Why Eddie Murphy is Against His Kids Acting Until They Turn 18
Bella Murphy had dreams of coming to set.
The 24-year-old revealed that her father Eddie Murphy—who starred alongside her in the 2021 film Coming 2 America—doesn’t allow his children to join the entertainment business until they become adults.
"I would always ask my dad, 'Can I please be an extra in this movie, please?' He'd always say, 'No,'" she told People in an interview published on May 16. "Because we have a rule that we can't act or work until we're 18 in this industry, so he really wanted me to have a normal childhood, which I'm very appreciative of."
Despite the restrictions her father placed, Bella was still eager to start acting, saying, "That kind of made me even more obsessed with it.”
The Roommates star was inspired after spending her childhood visiting her father on set, as she realized he had “the coolest job ever.” She also credited her older sister Bria Murphy, 36, with paving the way for her to become a performer.
"She wanted to be an actress before I did, and I was doing the younger sister, like 'I'm going to copy you,'” Bella continued. "And then it worked out. It was actually what I wanted to do, so that was cool."
In all, Murphy has 10 children, including Eric Murphy, 36, with Paulette McNeely; Bria, Bella, Myles Mitchell Murphy, 33, Shayne Audra Murphy, 31, and Zola Ivy Murphy, 26, with Nicole Mitchell; Christian Murphy, 35, with Tamara Hood; Angel Iris Murphy Brown, 19, with Melanie “Mel B” Brown; and Izzy Oona Murphy, 10, and Max Charles Murphy, 7, with wife Paige Butcher.
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
And now that she is entering the industry herself, Bella shared that she is learning how to be confident in her abilities, explaining to the outlet, “That's been the big lesson overall with this, just trusting myself, and not getting in my head and psyching myself out about stuff.”
Read on to learn more about the Murphy family…
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Eddie Murphy
Class is in session and the topic is Eddie Murphy's expansive fam.
The Nutty Professor star shares Eric Murphy with ex Paulette McNeely, Bria Murphy, Myles Murphy, Shayne Murphy, Zola Murphy and Bella Murphy with former wife Nicole Murphy, Christian Murphy with ex Tamara Hood, Angel Murphy with ex Mel B, as well as Izzy and Max with wife Paige Butcher.
And while his kids have a wide age range—his youngest and oldest are almost 30 years apart—Eddie said his parenting style hasn't changed that much over the years.
"I've always been the same type of dad," he told Gayle King in a July 2024 interview for CBS Mornings. "I'm just laid back. I'm not the hard disciplinarian. I'm like a cool dad, but I don't let them get away with all kinds of stuff. I've always been there for everything—the little school plays and all that stuff."
Still, the comedian admitted he's not as strict with his youngest kids.
"My new ones, my two little ones, they really have it," he added. "They get to go wild and loud."
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Son Eric Murphy
Born in July 1989, Eric is Eddie's eldest son from his previous relationship with Paulette McNeely.
And while his dad has built a huge career in front of the camera, Eric tends to stay behind it—doing voiceover work for Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate, Megamind Rules! and even some of his father's films.
"People often tell me I sound just like my Dad, and I recently got to put that to the test by doing ADR for him in the new Beverly Hills Cop film," Eric wrote in a July 2024 Instagram post. "The process of ADR, or Automated Dialogue Replacement, is where we re-record dialogue in a studio to enhance audio quality or match lip movements. It was such a fun and incredible experience!"
He also found his costar in life with a little help from dad. Eric and Jasmin Lawrence—the daughter of Eddie's frequent castmate Martin Lawrence—married in May 2025. With, of course, their dads' approvals.
"We thought it was cool," Eddie told CBS Sunday Mornings. "They're both beautiful. They look amazing together. And it's funny, everybody's like, 'What! That baby gonna be funny.'"
The couple announced in February 2026 they are expecting their first baby. Eddie confirmed the arrival of Ari Skye two months later.
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Ex-Wife Nicole Murphy
After meeting at a NAACP Image Awards after-party, Nicole Murphy (née Mitchell) and Eddie wed in 1993.
Together, the Coming to America actor and the model welcomed kids Bria Murphy, Myles Murphy, Shayne Murphy, Zola Murphy and Bella Murphy. And while they filed for divorce in 2005 after 12 years of marriage, they remained on good terms.
"My kids adore their dad, and I'll always have love for Eddie no matter what. That's never gonna go away," Nicole said in a July 2024 interview with HYPE+. "But we're cool. We're good. We're friends."
In fact, she decided to keep her ex's last name—at least for now.
"I always said I would drop Murphy if I get remarried," she continued. "I'm like, 'Listen, I was married to that man for years, OK? I earned my name, I deserve my name, I have five children with that name.' I didn't see any harm in keeping my last name. It doesn't matter...It's a process changing your name."
A star on VH1's Hollywood Exes from 2012 to 2014, Nicole has been in relationships with other famous men besides Eddie. She was also previously engaged to Michael Strahan, but they broke up in 2014 after seven years together.
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Daughter Bria Murphy
Bria is Eddie's oldest daughter with Nicole, born in November 1989 about four months after Eric.
And she's inherited dad's love of acting. In 2024, she made a cameo as a fellow officer in his film Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. In fact, the movie was a full family affair as her husband Michael Xavier was also in the film.
Bria was admittedly a little nervous to take on the role.
"I'm a daddy's girl," she told Entertainment Tonight in June 2024. "So I didn't want to hurt him. I was scared I was gonna pinch him with the cuffs, all of that. But it was a lot of fun. I feel so lucky to be a part of something that's so big and a part of history now."
