He Had Soaring Highs And Crashing Lows
Eddie Murphy was just 19 years old when he almost single-handedly revived Saturday Night Live, which was in ratings freefall. But he was just getting started. In a film and music career spanning 50 years, Murphy had exhilarating highs and embarrassing lows. His personal life is no different. A two-week marriage, a paternity suit, and a scandalous late-night drive in his car all brought Murphy the wrong kind of media attention. And just as he entered his golden years, an ironic twist in his life left fans breathless.
frederic meylan/Sygma via Getty Images
1. His Childhood Took A Dark Turn
Edward Regan Murphy was born in Brooklyn on April 3, 1961. Mom worked for the telephone company, and Dad was an officer for transit. When Murphy was just three years old, his parents divorced. A few years later, Murphy’s dad, who was also an actor and comedian, tragically lost his life at the hands of his lover.
Sadly, more heartache was in store for young Eddie Murphy.
2. They Took Him Away
When Murphy’s mother became ill, no one was on hand to take care of him and his brother Charlie. The boys ended up in foster care while their mother began her long road to recovery. But Murphy was an optimist and later said that his year in foster care developed his humor. Murphy and his brother eventually got their sweet reward. Mom recovered and married a man who worked at an ice cream factory.
With his home life settled, Murphy finally thought about the future. And he thought big.
Tom Koeniges / Newsday LLC, Getty Images
3. He Hit The Stage As A Teenager
At a young age, Eddie Murphy became inspired by comedians like Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby, and decided that doing stand-up comedy was for him. On July 9, 1976, a teenage Murphy started his career. He entered a talent show at the local Youth Center and did an impersonation of Al Green.
It must have been a hit, as the offers started flooding in.
Los Angeles Times, Wikimedia Commons
4. He Kept His Career A Secret
After the success of his Al Green impersonation, Murphy started playing in clubs. He was still in high school, so he had to skip a lot of his classes in order to chase his dream. The truth came out to Murphy’s mother when the end of the school year came around. A stunned Mom found out that Murphy had to attend summer school because he’d missed so many days.
Now, he had to see if all this trouble was all actually worth it.
5. He Was Exactly What They Needed
Working the clubs paid off, and Eddie Murphy soon started turning heads as a performer. Around this same time, NBC’s sketch comedy show, Saturday Night Live, was in a slump. The producer of the show, Lorne Michaels, was walking away due to burnout. They needed someone new, someone fresh.
And when the folks at SNL saw Murphy perform at the Comedy Strip, they saw serious potential.
6. He Blew Them Away
Murphy walked in the door for his SNL audition and wowed them. Murphy’s star power was immediately evident, but SNL was in crisis mode. All they could offer Murphy was a “featured player” position. When Murphy stepped onto the set of Weekend Update as the hilarious basketball player Raheem Abdul Muhammed, it became glaringly obvious. Murphy had earned a place at SNL.
Murphy was a clear hit, but the show was still tanking.
Screenshot from Saturday Night Live, NBCUniversal (1975-)
7. He Survived The Ax
Eddie Murphy joined SNL in its worst season, as neither fans nor critics thought the show was any good. Murphy was certainly helping the show, but still NBC had to do something drastic. At the end of the sixth season, the producer heartlessly fired all the performers—all except Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy. Going into the next season was going to be maximum stress for Murphy.
He had to turn the tables on the downward trajectory of Saturday Night Live.
8. He Was SNL’s Young Savior
Murphy didn’t waste any time. He developed memorable characters like Buckwheat and Gumby. He also did impressions of Bill Cosby and Michael Jackson. The ratings for SNL were certainly rising, and most people thought that Murphy was the reason why. He was barely 20 years old, and he’d saved one of America’s most beloved late-night shows.
He was also hobnobbing with some Hollywood heavyweights.
9. He Got An Indecent Proposal
Eddie Murphy held his 21st birthday party at the notorious Studio 54. He said that at his party, Ten Commandments star Yul Brynner came to him with a proposition. He wanted Murphy to join him and his wife to “party” at their place. Murphy didn’t get what they really wanted, which was something considerably more risqué, and told them no. He later regretted his refusal to party with the King and I and his wife.
It sounded like Murphy was remarkably naïve. Well, not according to his stand-up routine.
