumes, after which DeGeneres presented him with a suit for Max inspired by his character from the film. Thanking her, Murphy joked that the suit might be too big for Max, but that he could use it on one of his ventriloquist dummies.
Murphy and DeGeneres also talked about the highly anticipated sequel to Coming to America. Since the original is so beloved, Murphy felt that it was important to get the script right for a continuation of the series. Taking their time with the production, Murphy promises that the new film more than meets audience expectations. Addressing his return to Saturday Night Live after 35 years, Murphy felt that it was the right time to return to the iconic series. After watching the show’s 40th Anniversary Special in 2015, Murphy felt a wave of nostalgia for his time at Saturday Night Live and wanted to come back to the series soon after.
