Melanie Brown and Nicole Murphy meet for lunch

Singer Melanie Brown, 32, and her daughter Angel Iris, 4 months, met Nicole Murphy, 39, and her daughter Bella Zahra, 5, for lunch at the Ivy earlier today — allowing the sisters a chance to meet. Nicole divorced Eddie Murphy in 2006, while Melanie is currently planning a child support case against him.

More photos (Nicole holding Angel, Melanie talking to Bella) at Perez Hilton; as well as at The Daily Mail.

Photos by Splash News, splashnews.com, splashnewsonline.com; Flynet

Angel is wearing socks by Target’s Circo brand (unavailable online).

She rides in a Peg Perego Prima Viaggio SIP car seat ($220).

Click below for more.

Comments

I have to say I don’t know much about Nicole Murphy but her meeting with Melanie and introducing one of her children to her new sibling is very impressive. Good for them!!

- Isabel on August 2nd, 2007

i love bella’s outfit (with matching shoes). where from?

- Cindy on August 2nd, 2007

Oh wow, VERY big of Nicole to do that. I’m always impressed when women can put the cattiness aside and stand up for each other. Eddie better watch his back, one ticked off ex is bad enough, two supporting each other is dangerous.

- Grayson's Girl on August 2nd, 2007

I think Angel’s infant seat is from Peg Perego with side impact protection. Included is some kind of cover.

- jen on August 2nd, 2007

She is a gorgeous baby…. he has no idea what hes missing out on…. Her seat is a peg perego primo viaggio SIP- is 219.00- I own the same one.

- stephanie on August 2nd, 2007

It’s Prima Viaggio SIP. Baby Universe has them in different colors. We have one in the rose(pink) that I ordered last May for my daughter that was born in August 2006. It is a pretty heavy seat but its a good brand and a safe seat. We’ve since switched to the Britax Boulevard in Shannon print. Also this seat is available at Elite Car Seats.

- jen on August 2nd, 2007

As much as I dislike Eddie Murphy, I don’t think the meeting between Nicole & Melanie was a true sibling-greet, but more of a publicity event. I’m not impressed. Eddie needs to support every single one of his children, but those kids don’t need to be paraded in public in an effort to embarrass him.

- madam pince on August 2nd, 2007

OMG! Bella looks just like Eddie! Mini me! hehe

- mrsb on August 2nd, 2007

Madam pince I agree, looks like a publicity stunt. They could have met up anywhere, but everybody knows the ivy is where all celebrities go and the paparazzi is always there taking pics. As for the girls, they both look so much like Eddie, especially Bella.

- gabriella on August 2nd, 2007

Madam pince- Why on Earth do you think this was a publicity stunt? I mean, they were meeting for lunch, for goodness sake! As far as I know, tons of mothers and their kids meet for lunch, and nobody says they are “parading” their kids around. Oh, that’s right. Mel and Nicole are celebs, so of course when THEY meet for lunch, they are “parading their kids around”.

- Annoyomus on August 2nd, 2007

That is so great! Kudos to Nicole for taking the high road instead of Eddy Murphy (and they say WOMEN are catty).

- Maya on August 3rd, 2007

the added cover is a no-no, but otherwise, this looks like a perfectly used seat… all straps snug, chest clip proper… with 80 or more percent of carseats having misuse… I commend Melanie for learning to use her seat correctly!

And it’s great that both moms are working to make sure their children get to know their siblings!

- Kat on August 3rd, 2007

hmm..sounds good..but why would you go to the Ivy? Sounds like a lot of it’s for publicity. Although it’s good they met.

- me on August 3rd, 2007

Madam pince I totally agree with you.

- sil on August 3rd, 2007

I think it’s great that they met up. Not only do the siblings get to meet but it’s a big “Screw you!” to Eddie Murphy that even his ex-wife is supporting Mel in the custody suit.

