US actor Eddie Murphy sparks marriage speculation after referring to Paige Butcher as his ‘wife’

Paige Butcher and Eddie Murphy attend the Los Angeles premiere of Netflix's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Photo / Getty Images

Hollywood star Eddie Murphy has sparked speculation he has got married again after referring to Paige Butcher as his “wife”.

The Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F actor has been in a relationship with the 44-year-old beauty since 2012 and they got engaged in 2018, but in a new interview he appeared to suggest he and his partner – the mother of his children Izzy, 8, and 5-year-old son Max – had quietly tied the knot.

Speaking on the New York Times’ The Interview podcast, Eddie confessed to being “so out of touch” with what is considered hip now and wouldn’t be able to recognise younger talent.

The 63-year-old star added: “I used to be so hip, I used to know who everybody was, and now there’s just so much stuff. [I] ask my wife, ‘Who’s this person?’ I don’t even know what’s going on.”

Elsewhere in the interview, The Nutty Professor star also spoke about his TV-watching habits and again called Paige his wife.

He said: “I watch every night at six o’clock when I eat dinner, watch Steve Harvey and Family Feud and on Tuesdays I watch The Masked Singer.

“My wife and I, we watch all those shows with singing competitions and that kind of stuff.”

As well as referring to Paige as his wife, last month Eddie was spotted wearing a large ring on the red carpet for the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F premiere in California.

The Candy Cane Lane actor was previously married to Nicole Mitchell – with whom he has Bria, 34, Myles , 31, Shayne , 29, Zola , 24, and 21-year-old Bella – from 1993 to 2008.

Murphy also has Eric, 34, with Paulette McNeely, Christian, 33, with Tamara Hood, and 17-year-old Angel with Spice Girls singer Mel B.

In 2008, he exchanged vows with Tracey Edmonds in a private ceremony, but two weeks later they announced they had decided against having a legally binding wedding and wanted to remain friends instead.

A spokesperson for the comic has yet to confirm if he has got married.