Comedian Eddie Murphy has offered fans a look inside his extraordinary Beverly Hills mansion—and his life as a father of 10 children, while looking back on his decadeslong entertainment career, in the new Netflix documentary, “Being Eddie.”
The 64-year-old “Saturday Night Live” alum, whose documentary was released by the streaming giant on Nov. 12, welcomed cameras inside his enormous 32-room megamansion for the project, which was filmed more than 20 years after he completed work on the custom Beverly Hills estate.
In the film, Murphy is seen spending time with his second wife, Paige Butcher, and their two children—Izzy, 9, and Max, 6—inside the home, which is located on a sprawling parcel of land that the comedian purchased for $10 million back in 2001.
The custom dwelling, which is in the exclusive gated community of North Beverly Park, was designed for Murphy by storied architect Richard Landry, who envisioned the layout for the 33,600-square-foot Mediterranean-style villa, which was completed in 2003.
Today, it continues to serve as Murphy’s main residence, offering an array of extravagant amenities, including a full-size indoor bowling alley, a private movie theater, a sport court, and a glittering swimming pool.
Although estimates of the home’s true value vary, some have placed its worth as high as $85 million—a number that outweighs even actor Mark Wahlberg‘s former residence in the same neighborhood, which sold to heiress Paris Hilton for $63.1 million in June.
Murphy’s extravagant abode is a far cry from his very humble upbringing in Brooklyn, NY, where he was raised in public housing by his telephone operator mother, Lillian Laney, and police officer dad, Charles Murphy.
Speaking to People ahead of the release of his Netflix documentary, Murphy opened up about how his childhood shaped his career, particularly the death of his father, who was murdered by a woman he had a relationship with after his split from Lillian.
“I’m sure it affected me a bunch of different ways. There was a lot of trauma, and we’re shaped by that stuff,” he explained.
However, Murphy noted that he was able to turn his life around when his mom remarried, providing him with a stable and solid influence in the form of his stepfather, who pushed him to get his life on the right track.
“By the grace of God, my mother married an amazing, solid man who put all the right s— in me. That’s crucial. It makes a huge difference,” he added.
By the time Murphy reached his teenage years, he was set on a career in comedy. Eventually, he found success in New York’s stand-up comedy clubs, which then led to a role on the famed comedy series “Saturday Night Live.”
After that, Hollywood quickly came calling—offering up an array of roles in major movies like “Beverly Hills Cops,” “The Haunted Mansion,” and “Tower Heist.”
However Murphy’s career has often taken a backseat to his personal life as far as the headlines are concerned, particularly when it comes to his brood of 10 children, who he fathered with five different women.
He shares eldest child Eric with his former girlfriend, Paulette McNeely, and then welcomed five kids—Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, and Bella—with his first wife, Nicole Mitchell.
Murphy also fathered son Christian with ex-partner Tamara Hood and son Angel with former Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown.
He then met Australian model Butcher in 2012 and fathered his two youngest children with her. Murphy and Butcher tied the knot in 2024 after 12 years together.
Murphy noted to People that he never planned to have such a large family; however, he insisted that it is the best thing that has ever happened to him.
“It just happened. I never knew I would have 10 kids, but now it’s the best thing ever. If you can afford that many kids, you should have as many kids as you can afford. That is fun,” he said.
“My children are all decent people. I don’t have one rotten one, and I would like to think that they got some of that from me.”
As for how he has balanced his career with his duties as a father, Murphy said his number one asset throughout his ascent to fame has been his self-confidence.
“My most important blessing is that I love myself. I’ve always loved myself, always been my biggest fan. That’s at the core of all of the decisions that you make. Some people go through their whole lives and get to the end and say, ‘I finally love myself.’ I started out that way,” he said.
“In a business where people come and go, most people don’t get 50 years,” he added.