Unknown, none visible, Wikimedia Commons
10. He Likes His Curse Words
While still doing SNL, Murphy also found time to make a comedy special. 1983’s Eddie Murphy Delirious was a smash hit. Audiences noticed that Murphy liked to use profanity—a lot. But it didn't hurt his popularity. Not surprisingly, his early successes on SNL and as a stand-up comedian led to a call from Hollywood.
Murphy was ready for his big screen debut.
11. Paramount Wanted Him Gone
Murphy’s first movie was 48 Hrs, a buddy comedy opposite Nick Nolte. Paramount saw the dailies of Murphy’s work and hated it. It looked like Murphy was about to get the ax from his first feature film. Luckily, co-star Nolte and the director fought to keep Murphy in the picture.
As it turned out, the suits at Paramount had no idea what they were talking about.
Screenshot from 48 Hrs., Paramount Pictures (1982)
12. He Proved The Doubters Wrong
To Paramount’s surprise, 48 Hrs ended up being the seventh highest-grossing film of 1982, and most thought it was due to Eddie Murphy and Nolte. The Golden Globes honored Murphy with a nomination for their New Star of the Year award in the acting category. This showed very clearly that Murphy was more than just a stand-up and SNL cast member. He was going to be a bona fide star.
In fact, Murphy was so big, he was in danger.
Screenshot from 48 Hrs., Paramount Pictures (1982)
13. His Fame Put Him In Danger
Eddie Murphy moved on to Trading Places with SNL cast member Dan Akroyd shortly after 48 Hrs reached theaters. Murphy was now so popular that they needed to hire officers for security outside his trailer to keep the fans at bay. Either way, critics loved Murphy in Trading Places, and he received his second nomination for a Golden Globe.
It seemed that Murphy could do no wrong. And then he did.
Screenshot from Trading Places, Paramount Pictures (1983)
14. He Burnt A Bridge
Clearly, SNL had paved the way for Murphy’s rising star. But still, Murphy was ready to leave. Surprisingly, the decision was easy for the young comedian. After four years on the show, Murphy told Rolling Stone that he “can’t wait to leave” and that he “hated” the show.
With those strong words, Murphy went to his next project. This needed to be good.
Allan Tannenbaum, Getty Images
15. He Got Hired To Rescue A Flop
In 1984, British comedic actor Dudley Moore made an action comedy called Best Defense. Preview audiences aired their displeasure with the film, and the producers needed to give it a serious boost. Murphy, whose popularity was soaring, got the job of giving the film a chance at the box office.
So, how do you put an actor into a film that was already in the can?
Screenshot from Best Defense, Paramount Pictures (1984)
16. He Took The Money And Ran
The team making Best Defense created a secondary story for Eddie Murphy that was only marginally related to the main story. As a result, Murphy had no scenes with Moore or any other of the main characters. Basically, Murphy was in his own movie within a movie. The film tanked, and Murphy later called it, “the worst movie ever done in the history of anything”. He said he just did it for the money.
Murphy had been playing second fiddle to other more established actors. Now, he had his chance to grab the spotlight for himself.
Screenshot from Best Defense, Paramount Pictures (1984)
17. He Stepped Into Stallone’s Shoes
Paramount was sitting on a movie that had Sylvester Stallone as its lead, but after the star rewrote a more expensive version of the movie they didn't want, Stallone walked away. They signed Murphy instead, but the script no longer felt right. Stallone had done his rewrites to remove the comedy, and now Murphy had to help the writers make it funny again.
Things seemed set for disaster.
18. He Turned $13 Million Into A Fortune
For its $13 million investment, Paramount received a whopping $316.4 million in box office. Critics raved about Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley—one even compared him to James Cagney. While some critics weren’t quite on board, Murphy showed them all by earning a nomination for a Golden Globe.
People were noticing Murphy, and this had some benefits in the romance department.
Screenshot from Beverly Hills Cop, Paramount Pictures (1984)
19. A Pop Diva Pursued Him
Most of us associate pop icon Whitney Houston with her controversial relationship with Bobby Brown. But around the same time, Houston had designs on Murphy, who apparently, was being elusive. When Houston ultimately decided to marry Brown, Murphy called her the morning of the ceremony. He told her she was making a mistake.
But Murphy had some mistakes of his own to clean up.
