They were two of the biggest stars of their generation: She was a member of a pop group who changed and shaped a generation with their rallying promises to bring 'Girl Power' to the forefront of the spotlight, and he was one of the defining comedians of the Eighties for his work on Saturday Night Live, and his innovative style of stand-up comedy. Melanie 'Scary Spice' Brown and Eddie Murphy are two notable public figures of the last forty years respectively, but the duo has so much more in common than we're aware. Murphy and Brown dated for nearly a year back in the mid-Aughts, and have a child together, but the duo has chosen to keep the details of their relationship considerably quiet.
The former couple is both familiar with their respective personal lives making headlines over the years, making their decision to keep their brief romance under wraps. However, in recent years more details have emerged about the nine months the pair spent together revealing their relationship was so much more meaningful than an average fling.
Inside Their Tight-Lipped Romance
In 1996, Melanie Brown burst into public consciousness as a member of the Spice Girls. The fab five's debut single Wannabe is a tale of empowerment in less than three minutes; the song's narrator sets her potential suitor straight by informing them exactly what they need to know to gain their heart. Mel B's commitment to navigating love wasn't limited to her band's string of hit singles: The spice girl found love at the height of the group's success and married Jimmy Gulzar in 1998, a back-up dancer for the Spice Girls! The duo had Mel B's first of three children, daughter Phoenix Chi who was born a year later.
Brown's relationship with her dancer husband gradually fizzled, and the couple filed for divorce in 2000. Her post-divorce heartbreak would be relieved when she met a famous actor, familiar with her life of fame in the entertainment industry; Mel's sights were set on Eddie Murphy after their first meeting, at one of Murphy's rather intimate dinner parties. She was quickly taken with Murphy, later describing their first meeting as "Very intense," adding that she fled the party, because "[The attraction] was a bit too much."
From that point on, Brown had an idea for how she wanted her future to unfold, and that future included Murphy. The duo became serious pretty quickly, with rings and babies suddenly at the forefront of the couple's priority list. Murphy was just as captivated with the former Spice Girl to the point where he knew exactly how he wanted to mark the beginning of the rest of their lives together: He asked Brown's late father for permission before popping the question.
Murphy and Brown's picture-perfect vision began taking shape rather quickly. Brown soon found out she was pregnant, and the couple was ecstatic, later describing the couple's elation by revealing they "Jumped around [Murphy's] en-suite bathroom laughing and crying, bursting with the best news ever," according to Entertainment Tonight.
Welcoming Their Angel
The beginning of her relationship with Murphy left Brown feeling "Blissed out," and ready to begin her life alongside the man she would later describe as a "Homebody," who counted family as a big deal.
Mel gave birth to Angel Iris Murphy Brown, with the little girl accidentally arriving on her father's birthday in 2007. Mama Mel was initially a bit hesitant over the idea of bringing her daughter into the world, describing her thought process to Entertainment Tonight as "I was like, is this a joke, on his birthday?"
The reception to Angel's arrival was a bit rocky. A bit earlier, Murphy initially shielded his excitement from the press, icily responding to Brown's announcement of her pregnancy by responding that he wanted proof that Angel was his, mentioning wanting a paternity test to happen.
Tense moments like these seem to help shape the public narrative of Brown and Murphy's relationship, but Brown has insisted several times the nature of their relationship was based upon so much more. Angel grew up with Brown, as she had full custody, and the now-13-year-old hardly saw her father, but now she is making up for lost time. Brown revealed to Entertainment Tonight her daughter has been visiting Murphy "Whenever she wants" since 2016, also spending time with Murphy's fiancee Paige Butcher during the 2018 holiday season.
What Their Relationship Is Like Now
Brown has nothing but positive remarks about her ex-fiance, perhaps she feels determined to change the public's perception surrounding her short relationship with Murphy, frequently mentioned in interviews how meaningful their brief romance really was, despite what fans may think.
She and Murphy see one another on a semi-regular basis as Angel visits her Dad. As time passes and any strife between the duo heals, Brown chooses to look back on her time with Murphy as a monumental relationship in her life, describing her feelings with Murphy with an incredibly bold statement: Brown describes Murphy as being "The love of her life," despite many years and a decade-long marriage, (Brown was married to Stephen Belafonte from 2007 until 2017), since the pair split.
The Spice Girls' debut single once again rings true when the lyrics are applied to the nature of Melanie Brown's relationship with Eddie Murphy now that the pair have healed any old wounds since their split: The pair are proving the iconic refrain from Wannabe can truly ring true, proving no matter what, "Friendship never ends!"