- Lorus on August 3rd, 2007

I am afraid I have to agree with madam pince. I am a huge fan of Melanie and while I’m sure the two women had a lot to share and discuss, I’m not sure The Ivy (notorious for the throngs of paparazzi) was the best place for this ‘meeting’. However, I agree that it is incredibly big of Nicole to form a relationship of sorts with her ex husband’s former lover.

- Milla on August 3rd, 2007

i agree with madam pince. using child to embarass his father – that was low

- may on August 3rd, 2007

Even though the guy acts like a total JERK… He sure does make some BEAUTIFUL children!!

- Alicia on August 3rd, 2007

To read that Nicole Murphy and Melanie met for lunch so their kids could meet speaks volumes about these women. Obviously, we don’t know them personally; but I admire the fact they realize how important it is for the kids to know each other!! While, I’m a big fan of Eddie Murphy, I’m not a fan of his actions lately toward his baby. Anyhoo, bravo to the ladies for handling the situation with class!!!

- Giovanna on August 3rd, 2007

Is Nicole conspiring against Eddie too? Why else meet at the Ivy of all places? Eddie’s been a major jerk for the way he’s behaved towards Melanie but couldn’t these ladies have done this in private? It’s like they’re sending a message to him.

- Lissette on August 3rd, 2007

IMHO I think it was probably Melanie’s lawyer, Gloria Allrad (sp?) who told Mel & Nic to have their sibling meet up at the Ivy. I think it’s great that Nicole & Melanie were mature enough to even meet up like that, and I can really see them potentially creating problems for Eddie if they so desired to. Yeah he better support his kids, all of them, for sure.

- Autumn on August 3rd, 2007

(On Perez Hilton) Mel. B. looks great for just having the baby. As for a publicity stunt, Mel is still trying to get Eddie to pay child support, so this is probably a message being directed toward him.

- Jillian on August 3rd, 2007

I am sure it was a “can I get some advice about Eddie” meeting, or a team-up. (C’mon girls, we ALL complain about our ex-es, what better person to complain with than someone who shares the same one? To say it was just an excuse for Angel to meet her sister is bull, for one thing, Melanie has another kid so it’s not like Angel is an old child with no sibs. For another, doesn’t eddie have like five other kids with Nicole? Where are any of them to meet their sister?

- jenny on August 3rd, 2007

madam prince, I completely agree with you. I think it’s very obvious that Melanie is loving the attention she’s getting regarding this paternity battle and taking every chance she can to milk it.

“Why on Earth do you think this was a publicity stunt? I mean, they were meeting for lunch, for goodness sake! As far as I know, tons of mothers and their kids meet for lunch, and nobody says they are “parading” their kids around. Oh, that’s right. Mel and Nicole are celebs, so of course when THEY meet for lunch, they are “parading their kids around”.”

Anonymous, could you try to gain some knowledge concerning what you’re discussing before snapping peoples’ heads off? Everyone knows that The Ivy is a haven for paparazzi. People don’t go to The Ivy for a meal-they go to be photographed. Nicole and Melanie could have chosen to have their kids meet at any other of the countless restaurants in LA, even meet privately at their homes, yet they chose to have the meeting in the most public, photographed restaurant in LA with throngs of paparazzi to capture what should have been a very intimate event.

I think Melanie’s taking the “woman scorned” act too far in order to further attention for herself, and it is very low-rent imo.

- Lauren on August 3rd, 2007

Publicity stunt or not…hell hath no fury like a woman scorned! And Eddie has 2 on his behind!! Look out Eddie because it looks like you are going to be served for dinner!

- brass on August 3rd, 2007

This is a great move! I knew I wasn’t the only one who has a family where all of the Daddys ex wives get along. My dad split 12 years ago and left behind 7 kids and 3 ex wives, all the wives have been best friends ever since and co parent each others kids…My dad would be in shock! Eddie better watch out!!

- corky on August 3rd, 2007

If Madam Prince didnt post that comment none of you bloggers would be thinking that way. The only reason you feel that it is a publicity stunt is because your following what madam prince said. Think for yourselves

I think it was very nice for the two sisters to meet. You guys shouldnt turn something nice into something bad.

