It’s safe to say that Eddie Murphy, father of 10, is a big proponent of having children. In fact, he advises in a new interview that others should have as many kids as they can afford, calling the experience of raising such a large family “fun.”
Indeed, the 64-year-old comedian and Oscar-nominated actor spoke with People for a feature published this week in commemoration of the new Netflix doc Being Eddie, directed by Angus Wall. Speaking with the publication about his approach to family life, Murphy, soon to be heard reprising the role of Donkey in a fifth Shrek film, pointed out that he never planned to have this many children.
“I never knew I would have 10 kids, but now it’s the best thing ever,” he said, as seen here. “If you can afford that many kids, you should have as many kids as you can afford. That is fun.”
Murphy also expressed gratitude for the fact that all 10 of his children—which stem from multiple relationships, including two with his current wife, Paige Butcher—are “decent people” with nary a “rotten one” in the whole bunch.
Earlier this year, the comedy superstar expressed a similar sense of gratitude and enthusiasm for his family in a conversation with Speedy Morman for Complex’s 360.
When asked about legacy, Murphy pushed back on the assumption that he would consider his years of success in film and TV to be an example of that in motion.
“My legacy is my children, like, this is what I do to make a living,” he said at the time. “It’s not my legacy at all. My legacy is my children, that I produced these wonderful, well-balanced human beings that I’m proud of that are good people, that are 10 good people. … All my kids are really good people, and that’s my legacy, that I got these great kids that I produced.”
Being Eddie is available on Netflix now. Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jamie Foxx, and more are all featured in the career-spanning doc.
