Former Spice Girl Melanie “Mel B” Brown recently opened up about her improved co-parenting relationship with Hollywood actor Eddie Murphy.
The revelation came as a surprise to many who were unaware the pair shared a child or had forgotten about their brief but headline-making romance nearly two decades ago.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, the 49-year-old singer revealed that she and the 64-year-old “Beverly Hills Cop” star have been successfully working together to raise their child, Angel, who celebrated his 18th birthday in April.
The “America’s Got Talent” host explained that rebuilding their relationship took time, especially as she dealt with personal challenges, including PTSD and what she described as coercive control in other relationships.
“I think being in the kind of [situation] that I was in, it was hard for me to step out and have that relationship [with Eddie] flourish,” Mel B stated. “I managed to do it bit by bit.”
The pair’s romance began in 2006, with Brown describing Murphy as the “love of her life” in her 2018 memoir “Brutally Honest.”
Their relationship was short-lived, however, as they split before Angel was born in 2007. What followed was a public paternity dispute that left the Spice Girl facing significant public scrutiny.
The singer recalled the painful period when she was on television, saying, “I was like, hanging my head in shame because people where like, ‘Oh, is that the father or isn’t it?’ I knew what I knew. I had people calling me a gold digger saying I got pregnant on purpose. It was a horrible time.”
After DNA tests confirmed Murphy’s paternity, the relationship between the two stars remained strained for years.
According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Murphy eventually agreed to pay $35,000 monthly in child support for Angel, up from an initial $25,000 after Brown sought an increase in 2020 citing a decline in her earnings.
In her memoir, Brown shared insight into why their relationship ended, suggesting it was about equality and independence.
“If something doesn’t feel right, if it isn’t equal, then what’s the point? Yes, Eddie Murphy’s a massive star. In my eyes — Spice Girls — so am I,” she wrote, adding that she wasn’t willing to give up her career “to be a housewife.”
Today, Brown says their co-parenting relationship has “flourished even more” since she began her healing journey and relocated to Leeds, England.
“Angel is coming over [to Murphy’s house]. They spend time together. They go on holiday together. He has [10] kids and he’s a proper father,” Brown said, referencing Murphy’s other children from various relationships.
According to Brown, Angel has developed interests in “art and Japanese culture,” speaks fluent Japanese, and prefers to stay “very much to himself” rather than seeking the spotlight.
Last year, he traveled to Japan with his girlfriend to embrace the culture he loves.
The revelation about their co-parenting success caught many social media users by surprise, with many expressing shock at learning about their past relationship and shared child.
When The Shade Room posted the “Wannabe” singer’s comments, their followers weighed in.
“I didn’t know these two even knew each other,” one person commented.
Another expressed disbelief, writing, “Eddie and A Spice girl HAD a BABY ???? WHAT.”
Some commenters found humor in their own surprise: “Lmao me acting shocked that I didn’t know they had a kid together as if these ppl aren’t older than my own mama!”
Others speculated about the timing of Brown’s positive comments, with one person suggesting, “It ‘flourished’ because he ain’t gotta cut that BIG ASS child support check anymore.. Eddie, you ain’t slick!”
A similar sentiment was shared by another who wrote, “She just trying to be nice now he doesn’t have to pay child support, the girl/boy is 18 she thinks she slick.”
Despite these cynical reactions, Brown’s recent comments suggest the two stars have genuinely moved past their turbulent history for the benefit of their child.
The singer, who is also mother to daughters Phoenix, 26, and Madison, 13, is currently engaged to hairstylist Rory McPhee, while Murphy is married to Paige Butcher, with whom he shares two young children.