- eyehartjj on August 3rd, 2007

Unity at it’s finest!!! Bravo to the ladies for coming together regardless of the intentions. Nobody has to make Eddie Murphy look like a jerk he’s taking care of that all on his own. That fact that Nicole was married to Eddie for 12 years, I would bet that she knows a lot more about how he operates than is fiancé, Tracey Edmonds. Eddie needs a wake up call and this maybe it. I also do suspect that there’s a lot more to this story than we may ever hear. Children should know all their siblings.

- meelae on August 3rd, 2007

Eddie Murphy sure does get some pretty women.

I agree with madam prince….somebody is trying to send a big message.

- PSB on August 3rd, 2007

bella’s dress is soooo pretty!

- Bella Mama on August 3rd, 2007

Are you some you naive or what? Some women trap men to get their money. Melanie claimed that she planned to have a baby with Eddie after a few months of dating. Did Eddie know about this planned event? Let’s be fair now. And speaking of fair, people need to cut out with the bad comments about Tracey Edmonds. She didn’t still Eddie from anyone as he wasn’t married at the time.

As much as people keep saying that they don’t like Eddie, you also need to see how Melanie took part in this situation as well. How did she think that she could get a real commitment out of him since she started dating him just a few weeks or months after his divorce became final? In my book, she is just as guilty as Eddie. She probably still wants him back. I just hope that they BOTH will start making better decisions for the best interest of their daughter.

Sarah’s note: Whatever the case may be, we do have to remember that Melanie has no need for money. She’s a millionaire many times over from the Spice Girls.

- Leila on August 3rd, 2007

Editor thank you for that note about Melanie having her own money. Good point. However, many of your readers happen to be unaware that Tracey Edmonds is not just the ex-wife of singer/producer Babyface.

She is a graduate of Stanford University and is the president of Edmonds Entertainment. She’s not a lightweight; she’s an intellectual. Her former company YabYum, the record and entertainment company, had singer Jon B. on its roster. And she is a movie and tv exec with Soul Food the movie and tv show under her belt. She works on a few other reality shows on cable tv. So people need to give her the proper due as well as far as having her own money. Sometimes the mainstream isn’t as privy to that.

But also, please note that Eddie Murphy has been in the entertainment business much longer than Melanie Brown, Nicole Murphy, and Tracey Edmonds. He was on Saturday Night live a long time ago and has made several top movies. He much more money than Melanie. She has to share her money with the Spice Girls. So people will have to face it and know that he is a target by women who want his money. These are facts that I have stated that can be found.

- Leila on August 3rd, 2007

Leila,

Why on Earth would Mel need money or have to lie about the fact that Angel was planned? It is very conceivable that Mel and Eddie did fall in love very quickly and thought that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. You can fall into love so quickly that it’s unreal. Mel doesn’t need the money as Sarah pointed out, nor does she need the fame. The Spice Girls gave her that ten fold. As for planning a baby, I honestly believe that Angel was wanted by both Eddie and Mel, or at least Eddie said he wanted a baby. Maybe he didn’t think they would get pregnant so quickly, and when they did it freaked him out and that’s why we left. We cannot begin to speculate what really transpired behind the scenes, except for the fact that Mel was completely off-guard when Eddie dumped her on a German television program.

Mel has not been in the spotlight as much as the rest of the Girls were, and I think that’s where she wanted to be. She even said that she lived a relatively normal life and didn’t have the need for security and that she didn’t have throngs of paps chasing her, like Posh did. Eddie thrusted her into this position and if I were her, I would be using every opportunity to throw it back in his face and get him to stop this madness. Meeting at the Ivy was more than likely a strategic move so that Eddie can see the mothers of his children aren’t going to stand for his loutish behaviour.

