• Paige Dunham is an executive film producer and motivational speaker, as well as the founder of The Paige Dunham Foundation.
• She was married to Jeff Dunham, and is responsible for much of his success.
• She has a daughter, Bree Aleece Brown, and two daughters with Jeff, Ashlyn and Makenna.
• Her net worth is estimated to be around $20 million.
• She is a supporter of numerous children’s charities and humanitarian causes.
Known for movies
Short Info
Net Worth | $45 million |
Date Of Birth | April 18, 1962 |
Spouse | Audrey Murdick, Paige Dunham, Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States |
Fact | June 2009: His rep has confirmed that he and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce. |

Contents
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.
Posted by Paige Dunham on Tuesday, April 22, 2014
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.
General Info
Full Name | Jeff Dunham |
Net Worth | $45 million |
Date Of Birth | April 18, 1962 |
Height | 1.83 m |
Profession | Screenwriter, Television producer, Comedian, Film producer, Voice Actor, Ventriloquist, Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States |
Education | Baylor University |
Nationality | American |
Family
Spouse | Audrey Murdick, Paige Dunham, Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States |
Children | Ashlyn Dunham, Kenna Dunham, Bree Dunham, James Jeffrey Dunham, Jack Steven Dunham, Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States |
Parents | Joyce Dunham, Howard Dunham, Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States |
Accomplishments
Movies | Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States, Delta Farce, Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special, Dinner for Schmucks, Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos, Big Top Scooby-Doo!, The Nut Job, Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map, The Nut Job 2, Jeff Dunham: Spark of In... |
TV Shows | Las Vegas, NV, United States, Fresno, CA, United States, Oakland, CA, United States, Comedy Central Presents, Live at Gotham, The Jeff Dunham Show, History of the Joke, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Any Day Now, Xuxa, Halloween Baking Championship, Hot Country Nights |
Social profile links
Quotes
# | Quote |
---|---|
1 | The only way a ventriloquist speaks differently is that he forgoes using his or her lips, and learns to reproduce sounds using the tongue, upper palate, and teeth only. Those 'difficult' letters are B, F, M, P, V, W, and Y. |
2 | Up until college age I was using the typical little-boy dummy that sits on the knee and makes woodpecker jokes. My first original character didn't happen until later, and that was Jose the Jalapeno on a Stick. |
3 | We just got a tour bus. I didn't know tour buses could be this nice. It's just me, Brian Haner the guitar guy, the tour manager and a writer. We laugh ourselves silly. Apparently we're going to have a road dog, a miniature pincher. It's the smallest they've ever seen. How masculine am I going to look, working with dolls and a miniature dog? |
4 | When I was in third grade I taught myself ventriloquism... What's hard is to learn to be an entertainer and make people laugh. I was a few years out of college before I felt I had enough material. Then in 1988 I moved to L.A. and started to do some shows at comedy clubs. |
5 | I had a happy, dramafree youth, growing up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. The only thing that was slightly unusual compared to most of my friends was that I was an only child... I don't think that's why my parents gave me a dummy, at least they've never copped to it. |
6 | In 1980, when I graduated from high school, my goal was to be on 'The Tonight Show' with Johnny Carson at least once before our ten-year class reunion. Our class reunion was in June of 1990, and I was on 'The Tonight Show' in April 1990, so I made it by a few months. |
7 | It's strange because even in the vaudeville days, ventriloquists were never the main attraction. They were the guys brought out to stand in front of the curtain while sets were being changed. Ventriloquism wasn't even celebrated as an art until Edgar Bergen came along in the 1930s. |
8 | My mother and my father have always supported me. Now in their eighties, they actually clamor onto the tour bus with me once or twice a year so they can watch the performances and hear the crowds. Traveling with eighty-something-year-olds on a tour bus... there has to be some sort of reality show in that. |
9 | The best place to find material is in real life. I've always maintained that it's not until the mid-20s that you have enough of a life to draw from. There's nothing better for a comic than to go through some bad stuff - and some good stuff, like getting married. |
10 | I've always said that instead of watching a guy juggle seven things amazingly I would rather see a really bad juggler who's really funny. |
