Nicole Murphy could care less about people who think she should drop her ex-husband Eddie Murphy’s last name. The former couple have been divorced for nearly two decades. They were married for 12 years, between 1993 and 2005, and had welcomed five children together when the model filed for divorce.
Now, nearly two decades after going their separate ways, Nicole insists that only a second chance at true love could persuade her to ditch the famous last name. As for those who feel she should have ditched the surname when the divorce was finalized in 2006, Nicole does not share that sentiment.
“I always said I would drop Murphy if I get remarried,” she told Comedy Hype in a recent interview.
“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,” Nicole said, adding that she had no desire to go through the process of reinstating her maiden name, Mitchell.
Her ex, the “Beverly Hills Cop” franchise star, recently wed his longtime girlfriend, Paige Butcher. The newlyweds are already parents to two young children, bringing Eddie’s total of kids to 10, including the daughter he shares with ex-girlfriend Spice Girls singer Mel B., a.k.a. Scary Spice, his oldest son, Eric, whose mother is Murphy’s ex-girlfriend Paulette McNeely, and a son shared with ex Tamara Hood.
Nicole has yet to remarry, but she did get close to saying “I do” again a decade ago. For six years, she dated former New York Giants player and “GMA” host Michael Strahan. They met in 2007 and were engaged by 2009, however, they never formally solidified wedding plans. In August 2014, they announced their breakup.
Last year, she went public with her boyfriend, Warren Braithwaite, who sadly passed away earlier this year from cancer in March. But the 56-year-old bombshell has not given all hope of finding Mr. Right.
“For now, if I’m ever to get remarried, absolutely I will drop Murphy in a heartbeat. Absolutely, because I think it’s important to take on my husband’s last name, OK. But as far as right now, it’s gonna stay Murphy until I meet that man. Then I’ll change it,” Nicole added with a laugh.
The former “Hollywood Exes” also shared that critics accusing her and other wives of riding the coattails of their famous exes are offering up an opinion that lacks relevancy. “It doesn’t matter,” she said of the criticism. “I earned my name. This is my name. I was married—y’all wasn’t married to him. I was. Ya’ll didn’t give five children. I did. I deserve my name, s—t.”
In the comments of the Comedy Hype YouTube video, someone argued, “Man, the REAL reason she kept it is because it’s more beneficial to keep it, than it is to go back to her Maiden Name, and that’s the straight up FACT OF THE MATTER.”
Eddie Murphy and Nicole Murphy (1995) pic.twitter.com/pPap8RNqYQ
— 247 Live Culture (@247LC) October 4, 2023
A second person who did not buy Nicole’ reasoning wrote, “Let’s be real if Eddie was a fein living out on the streets begging for change like the character he played in ‘trading places’ she would’ve changed that name back in a heartbeat!”
Nicole is in good company when it comes to the women of Hollywood who have elected to move forward with their married names despite divorce. Andrea “Drea” Kelly, ex-wife of disgraced singer R. Kelly, and Torrei Hart, the first wife of comedian Kevin Hart, have both hit back at those critical of their last names.
Drea, the mother of three, told Atlanta Black Star, “I paid for this name in blood, sweat, and tears, literally…And at the end of the day, it’s very odd to me that we live in a society [where] you crucify me for having the last name, but you would not be on my social media and care who I was if I didn’t have the last name.”
Along with Nicole, Drea, also starred on the defunct VH1 reality series “Hollywood Exes.”
As for Torrei, she too feels she has earned the right to keep the Hart last name, in part because she has long credited herself for helping Kevin turn the name into a brand. They were married for eight years when their divorce was finalized in 2011.
“I’ve built a career with this name,” she told the hosts of “The Pettyish Podcast” this year. Furthermore, she explained, “I’ve built a brand around my name, I was there from the beginning. Helping build the brand name Hart.”
The “Me Time” actor has since remarried longtime girlfriend Eniko Hart and welcomed two children, adding on the two kids he shares with Torrei.