Personally, I think that people have the right to rag on Tracey Edmonds at least a little bit. To be with a man who publicly dumped his pregnant girlfriend on television, go on to claim that the child isn’t his, and refuse to have anything to do with it…well, that’s just stupid. I would be so freaking scared that the same thing would happen to me and any future children that I may or may not have with the man. I think Tracey is the one who is seeking the publicity. It’s hard to imagine what desirable traits Eddie seems to have and I think Tracey is there to get her name out since Eddie is much more high-profile than Babyface.

- Devon on August 3rd, 2007

“‘m always impressed when women can put the cattiness aside and stand up for each other. “

grayson’s girl, who said there was even any cattiness to begin with? let’s drop the patriarchal stereotypes about women. nicole and melanie seem to be two good women, and good on them for introducing the kids to each other.

- sinclair on August 3rd, 2007

Oops. I apologize for my typo at the end of my last message. But basically, I was saying that Eddie has more money than all of them. Melanie has a few millions of dollars. Eddie has that amount plus much more. It just seems like any time the subject of Melanie and their baby comes up, people immediately bash him when both Melanie and Eddie made lesss than stellar decisions. They need to both focus on what’s in the baby’s best interest.

- Leila on August 3rd, 2007

The Ivy is for publicity, no ifs ands or buts.

How cute is Angel in her Target socks? And Bella’s dress and flip flops, super cute, totally Eddie’s mini-me.

- Ruby on August 3rd, 2007

Good for them! Not every woman who gets pregnant and then they break up wants the man back. When will this myth ever die? A few women do that but I doubt someone as wealthy as Mel B. would do that.Did anyone ever think that maybe*gasp* she wanted to have a baby to love.Not everyone just wants to have one kid.

- Renee on August 3rd, 2007

“If Madam Prince didnt post that comment none of you bloggers would be thinking that way. The only reason you feel that it is a publicity stunt is because your following what madam prince said. Think for yourselves ”

………………………….
I do think for myself, but if I read a comment that’s exactly what I was going to post, is better to just say that I agree instead of repeating the same words…and well, since for me is kind of difficult to express myself in english, is easier if someone else post my idea in a better english

- sil on August 3rd, 2007

There’s nothing wrong with a little baby mama powwow and there’s certainly nothing wrong with the sibs meeting.

- Acinom#1 on August 3rd, 2007

There is video footage of them entering and leaving the resturaunt on TMZ. Photographers where everywhere. First I have to say, why anyone would want to purposefully subject themselves to that is beyond me. But I don’t know their motives, and I won’t assume or judge. I think that they knew exactly what they were doing by meeting in a public place where they knew the pap would be swarming. But as many have said, maybe they wanted to send Eddie a message and that was one sure way to get it across loud and clear. And if I was the ex-wife and was watching all this unfold, I wonder if I would reach out like Nicole did. Assuming her intentions were good, I too applaud her for reaching out. In the video she is telling Mel B good luck. Again, good for her. I will say though that I’m getting tired of reading about this. I really hope that Eddie will man up and take care of his responsibilities. Whether he truly wanted this child or not, she is here. And she deserves to feel that her father wants her now. So I hope the next thing we read about is him proving that to her.

- Destiny on August 3rd, 2007

I think it’s great that some of Eddie’s kids with his ex wife got to meet their half-sister. Now, if only Eddie would acknowledge and pay child support for his youngest daughter. I feel sorry for Angel because when she grows up she will probably be able to pull up the archives of all of these old news stories surrounding her birth and see how her father has acted, even after it came out that he is indeed her dad.

- Janet on August 3rd, 2007

Everytime I hear about a guy getting “trapped” by a woman getting pregnant I have to laugh because it’s ridiculous. Even if a man uses protection, there is still a risk that it wouldn’t work. My point is, any man who has sex with a woman runs a risk of her getting pregnant for various reasons (they don’t use protection or the protection they do use doesn’t work or she lies to him and says she’s on birth control when she isnt etc.) but the notion of a man being trapped is just silly. Men know what they’re doing just as much as women do even if the woman may have some strange motivation, the man assumes that risk when he sleeps with her. Men should hold off sleeping with a woman until they are sure of the woman’s character if they are worried about being “trapped.”

