Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell Murphy divorced after 13 years, 1 month of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $15M. See the full timeline.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Mitchell received $15M despite Murphy earning $20M per film at his peak.
Eddie Murphy, the comedian and actor who rose to fame on Saturday Night Live, and Nicole Mitchell, a former model, met in 1988 at a party and began dating. They married on 18 March 1993 in a ceremony in New York. The couple had five children, Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola and Bella. Murphy was one of the highest-paid film stars of the 1980s and 1990s, appearing in Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America and The Nutty Professor.
Murphy's wealth came from a string of box-office hits, starting with 48 Hrs. in 1982, and including Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop and later Shrek, in which he voiced the donkey. He earned large salaries and profit shares. He also earned money from stand-up comedy films such as Delirious and Raw, and from music. Most of his fortune from the 1990s and 2000s was made during the marriage.
The couple married in 1993 and had five children together. In 2005 Nicole announced the separation, and the divorce was finalized in April 2006 after 13 years of marriage. Murphy later had a long relationship with Paige Butcher, with whom he has two children.
The settlement was reported at about $15 million, although the amount was not confirmed. Murphy agreed to pay child support and shared custody of their children. The agreement was reached privately and without a court trial, and the details were not published. The figure should therefore be seen as an estimate drawn from press reports.
The 13-year marriage coincided with Murphy's most lucrative period, and in California his earnings would be divided equally between the spouses. Nicole's role as the mother of a large family was also taken into account. The amount was nonetheless low compared with his income, which suggests that a prenuptial agreement or earlier gifts and property transfers may have shaped the settlement.
Murphy's career continued with the Shrek sequels, Dreamgirls, for which he received an Academy Award nomination, and later projects such as Dolemite Is My Name and the return of Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America. His business interests, including Eddie Murphy Productions, were unaffected by the divorce.
The Murphy case is a mid-sized divorce comparable with the Armstrong case and with Kevin Hart's divorce from Torrei Hart. It stands out for the number of children involved, five in all, and for the media coverage of Murphy's relationships.
Murphy has ten children in total by several partners. He was nominated for an Academy Award for playing James Thunder Early in Dreamgirls. The $15 million figure is a media estimate.
Nicole Mitchell Murphy's reported settlement was about $15 million.
They married in 1993 and divorced in 2006, a marriage of roughly 13 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 5 children.
Reported assets include: New Jersey estate, Beverly Hills property, film royalties.
The 13-year marriage coincided with Murphy's most lucrative period, and in California his earnings would be divided equally between the spouses. Nicole's role as the mother of a large family was also taken into account.