PH2 Mark Kettenhofen, Wikimedia Commons
20. His Career Spiralled Downward
Eddie Murphy continued making hit movies until the late 1980s when he hit a wall. Starting in 1989, Murphy began losing the favor of the critics with films like The Distinguished Gentleman. The failed Beverley Hills Cop III did little to help the downward spiral. Critics called his performance “lethargic”. The film received two Golden Raspberry nominations and made it on several worst film of the year lists.
Soon, the man who had directed Murphy in two films would desperately need his help.
Screenshot from The Distinguished Gentleman, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (1992)
21. He Turned His Back On A Friend
John Landis was going to court because of a lethal accident on the set of his film Twilight Zone: The Movie, so he looked to Murphy for help as a character witness. Landis had directed Murphy in Trading Places and saw him as a friend. Murphy blindsided Landis by refusing to go to court and implied at an interview that Landis carried some of the guilt for the gruesome accident.
Next, it would be Murphy who feel a slap in the face.
22. One Joke Made Him Furious
In 1995, David Spade was in a sketch on Saturday Night Live. In the sketch, a picture of Eddie Murphy appeared, and, in an effort to get a laugh, Spade pointed at the picture and said, “Look: a falling star!” After this slight, Murphy refused to attend SNL cast reunions and participate in a documentary about the show.
After Spade’s vicious comment, Murphy knew that he had to reinvent himself.
Allan Tannenbaum, Getty Images
23. He Reinvented Himself
In 1996, Murphy made The Nutty Professor, which was a lot sweeter than most Murphy comedies. This seemingly gave Murphy an idea. He could turn his career around by making films that were more family-friendly. What followed were films like Disney’s Mulan, and Murphy’s ultimate family film character: the donkey in the Shrek franchise of films.
Murphy had found a new image, but hanging on to it would soon be a problem.
24. A Late-Night Drive Made Headlines
In 1997, Eddie Murphy was driving his Toyota Land Cruiser in the wee hours when officers pulled him over. They had apparently been following him since he picked up his passenger, Shalimar Seiuli. Seiuli was in trouble with the law, and officers took her in. Murphy walked away with no charges, but the story was now out there. Seiuli was a trans woman who worked the streets.
Everyone wanted to know how the heck she ended up in Murphy’s car.
25. He Used His Charm On The Media
Following the incident in Murphy’s car, tabloids sensationalized the event with scandalous headlines and photos. At this time, Murphy had a wife, Nicole Mitchell, three kids with her, and two sons from previous relationships.. So this looked bad. Murphy quickly turned on his volumes of charm and spoke to media outlets. What he gave as an excuse defied belief.
Pool ARNAL/GARCIA/PICOT, Getty Images
26. He Had An Unbelievable Explanation
Murphy’s explanation was that he was driving in the middle of the night because of insomnia. He said he picked up Seiuli because he was a good Samaritan, and he liked to help people in need. In fact, he said he was even trying to talk her out of working the streets. It was a nice story.
But almost no one bought it.
27. The Accusations Multiplied
The story about Eddie Murphy and Seiuli was in the news, and it prompted others to come forward. “Dozens of Trans women” came forward and said that they had also had encounters with Murphy. The National Enquirer,and The Globe all ran stories about Murphy’s encounters with Trans women. Murphy’s charm could not fix this.
It was time to lawyer up.
28. He Fought The Press
Murphy went after the tabloids, accusing them of publishing statements about him that were false. But Murphy and his lawyer, Marty Singer, decided these lawsuits were likely going to harm Murphy’s career. They had to change their tactics.
They hired a private investigator to contain the fallout.
29. He Tried To Buy Their Silence
Murphy hired celebrity private investigator Paul Barresi to find the Trans women who were claiming to have had encounters with him. When he located them, he got them to sign an affidavit that recanted their claim against Murphy. He also videotaped them recanting the claims. Of course, these women received money for this, but the highest amount was a measly $15,000.
One person refused to take money to recant her statement.
30. She Told A Very Different Story
Seiuli only spoke to the media once about her encounter with Murphy, who was still saying his encounter with her was innocent. Seiuli said that in the car, Murphy put two $100 bills on her leg and asked her if she was into wearing lingerie. He was also in the middle of asking her what her favorite positions in the bedroom were when the officers stopped them.