- Janet on August 3rd, 2007

I am a free-thinking woman and this free-thinking woman can smell a publicity stunt from miles around.

1. The Ivy is paparazzi-ridden. Certainly it would be more meaningful to have a friendly meet n greet in a more private location.
2. One of the reasons Nicole Murphy stated for divorce was that Eddie never took her out. She wanted to go to all the awards shows and high profile events and Eddie declined the invitations. Since the divorce Nicole has been spotted all over the globe trying to get noticed. This looks like a stunt.
3. Melanie just filed her petition and got superstar lawyer Gloria Allred on retainer. Allred knows how to play the press.

By the way, I loooooove Bella’s dress. Do they make it in a ladies’ 6, hmmmmm?

- sweetdiva on August 3rd, 2007

I agree with eyeheartjj. Everyone seems to be on this “she’s doing it for publicity stunt”. So what if they met up at The Ivy. I find it very nice for Melanie and Nicole to meet up dispite what has gone on. And Melanie has every right to hold a press conference if she wants to. What Eddie has done is wrong and he shouldn’t get away with it.

- Kim on August 3rd, 2007

Leila: Any man who has sex with a woman knows that a baby is a potential outcome. Period, point blank. So if he didn’t “plan” to have a baby, he should have brought his own protection and not relied on anything Melanie Brown had to say.

Having Eddie’s children meet and sending a message to him are not mutually exclusive actions. This could be both, not one or the other. If it is *only* a message, then it’s very effective. If it is *only* to have the children meet, it was effective as well. Not only that, but it could be a message to all women whose children share one father, which is stick together.

The reason the other children aren’t there could boil down to the fact that they are in school, or because meeting at the Ivy (and fulfilling the message sending) meant this level of paparazzi coverage and Nicole didn’t want to expose her remaining 4 kids to that.

- Jen DC on August 3rd, 2007

Leila, I think Mel has a bit more than a few million dollars…and she’s going to be having more than a few thrown at her for the Spice Girls reunion tour.

She is NOT in, any which way you want to put it, need of Eddie’s money.

- Devon on August 3rd, 2007

“grayson’s girl, who said there was even any cattiness to begin with? let’s drop the patriarchal stereotypes about women. nicole and melanie seem to be two good women, and good on them for introducing the kids to each other.”

sinclair, I meant in general, not this specific situation. I never implied there was any cattiness between these women prior to their meeting. “Patriarchal stereotype” or not, on the whole, when these things occur, more often than not, women find themselves pitted against each other for one nonsensical reason or another. Especially when it involves the same man. My original comment was appreciation of the fact that Nicole and Melanie chose to join forces instead of bringing the claws out for each other. Women tend to be the harshest judges of other women and it’s refreshing to see a departure from that.

- Grayson's Girl on August 3rd, 2007

I finally got my answer on when Angel would meet her other siblings. One down, half a dozen more to go on her dad’s side, lol. But I just think that, despite where it happened, Mel and Nicole met up and that Bella was there to see her new baby sister. I’m just glad that they had such a civil meeting. I think it’s great.

Both Bella and Angel look adorable in their outfits. Moms don’t look too shabby themselves, but wow, Mel is just McBoobs, period.

- FC on August 3rd, 2007

Devon: Point blank, Scary does not have as much money as Eddie. She’s got two albums and a Scary Spice doll as part of her career. Whop dee doo. Eddie’s net worth is much more. He was making big money when she was still a school girl. Besides, are you aware how much money it takes to maintain a star’s scale of living?

Furthermore, why after “ONLY” four months of dating (not engaged or married) and not knowing Eddie and his ways well would someone confess to have a planned pregnancy with him? You all are so busy calling him a monster now. Why didn’t you alert her to this then?

