Eddie Murphy is a comedic legend. The Coming to America star, who turned 65 on Friday, April 3, is worth some $200 million, per multiple reports.
Throughout his 50 year career, Eddie has starred in over 60 movies, released two stand-up comedy specials, been nominated for an Academy Award, and been the topic of a celebrated documentary.
His career success is not without some hardships. As the Shrek star celebrates his 65th birthday, HELLO! takes a deep dive into what it took to amass his $200 million net worth.
© GettyStarting as a stand-up and joining SNL
From a young age, Eddie was inspired by comedian Richard Pryor. When he was 15, Eddie performed in a talent show and knew what he wanted to do. A few years later, he joined Saturday Night Live and was credited with revitalizing the show.
Eddie was on the late night comedy show for four seasons until 1984. He became wildly popular on the show and leveraged that popularity to a successful career.
In 1987, Eddie's concert film, Eddie Murphy Raw, grossed $50 million. He went on to star in several more films – Trading Places, Coming to America, and Beverly Hills Cop III, for which he made $14.5 million.
© Getty ImagesEddie's partnership with Paramount
After leaving SNL and with his career on the rise, the comedian launched Eddie Murphy Television Enterprises with a deal at Paramount Television. It was reported that his contract was worth some $15 million.
A few years later, Eddie signed an exclusive three-year deal with CBS, although the details of the deal were not made public.
© Getty ImagesShrek bringing in the money
As his career dwindled a bit in the early '90s, Eddie turned to animated films. He voiced Mushu in Disney's 1998 film Mulan. A few years later, in 2001, the comedian voiced Donkey in the animated film Shrek, and in the three following sequels.
Eddie earned approximately $350,000 for voicing Donkey in the first Shrek film. Due to the success of the animated flick, he and his co-stars, Mike Myers and Cameron Diaz, negotiated for higher salaries for the sequel. They reportedly earned $10 million each for Shrek 2.
© @christian_murphy InstagramEddie's financial woes
In 2005, Eddie divorced his first wife, Nicole Murphy. The two met in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show, with Eddie already having two children – Eric and Christian – from previous relationships. The two married in 1993 and went on to have five children together – Bria, 36, Myles, 33, Shayne, 31, Zola, 26, and Bella, 24.
But, after 12 years of marriage, Eddie and Nicole divorced. Through their settlement, Eddie lost some eight figures. The court awarded Nicole a $15 million alimony and, in 2016, it was reported that a con-man, Troy Stratos, conned Eddie's ex out of $10 million.
While dealing with his divorce from Nicole, Eddie began dating Spice Girl Melanie Brown. Shortly after their relationship began, Mel became pregnant and claimed Eddie was the father.
In December 2006, Eddie told RTL Boulevard: "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir." But after Mel gave birth to Angel Iris Murphy Brown, a DNA test confirmed that Eddie was the father.
It's reported that Eddie pays $35,000 in monthly child support to Mel B.
© WireImageEddie's modern career and life
In 2019, Eddie signed a deal with Netflix for $70 million with the understanding that he would release standup specials. In the years since, he has yet to do so, but the comedian did release his documentary, Becoming Eddie.
Eddie is also expected to reprise his role in the Beverly Hills Cop series and as Donkey in Shrek 5, which is set to be released on June 30, 2027.
These days, Eddie lives with his girlfriend, the Australian model Paige Butcher. The couple are parents to Izzy, nine, and Max, seven.