Eventually the story faded away. Until a shocking twist caught everyone off guard.
31. The Story Took A Tragic Turn
After her ordeal with Murphy, Seiuli says she began to get ominous messages against her life. They told her to “keep her mouth shut”. On April 22, 1998, Seiuli’s neighbor found her lifeless body, clad only in a towel and underwear, on the sidewalk outside her apartment building. Some speculate that she jumped, and others that she accidentally fell. Of course, some can’t help but conclude that someone pushed her to get her silence.
Murphy somehow survived the scandal, but there was some serious fallout.
32. His Marriage Finally Collapsed
Murphy’ marriage to Mitchell somehow managed to survive the media circus around Murphy’s late night encounter with Seiuli. But the marriage did eventually end in 2006. Mitchell walked away with $15 million dollars, which is up there with the biggest payouts in the history of Hollywood. Some people called it hush money, as Mitchell knew all of Murphy’s secrets. Maybe even the truth about Seiuli.
Either way, what Murphy needed was a successful movie to refocus attention. In Dreamgirls, he found it.
33. He Was An Awards Favorite
Around this same time, Murphy appeared in the musical Dreamgirls, which drew its story loosely from the story of Motown Records. Murphy appeared as James “Thunder” Early and dazzled critics. Soon, awards started pouring in from the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association.
When the Academy came knocking it felt too good to be true,
Screenshot from Dreamgirls, DreamWorks Pictures (2006)
34. He Was An Oscar Grouch
At the Oscars, Murphy was up for Best Supporting Actor along with Dreamgirls co-star Jennifer Hudson. Hudson won hers, but when Murphy’s category came up, he lost out to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine. The moment they announced Arkin as the winner, Murphy made a beeline for the door.
Many thought that Murphy should have won, and they had an interesting theory about why he lost.
35. His Comeback Came With Controversy
After making Dreamgirls, Murphy went back to familiar comic territory with Norbit. Here he played multiple characters in a comedy that one critic called "Racially insensitive, politically incorrect and beyond crude". Some believe that Murphy lost for Dreamgirls because the Academy did not want their award affiliated with such a crass film.
In other news, though, it was time for Murphy to return to what he did best: romantic entanglements.
Screenshot from Norbit, Paramount Pictures (2007)
36. He Had A “Scary” Romance
In 2006, Murphy threw a party at his Hollywood mansion. One of the guests was Mel B, AKA Scary Spice of the Spice Girls. Mel B, whose real name is Brown, later said that for her it was love at first sight. Murphy and Brown quickly started an intense relationship, including tattoos of each other's signature, but the fire burnt out after just nine months.
Murphy walked away, but this was far from over.
Eva Rinaldi from Sydney Australia, Wikimedia Commons
37. His Paternity Denial Cut Deep
On April 3, 2007, Mel B gave birth to her second child. This happened after she and Murphy had separated, but she insisted that Murphy was the father. Murphy wasn’t about to take responsibility for a child that he felt wasn’t his. The thing was, the way Murphy talked about Brown’s claim was a brutal humiliation to Brown.
A shattered Brown appeared to be 100 percent sure, so she gave Murphy a test.
38. He Had Some Explaining To Do
When the DNA test result came back positive, Murphy handed over a paternity settlement of $7 million. He later apologized for the things he’d said about Brown. According to Brown, he even admitted that they had actually planned to have a child together. They’d been madly in love and then it went “wrong, dramatically went wrong”.
But it was too late. He’d already made a very high-profile enemy.
39. He Made A Powerful Enemy
At this time, it would be hard to find a more powerful couple than Victoria and David Beckham. Victoria didn’t like the way Murphy had treated her ex-band mate Scary Spice. She had some serious words for him. Among other unprintable things, Beckham said that she would spit in Murphy’s food.
This would not go unnoticed.
Patrick McMullan, Getty Images
40. He Went Into Hiding
Around the time of his scandal with Mel B, Murphy was cultivating a family-man image. The way he had initially denied paternity of his child didn’t sit well with his more family-friendly fans. A mortified Murphy took this as an opportunity to stay out of the spotlight.
But he couldn't stay out of the spotlight for long.
