Introduction
Sometimes, working together can ruin one’s marriage, and this is apparently what happened to the famous business duo, Jeff and Paige Dunham. You all most likely know Jeff from his comedy skits and puppet Walter, but how much do you know about his ex-wife, Paige, and did their marriage end on good terms?
Early life and education
Paige Dunham was born Paige Brown on 13 March 1968, in Savannah, Georgia USA – nothing is known about her parents or possible siblings.
She grew up on Amelia Island, Florida, but when she was in middle school she moved with her family to West Palm Beach, Florida, where she finished her high school classes, while learning to dance at her family’s dancing school. After matriculation, Dunham enrolled at Clemson University located in South Carolina, US, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business. She had a daughter, Bree Aleece Brown, with an undisclosed man, and raised her as a single parent during her first years.
Marriage to Jeff Dunham
After returning to West Palm Beach with her daughter, Paige met the stand-up comedian Jeff Dunham, who was known for his comedic puppet characters. It isn’t known when exactly the two started dating, but their wedding was held on 13th August 1994 in Los Angeles, California, to where the new family relocated; Jeff adopted Dunham’s daughter and became her legal guardian. In 1995, the couple welcomed their first daughter together, Ashlyn Evelyn, and two years later, their second daughter, Makenna Paige was born.
However, the two began to have marriage problems around the time their business began to thrive. In 2008, Jeff filed for separation, but Dunham filed for divorce and the process ended in 2012. That same year, Jeff remarried to personal trainer, certified nutritionist and competition bodybuilder, Audrey Murdick, and the two became parents of twin boys, James Jeffrey and Jack Steven, in October 2015.
Career
During her marriage with Jeff, Dunham wasn’t just his wife but also his co-worker; in fact, she is said to be responsible for most of his success at the time.
She was helping him to write material and make show ideas, and also ran the merchandise shop and online store that brought them a lot of income. She was the one responsible for the creation of the database of Jeff’s fans in 1994, and this helped Jeff win the Best Male Stand-Up Comic Award at the American Comedy Awards in 1997. Paige was the one creating newsletters and other promotional work, and in 1999 she launched Brasma Publications as a continuation of the family business – it published the book “Dear Walter” in 2003, which was a collection of questions asked by Jeff’s audiences, together with live answers given by Walter, a grumpy old puppet controlled by Jeff.
Dunham launched the Jeff and Paige Dunham Foundation in 2006, which focused on helping people in need. For a while, $1 from a ticket sale of Jeff’s comedy shows, and 100% of the profit from their eBay store went to the foundation. That same year, their foundation and Ronald McDonald House of Houston presented a $35,000 check to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund.
After the end of her marriage in 2012, Dunham became a motivational speaker for women who are going through the divorce process.
She also has her own charity organization, The Paige Dunham Foundation.
Dunham works as an executive film producer too; her movies include the romantic film “The Face of Love” that aired in 2013, as well as the history movie “Last Days in the Desert” in 2016.
Personal Life
Dunham is a supporter of numerous children’s charities and humanitarian causes.
She is a fan of running, and she thinks of it as a therapeutic hobby for her. She even ran the San Francisco half-marathon, and raised $6,000 that she donated to the National Institution for Mental Health.
In 2015, Jeff’s wife Audrey filed a lawsuit against Dunham, because Dunham registered various domains under the name ‘Audrey Dunham’ without permission – even before Audrey took her husband’s last name! Audrey sued for damage of $100,000 per domain name, and filed a claim of unfair competition. As of May 2020, the lawsuit outcome still isn’t known to the public.
Dunham is fairly active on various social media platforms. She has official Instagram and Twitter accounts that she frequently posts on.
Net worth
Dunham made a fortune while working behind the scenes with her former spouse. She made a lot of income herself too, through her various business endeavors. As of May 2020, her net worth is estimated at around $20 million. On the other hand, her ex-husband’s net worth is reputedly an astonishing $140 million! Just in 2011, he reportedly earned $20 million from his business and acting career.
Physical characteristics
Paige is a woman with dyed blond hair and blue eyes. Her height is 5ft 4ins (1.65m), but her weight and other body measurements and shoe and dress sizes haven’t been disclosed.