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Eddie Murphy refers to longtime partner Paige Butcher as his 'wife' in interview

1:25
Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross talk holiday traditions, new film 'Candy Cane Lane'
Aude Guerrucci/Reuters
ByMason Leib
July 02, 2024, 6:33 PM

Eddie Murphy referred to his longtime partner Paige Butcher as his "wife" multiple times in a recent podcast interview with the New York Times.

Murphy’s first "wife" reference came early on in the interview, published Saturday, in which Murphy spoke on his career and his new movie "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F." Murphy discussed his current celebrity knowledge, compared to his younger self.

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"I used to know who everybody was. Now, there’s just so much stuff. I ask my wife ‘Who’s this person?’," adding that Butcher would hypothetically respond, "‘Oh that’s so-and-so, the biggest thing in the world,’" said Murphy. Adding, "I don’t even know what’s going on."

The "Coming to America" actor shares two of his 10 children, Max Charles Murphy and Izzy Murphy, with Butcher, an Australian actress.

Eddie Murphy and partner actress Paige Butcher attend Netflix's premiere of "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, June 20, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

Later in the interview, Murphy recalled his nightly television watching schedule. "I watch every night at 6 o’clock, when I eat dinner, I watch Steve Harvey and ‘Family Feud,’ and on Tuesdays I watched the ‘Masked Singer," he said. "We do, my wife and I, we watch all those shows, the singing competitions and that kind of stuff."

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ABC News has reached out to a representative for Murphy for comment on his marital status with Butcher. Murphy was married to his ex-wife Nicole Mitchell from 1993 until 2006,

Murphy recently stepped out on the red carpet for the world premiere of "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" with his family, including Butcher and several of his 10 children.

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The Emmy and Grammy-winning star is reprising his role as Detective Axel Foley in the fourth film in the movie franchise, out July 3, which kicked off in 1984.

Murphy touched on many aspects of his career during the interview including his successful "Beverly Hills Cop" series, idolizing Richard Pryor and his early knack for comedy. He also spoke about not viewing himself as a comedian.

"That's one aspect of who I am, that I'm a comedian, but I see myself as an artist. I'm a super sensitive artist, and I can dabble. I can express myself creatively in a bunch of different ways," he said.

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