41. His Forever Marriage Was A Farce
In 2007, Murphy became engaged to television producer Tracey Edmonds. On New Year’s Day, they walked down a sandy “aisle” in Bora Bora. Murphy’s rep made the announcement that the couple was “excited about spending the rest of their lives together”. Two weeks later, the relationship had mysteriously ended. Luckily, the tropical nuptials were “unofficial”.
Back in the world of film, things were just as complicated.
42. He Landed The Gig Of A Lifetime
In 2011, Murphy appeared in Brett Ratner's Tower Heist alongside big names like Ben Stiller and Matthew Broderick. This action comedy gave Murphy’s career a boost. When Ratner got the job of producing that year’s Academy Award Ceremony, he hired Murphy for hosting duties.
It all looked incredibly good until something went horribly wrong.
Screenshot from Tower Heist, Universal Pictures (2011)
43. He Walked Away From The Oscars
Ratner was doing promos for Tower Heist and used some extremely offensive language that targeted gay people. Ratner went on The Howard Stern Show to apologize, but his lack of control over his mouth got him into deeper trouble. When Ratner had no choice but to resign from producing the Oscars, Murphy saw the writing on the wall. He walked away from the coveted gig shortly after Ratner did.
Unfortunately for Murphy, another setback was waiting in the wings.
44. His SNL Comeback Disappointed
In 2015, Murphy returned to a place from his past. He attended the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special. The audience quickly got to their feet to welcome Murphy back to the stage. But the love for Murphy didn’t last. Critics complained that his appearance was too short and didn't have any jokes or characters from his former glory.
It looked like Murphy’s career had finally bottomed out. And then, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, he roared back.
Screenshot from Saturday Night Live, NBCUniversal (1975-)
45. He Raked In The Awards
Near the end of 2019, Murphy got a chance at yet another career resurgence. Murphy took the title role in the biographical comedy-drama Dolemite Is My Name. Murphy’s performance earned the praise of critics and nabbed him various awards, including an AAFCA Award and a Black Reel Award.
Murphy gave his soul to this project, but still, he couldn't give everything.
Screenshot from Dolemite Is My Name, Netflix (2019)
46. There Was One Thing He Wouldn’t Do
For Dolemite Is My Name, Murphy reportedly took a huge pay cut because this project was his passion. But there was one thing he would not do. The script called for Murphy to appear in his birthday suit. While Murphy has a reputation for taking risks, taking off his clothes was not in his wheelhouse. It’s a body double you see in the raw, not the real Murphy.
Maybe Murphy was taking his family-man persona a little too seriously.
Screenshot from Dolemite Is My Name, Netflix (2019)
47. He Has A Very Full House
Murphy has ten children in his life, and they come from five different mothers. In addition to his two kids with Butcher, Murphy had five kids with his first wife, Nicole Mitchell. He had Eric in 1989 with Paulette McNeely, and in a short relationship with Tamara Hood, he had Christian in 1990. There’s also the controversial 2007 pregnancy with Mel B, which resulted in the birth of Angel Iris.
This last one really sent Murphy for a loop.
Christopher Polk, Getty Images
48. The Irony Was Hard To Ignore
Remember, Murphy had spent a lot of time denying that he was the father of Mel B’s child. When the truth came about, Murphy made moves to have a relationship with Angel. Then Angel came out as a Trans man. Some speculate that further difficulty in their relationship stemmed from that revelation, while others, including Mel B, confirm his full support of Angel. But considering his past with trans women, the media seemingly tried to spin a narrative around his own child.
That may help explain why, if Murphy had his way these days, he would just be living the simple life.
MPI99/Bauer-Griffin, Getty Images
49. He Found A Quiet Life
It seems that Murphy has finally settled down. He’s been in a relationship with his current wife since 2012, and they spend a lot of time with his 10 children. Murphy also says that he has become predictable. He compared his life to that of a cat. At any given time of day, his wife and family know which room of the house he’s in.
There’s just one piece missing from his life.
David Livingston, Getty Images
50. He Was Completely Vulnerable
In 2017, Murphy lost his brother Charlie to leukemia, and it hit Murphy hard. In the Netflix documentary, Being Eddie, Murphy talks about missing his brother. He later said that this was a rare moment of complete vulnerability. Something that he has tried to avoid in his 50 years in front of the camera. He just misses him that much.
Screenshot from Being Eddie, Netflix (2025)
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 27
