- - Eddie Murphy's Dating History: All About the Comedian's Past Girlfriends and Wives

Stephanie Kaloi, Samantha StutsmanNovember 14, 2025 at 6:30 PM

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Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty ; John Salangsang/Variety via Getty

Nicole Murphy and Eddie Murphy in 1994; Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher in 2023. -

Eddie Murphy dated Whitney Houston before marrying Nicole Murphy in 1993

The couple split after 12 years of marriage and he went on to date Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls

Eddie married Australian model Paige Butcher in 2024

Eddie Murphy's high-profile romances have made headlines for decades.

In the mid-1980s, Murphy dated Whitney Houston before marrying Nicole Murphy (née Mitchell) in 1993. The couple welcomed five children before divorcing 12 years later. The Daddy Day Care star also welcomed children with exes Paulette McNeely, Tamara Hood and Melanie Brown.

These days, Murphy is settled down with his longtime love and wife, Paige Butcher, with whom he married in July 2024 and shares two children. A source previously told PEOPLE in August 2018 that Butcher has a great relationship with Murphy's other kids.

"They are all about family. Paige is very close to Eddie's kids. They are a very special and happy family," the insider said, adding, "They vacation and spend holidays together. Paige loves being a mom and is very involved."

From his long-term relationships to his shorter romances (including his 14-day marriage to producer Tracey Edmonds), here's everything to know about Eddie Murphy's dating history.

Whitney Houston

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection Whitney Houston and Eddie Murphy.

While Houston is closely associated with her ex-husband Bobby Brown, the singer was also in a relationship with Murphy in the mid-1980s.

Her friend Ellen White told PEOPLE that Houston was so enamored with Murphy that she watched his film Coming to America more than once. The two shared something special, per White.

"I watched them once at a party," she recalled. "Eddie came in, cameras were flashing and they just looked at each other and talked and laughed like they were the only two people in the room."

Houston's good friend Robyn Crawford also addressed Murphy and Houston's relationship in her book A Song for You: My Life with Whitney Houston. Crawford wrote that, even as Houston was building a relationship with Brown, "She was more interested in Eddie Murphy, but he was elusive."

Murphy was apparently also invested in Houston. Crawford also wrote that Houston received a phone call from Murphy on the morning of her wedding to Brown.

"[That day,] Eddie Murphy called to say she was making a mistake," she wrote.

Nicole Murphy

Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell.

Murphy met Nicole in 1988, and the two got married in 1993. The couple welcomed five children together: daughters Bria, Shayne, Zola and Bella, as well as son Myles.

In 2005, Nicole filed for divorce from Murphy after 12 years of marriage. However, in August 2012, Nicole said that the two had a good relationship.

"Eddie and I are friends," Nicole told Radar Online after appearing on season 1 of Hollywood Exes. "He's my babies' daddy so we speak to each other and have a great relationship and I think that's important when you have children involved. We can be in the same room and hang out, it's all good!"

In 2016, Murphy and Nicole proved they were friendly exes when they attended the premiere of their daughter Bria's film Amateur Night together.

Paulette McNeely

Murphy started dating Paulette McNeely sometime in 1989, though little is known about their relationship.

On July 10, 1989, the couple welcomed their only child together, a son named Eric, just months before Murphy welcomed his first child with Nicole.

Tamara Hood

Sometime in 1990, Murphy began seeing Tamara Hood, and the pair welcomed a son, Christian, together in November 1990.

While very little is known about Murphy and Hood's relationship, their son Christian has shared photos of him celebrating holidays with Murphy and his half-siblings on Instagram.

Melanie Brown

Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal Mel B.

Murphy dated Brown, aka Mel B of the Spice Girls, in 2006. The two share one child, Angel Iris.

Although Murphy initially disputed Angel's paternity, Brown has always insisted that she and Murphy planned their pregnancy and even intended to get married. Murphy later confirmed his paternity with a DNA test.

"This was a completely planned pregnancy," Brown told Essence in July 2007. "This wasn't some random, 'Oops I fell over and I'm pregnant.' I don't live my life like that ... As soon as I had my IUD removed, we proceeded to get pregnant. It happened quicker than we expected, but it was perfect timing."

In an interview with Larry King, Brown explained that the relationship she and Murphy had shared was real.

"Our relationship may have been brief but it was intense," she said. "We were very much in love and wanted to have a family together. That's that. I mean, we're both tattooed. You don't tattoo somebody's name on your body if it's brief and unimportant, let's put it that way."

While on the press tour for her book Brutally Honest in November 2018, Brown said that Murphy was the love of her life. "He always will be," she added.

Earlier that year, a source told PEOPLE that Murphy is "an amazing father" to Angel, adding that the child accompanied Murphy and his other kids to Hawaii for a vacation.

"They all have a very good relationship,” the insider continued. “He always makes sure to get [his other children] involved with Angel."

Tracey Edmonds

Jason Merritt/FilmMagic Tracey Edmonds and Eddie Murphy.

Murphy and Edmonds, a TV producer, shared an intense relationship and a brief, symbolic marriage before they parted ways. The two got engaged in July 2007, and Murphy's rep told PEOPLE, "Tracey and Eddie are both very much in love and are excited about spending the rest of their lives together."

They walked down the aisle on Jan. 1, 2008, on a private French Polynesian island. Edmonds told PEOPLE that the ceremony almost didn't happen due to rain — but they took advantage of a short break from the downpour.

"It was as if we'd been blessed. We ran to the beach and had just enough time to get married before the raindrops started falling again," she said. "It was simply perfect."

Murphy and Edmonds split only two weeks after their wedding ceremony.

"After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forgo having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," they said in a statement at the time. "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."

Paige Butcher

Kevin Mazur/Getty Eddie Murphy and Paige Butcher.

In 2012, Murphy began dating Butcher, an Australian model. The pair welcomed their first child together, daughter Izzy Oona, on May 3, 2016. In August 2018, a rep for Murphy confirmed that the actor was expecting his 10th child.

A month later, Butcher was seen sporting her baby bump and a large diamond ring while running errands in Los Angeles. A rep for the actor then confirmed to PEOPLE that Murphy and Butcher were engaged. The couple welcomed their second child, son Max Charles, on Nov. 30, 2018.

Murphy and Butcher tied the knot on July 9, 2024, in Anguilla during a small ceremony in front of close family and friends.

Butcher has been seen at several Hollywood events with Murphy. She also appeared in his Netflix documentary, Being Eddie, which premiered on Nov. 12.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”