Monday, 6 August 2007

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Eddie Murphy says he's paid child support to Mel B

Comedian acknowledges paternity of Scary Spice's child

Eddie Murphy acknowledges paternity of Mel B's tot

Just one day after his exes Nicole Murphy and Melanie Brown lunched together, Eddie Murphy spoke out about his 4-month-old daughter with the Spice Girl.

In a statement released by his rep on Friday, the actor says he "acknowledges paternity of the child Angel, and has paid child support to Ms. Brown as well as covering the expenses of her pregnancy."

The statement continues: "Mr. Murphy and Ms. Brown dated very briefly and never made any plans of ANY sort," although Brown told Essence.com that "this was a completely planned pregnancy."

Brown and her lawyer Gloria Allred have accused Murphy of not paying "one penny of child support." They also announced that they had filed a paternity suit against Murphy, who took a DNA test in June, to legally establish him as Angel's father.

In response to Murphy's claims, the Associated Press reports, Allred criticized the actor, saying, "He has not indicated in his statement or to us that he plans to visit the baby."

Brown told PEOPLE in May that she tried contacting Murphy but was unable to reach him and that he had not "seen his daughter" since she was born.

Murphy, who recently proposed to girlfriend Tracey Edmonds, finalized his divorce from Nicole Murphy, with whom he has five children, in April 2006. Brown, who gave birth to Angel Iris on April 3, is seeking sole custody.