Eddie Murphy Named Spice Baby Daddy

Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown listis Eddie Murphy as father on her daughter's birth certificate despite actor's public challenge to kid's paternity

By Gina Serpe Apr 13, 2007 7:28 PMTags

When it comes to the birth certificate for Melanie Brown's newborn daughter, there's a big blank spot where the child's moniker should be.

But the former Scary Spice has had no trouble listing the baby daddy's name: Eddie Murphy.

This, despite Murphy's very public challenge about the paternity of his ex-girlfriend's child and a near certain DNA battle on the horizon.

"Yes, he is listed as father," the erstwhile Spice Girl's publicist, Nadine Bibi, confirmed to E! News Thursday, adding that the child, who was born Apr. 3 in Santa Monica, remains nameless.

For now, however, Murphy's camp has declined to escalate the already tense situation. The Oscar nominee's publicist, Arnold Robinson, simply said: "We do not comment on Mr. Murphy's personal life."

Murphy and Brown dated for about five months before splitting last fall.

In December, before the 31-year-old British pop star formally announced her pregnancy (which had been rumored for several weeks), Murphy went out of the way to distance himself from the baby.

While making the promotional rounds for Dreamgirls, Murphy snapped when questioned on the rumors by a Dutch telejournalist.

"You're being presumptuous, because we're not together anymore, and we don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test," Murphy said on RTL Boulevard. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir."

Two days after Murphy's remarks, Brown issued a statement of her own, saying she was "upset" and "distressed" by the comments.

"I was astonished what Eddie said," she said. "There is absolutely no question that Eddie is the father."

Murphy, 46, admits to having five children with ex-wife Nicole Mitchell, whom he divorced last April. He hooked up with Brown following the split. If he turns out to be the newborn's child, father and new daughter would share a birthday.

The Girl Power enthusiast, too, has another child, eight-year-old daughter Phoenix Chi, from her defunct marriage to dancer Jimmy Gulzar.