It wasn't the first time Bria, who's also a painter, had appeared in one of her dad's films as she was also in 2003's Daddy Day Care. Her other acting credits include The Perfect Match, The Game, and Conflict of Interest.
In November 2025, she revealed she and Michael were expecting their first child.
Christian Murphy/Instagram
Son Christian Murphy
Between the births of Bria and Myles with Nicole, Eddie became father to Christian with Tamara Hood in November 1990.
Though Christian keeps a relatively low profile, he's given fans peeks into his private world on Instagram, posting photos of him and his siblings celebrating holidays and attending red carpet events with dad. Alongside a picture of his relatives at the premiere of Eddie's 2016 movie Mr. Church, Christian wrote, "Best looking family in #america."
Instagram / Carly Murphy
Son Myles Murphy
Myles, born in November 1992, is Eddie's youngest son with Nicole. And while he doesn't lead a largely public life, he has made a few red carpet appearances over the years, including at the premieres of his dad's movies Mr. Church, The Nutty Professor and Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.Still, Myles' wife Carly Murphy (they wed in September 2023) has given a few glimpses into their life with daughters Evie (born in July 2019) and Zuri (arriving in October 2024) on Instagram—including sweet moments with their grandfather Eddie.
"She’s calling me Papa," the Shrek star told Vanity Fair in 2020, months after Evie was born. "She can’t talk yet. But that’s what it will be."
ABC/John Fleenor
Daughter Shayne Murphy
If you're a fan of Claim to Fame, then you likely saw Shayne on season two in 2023. And after she was eliminated from ABC's reality competition series, her father sent her a sweet message.
"Shayne, I love you so very much," Eddie, who welcomed his daughter in October 1994 with Nicole, said in a video near the end of the episode, "and I'm so proud of you my baby girl."
And Shayne sent the love right back.
"He is a legendary comedian and entertainer," the contestant said. "But beyond that, he is the best dad in the world."
In addition to being a reality TV star, she produces food and art under her social media account Shayne’s Kitchen.
Instagram / Nicole Murphy
Daughter Zola Murphy
Making her debut on Christmas Eve 1999, Zola has been described by mom Nicole as, "The best Christmas gift I have ever had."
Zola appeared on her mother's show Hollywood Exes along with her sisters Bria, Shayne and Bella. And while she's joined her family on the red carpets over the years, these days, she mostly keeps fans updated on her Instagram account, where she posts about her travel, fashion and more.
Instagram / Nicole Murphy
Daughter Bella Murphy
Like her sister Bria, Bella has also developed a passion for acting and appeared in her dad's 2021 movie Coming 2 America.
And yes, she still had to audition.
"I just wanted to be good," the actress—Eddie and Nicole's youngest born in January 2002—explained in a February 2021 interview with Good Morning America. "I didn't want people to watch it and be like, 'Oh, that must be his daughter 'cause she can't keep up with everyone else.'"
Needless to say, she made her dad proud.
"Your kid could paint something and put it on the refrigerator and your eyes get wet from that," Eddie said on the WTF With Marc Maron podcast. "So imagine going to work and your baby girl is at your job with you and she’s contributing to what’s going on and she’s doing a good job too and she’s got fight scenes and doing all this karate fight scenes. Every day, I was just filled up."
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Ex Mel B
Mel B (Melanie Brown) began dating Eddie in 2006.
"I went for a dinner party at his house, and it was very intense that attraction—and I left actually because it was a bit too much," the Spice Girls alum recalled of their meet-cute on a 2018 episode of Good Morning Britain. "But he’s such a lovely person. He’s all about family, and he’s very just respectful and very old school. And we courted for quite some time before anybody knew."
She thought she told him whe she wanted, what she really, really wanted but...
"After planning our wedding and me getting pregnant (something I believed Eddie wanted very much)," she wrote in her 2018 memoir Brutally Honest. "I had been spectacularly dumped after leaving him for a few days to think about our relationship."
The two broke up by the end of 2006, and she gave birth to their child Angel in April 2007. While Eddie initially questioned the paternity, a DNA test confirmed he was indeed the father.
A huge part of Angel's life, Mel will always hold a place in her heart from Eddie. Asked in 2018 if she still loved him, she told Entertainment Tonight, "Yeah, I always will." Though she's not trying to overstep, adding he's in a committed relationship with "lovely lady" Paige Butcher.
Instagram / Mel B
Child Angel Murphy
"You are so special and so bright and so talented!!" Mel, now married to Rory McPhee, wrote for Angel's 18th birthday in 2025. "I couldn't be prouder of watching you grow and become the person you are but you'll forever be my babyyyy I [hope] you keep chasing [your] dreams and be kind to everyone around you like you always have been my Angel. Love you always."
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Wife Paige Butcher
Four years after making their romance red carpet official, Eddie and Paige welcomed their daughter Izzy in May 2016.
"I love kids, and my kids are the joy of my life," the Saturday Night Live alum said on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show later that year. "I love having nine kids."
However, Eddie was open to growing their family. "I would have 10," he continued, "if Paige is up for it."
Turns out, she was. In November 2018, Eddie and Paige welcomed son Max. "
But don't expect Eddie or Paige, who wed in July 2024, to post photos of their kids on Instagram—mainly because they don't have accounts.
"I had Facebook for about a year, then I moved on to Instagram, got rid of both," the Australian model told Vanity Fair in 2013, "went to Twitter, then eventually got rid of all of them."
The reason?
"I’m in a relationship with a celebrity, so I felt like there’s already enough of me out there," she continued. "I felt like I was giving out too much information. I was giving people too much access. I like to keep as much private as possible now. As you say, people will use anything against you. The more you put out, the more you get back. I just wasn’t using it. And I was really boring. I would just post my volunteer work."
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