Eddie Murphy and his ex-wife Nicole Murphy would likely not have a chance at love today if rumors about the Hollywood A-lister becoming a “yes man” are true.
A purportedly well-placed source for Closer Weekly alleges that Eddie has allowed his leading lady of 12 years, model Paige Butcher, to have complete reign over the superstar’s home life. “Paige is calling the shots and Eddie doesn’t seem to mind at all,” claims the source, adding that “he lets her rule.”
The tipster says that the Australian beauty has the 63-year-old “Beverly Hills Cop” star happily under her thumb, which is presumably exactly where he wants to be.
“Paige insists he does his fair share of household chores and doesn’t slink off to hide behind a computer when they want family time … and he just pays for everything and he’s happy to,” the unidentified gossiper reveals. “A happy wife is a happy life is the right slogan for Eddie these days,” they add.
Celebrity Net Worth alleges that with his career spanning more than three decades, the “Saturday Night Live” alum should be worth at least $200 million. The in-the-loop insider also jokes that the stand-up comedy icon’s friends “tease that he’s become a bit of a pansy” and that “nobody ever thought they’d see him be a yes man, but it’s happened. It’s a head-scratcher for his pals, but as long as Eddie’s happy, they are happy.”
Butcher and “The Nutty Professor” have been together since 2012. According to People, after a six-year engagement, the pair tied the knot in a private ceremony in Anguilla that was attended by close friends, the actor’s five children with Nicole, as well as his two younger children that he shares with Butcher.
Eddie Murphy got married pic.twitter.com/1uNdlb2HN2
— Robert Littal BSO (@BSO) July 12, 2024
The Oscar nominee was once one of Tinseltown’s highest paid talents, but these days it seems he focused more on maintaining his title as No. 1 dad and doting husband, which isn’t a bad thing.
“The kids may run amok, but Eddie’s been trained well. Eddie’s settled into domestic life quite pleasantly and wouldn’t dream of changing a thing,” claims the source.
One reaction to the latest claims about the veteran entertainer read, “Only black men insist on giving their fortunes to YT women. Eddie Murphy is in a long line of others.” Another person commented, “The ‘snickering’ pals are probably holdover leeches that Eddie is no longer hanging out with.”
Nonetheless, the easy-going persona depicted by the alleged fly on the wall counters everything that Nicole wants in a man these days. The 56-year-old bombshell recently revealed to Comedy Hype that the only male suitor she is interested in is one who is a dominating force in every room he walks into.
“I always am attracted to an alpha male. I don’t care. He has to be the strong male in the room, he has to be that male that all the other males look up to and want to be, or admire. That’s just my thing. I can’t stand a weak man,” says Nicole. The interview, though unrelated to the narrative of Eddie living a soft life at home, began to attract views as the hearsay about her ex was being spread by The Closer and other media outlets.
For starters, the “Hollywood Exes” alumna describes a weak man as someone that does not fit the build of a go-getter. “I like a man that’s smart, I can take him to the hood, I can take him to White House. I like that type of man. But yeah, I like a strong-minded man,” says the mother of five. “I like a man that I can learn from…It’s so attractive when I see a man that has his stuff together, who’s on point, who’s a strong male figure, who, like I said, people respect and admire. That’s my type of man.”
Her remarks led some to recall Nicole was caught in a kissing scandal in 2019. “Remember when she was having an affair with Lela Rochon’s husband??” wrote one person. Widely circulated photos showed her and director Antoine Fuqua locking lips while poolside in Italy.
Nicole Murphy ( Eddie's ex wife) & Antoine Fuqua director & supposedly married to Lela Rochon for 20 yrs.
— 4Ks1j3Asbc❤️❤️ (@dbow7541) July 23, 2019
She stated she was just greeting a "family friend". I have never greeted any family friend like this. Maybe she didn't know he was married, but HE definitely knew he was. pic.twitter.com/CeNUjirgRW
Fuqua has been married to “Waiting to Exhale” actress Lela Rochon, with whom he shares two college-aged kids, since 1999. Nicole claimed she had no idea about his marriage and that she was not friends with Rochon. Someone else critically wrote, “Her chances at this point in her life are running out she d–n near 60 in the words of Kevin Samuel, she on the clearance rack for sure.”
The internet’s favorite MILF is currently single. Nicole lost her partner of over a year, Warren Braithwaite, in March to cancer.
Since divorcing Eddie, she has never remarried, though she did get close to walking down the aisle before ending her five-year engagement to retired NFL star Michael Strahan in 2014. Butcher marks Eddie’s second exchange of vows.