And for the rest of you, I never said Eddie was right for having a child with Melanie either while not knowing her as well. But what I AM SAYING is that they both made poor decisions point blank. And rag on Tracey Edmonds all you like, but at least she didn’t turn up pregnant after 4 months of dating for gold digger’s rights. Why else would a woman use press conferences to malign her child’s father. What happened to decency and privacy for the child? Years from now when the child gets older she’ll have to see these tv clips when it all could have been handled privately. Say what you, but every pregnancy isn’t the immaculate conception you’d like it to be.

- Leila on August 3rd, 2007

Devon: You implyed that Tracey Edmonds is an opportunist and Melanie Brown isn’t. How did you make that distinction?

- Leila on August 3rd, 2007

My thoughts:
1) I don’t believe the child was planned. In the aftermath of Mel’s announcement that she was pregnant, Eddie (who is notoriously press shy) made a statement that the child was not his. There was too much anger and rancour in his demeanor for me to believe this was a case of a man who simply decided at the last minute he didn’t want a kid he had helped plan for. And the swiftness of their break-up after the announcement of the pregnancy just makes me believe this was not the mutual decision she makes it out to be.

2)She got her paternity test, the kid is his. I get the impression, regardless of what she or bull-dog Allred says, that Eddie takes care of his kids. Eddie himself has even said he’ll pay child support. The real question is, how much money is she asking for? There is reasonable child support for a kid of a man with Eddie’s money and then there is “I’m gonna gouge you money.” If she’s trying to get Nicole money for a four month relationship all I have to say is “please.”

3)The Ivy meeting is a publicity stunt, pure and simple. And it is a pathetic one at that. I am all for this woman getting her due. I am all for the two exes getting the kids together and letting them know each other and grow up together. But this…this just made Mel’s stock with me take a huge tumble. I hate people who make public gestures like this for no good reason. And I hate people using their kids to do it. I think some people will absolutely get a high kick out of these two fab women showing off their pretty-pretty offspring. But for some people, Eddie just got a bit more sympathetic.

- Eva_baby on August 4th, 2007

I applaud what both women are doing and lets face it, during his marriage to Nicole, Eddie wasn’t a saint…remember the transvestite story? Anyways, he has proven through this whole ordeal what a louse he is!
He doesn’t even have the decency to try and do the right thing even through Melanie’s pregancy! I think honestly, it was this arrogant attitude that cost him the academy award and Hollywood’s respect. If he didn’t want a child there are steps that a man can do to prevent that! Also, if he can give loads of money to various charities, then for God’s sake he can afford to take care of his daughter. I pray that he has a change of heart, how is this poor baby going to feel when she is old enough to read all of this stuff! Does Tracey Edmonds know what she’s getting herself into…!

- Robin on August 4th, 2007

Bella’s dress is from a UK clothing shop called Monsoon. My little girl has the same dress. It is from summer 2007, but I am sure you can find it on Ebay. Could be that the dress was a gift from Mel, as you can only get it here.
Same with the shoes I believe.

- keri on August 4th, 2007

So what if they met at the Ivy? Yes, it was very public and I imagine that it was meant to be. Eddie hasn’t introduced himself to his daughter so I imagine that he hasn’t made the effort to introduce his children to each other. He needs to know that this child is in his life for good and that she will be in his other children’s lives for good.

- terri on August 4th, 2007

Eddie has 5 children with ex-Nicole and 3 children with 3 other women. The 3 other women also had to take to Eddie to court to do right by his children.

As for Tracey Edmonds, she’s told Jet Magazine that Eddie and Mel where only together for 6 weeks and the relationship wasn’t the serious. Six days, weeks, months, or years; a child is serious. Eddie needs to speak up for himself. This is between Eddie and Mel. If the relationship wasn’t that serious why where there pics of Eddie’s 5 kids with Nicole and Mel’s daughter Phoenix Chi all on vacation?

Publicity stunt or not, I applaud Mel and Nicole for sticking together as mothers.
Eddie hasn’t made an effort to even see his new daughter. That says alot about his character right there.

- Charrin88 on August 4th, 2007