11 | Stand-up comedy is tough right now. Anybody can come to a concert, tape you, and put you up on the Internet. You either fight it or embrace it. |
12 | Growing up doing those Kiwanis Clubs, doing those Cub Scout banquets, doing those church shows, I learned to find that sensibility that most people could laugh at - that all ages and demographics could laugh at. |
13 | When I was eight years old, I got a dummy for Christmas and started teaching myself. I got books and records and sat in front of the bathroom mirror, practising. I did my first show in the third grade and just kept going; there was no reason to quit. |
14 | But the mechanics of learning to 'throw your voice' are pretty simple. Anyone with a tongue, an upper palate, teeth, and a normal speaking voice can learn ventriloquism. |
15 | As humans we like to laugh at our fears, we like to whistle in the dark. |
16 | I've skewered whites, blacks, Hispanics, Christians, Jews, Muslims, gays, straights, rednecks, addicts, the elderly, and my wife. As a standup comic, it is my job to make sure the majority of people laugh, and I believe that comedy is the last true form of free speech. |
17 | A comedian needs to have his own filters, needs to know his audience, how far he can push things. |
18 | I try to make the majority of my audience laugh. That's my audience. They'll laugh at the dead terrorist. |
19 | I'm a geek to the bone. |
Facts
# | Fact |
---|---|
1 | His wife Audrey gave birth to twin boys (her 1st and 2nd children) at age 35, Jack Steven Dunham and James Jeffrey Dunham on October 11, 2015 in Los Angeles with 2 hours apart. The baby boys arrived the day before the couple's third anniversary. |
2 | Has been performing ventriloquism since he was eight, and has never held a "real" job in his life. |
3 | He owns the 1989 Batmobile from Tim Burton's Batman. |
4 | When he was in the process of making Achmed, Jeff Dunham was originally going to call him Phil. |
5 | Parents are Joyce Dunham and Howard Dunham. |
6 | Received first puppet, at age 8. Was a Christmas gift from his parents. |
7 | "Peanut" is his only puppet not hand made by himself. |
8 | "Achmed, Jr." is often referred to as A.J. |
9 | June 2009: His rep has confirmed that he and his wife are in the process of getting a divorce. |
10 | Has three daughters: Bree Dunham(adopted), Ashlyn Dunham, and Kenna Dunham, all from his first marriage. |
11 | Two of his characters are apparent homages to characters performed by previous famous ventriloquists. "Bubba J" strongly resembles Mortimer Snerd, performed by Edgar Bergen. "Jose the Jalapeno on a Stick," who has a face but no body, is similar to the disembodied head in a box performed by Señor Wences. |
12 | An award-winning ventriloquist. |
Pictures
Movies
Actor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Nut Job 2 | 2017 | filming | Mole (voice) |
Angie Tribeca | 2016 | TV Series | Fisher Price |
Achmed Saves America | 2014 | Video | Achmed Bubba J Himself (voice) |
The Nut Job | 2014/I | Mole (voice) | |
Big Top Scooby-Doo! | 2012 | Video | Schmatko / Conductor (voice) |
From Up on Poppy Hill | 2011 | Gen (English version, voice) | |
Dinner for Schmucks | 2010 | Lewis the Ventriloquist | |
Sonny with a Chance | 2009 | TV Series | Jeff / Walter |
30 Rock | 2009 | TV Series | Pumpkin |
Delta Farce | 2007 | Amazing Ken | |
Blue Collar TV | 2005 | TV Series | |
One on One | 2003 | TV Series | Benny / Kenny |
She Spies | 2002 | TV Series | Elvis Presley Ventriloquist |
Any Day Now | 2002 | TV Series | Ventriloquist |
Ellen | 1996 | TV Series | Starky & Gus |
Hot Country Nights | 1991 | TV Series | Ventriloquist |
Writer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood | 2015 | TV Movie | |
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map | 2014 | TV Special | |
Achmed Saves America | 2014 | Video characters / creator | |
Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters | 2012 | TV Special | |
Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos | 2011 | TV Special | |
The Jeff Dunham Show | TV Series creator - 1 episode, 2009 writer - 1 episode, 2009 | ||
Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special | 2008 | TV Special documentary | |
Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity | 2007 | TV Special | |
Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself | 2006 | TV Special | |
Comedy Central Presents | 2003 | TV Series documentary writer - 2 episodes |
Producer
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map | 2014 | TV Special executive producer | |
Achmed Saves America | 2014 | Video executive producer | |
Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters | 2012 | TV Special executive producer | |
Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos | 2011 | TV Special executive producer | |
The Jeff Dunham Show | 2009 | TV Series executive producer - 1 episode | |
Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special | 2008 | TV Special documentary executive producer | |
Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity | 2007 | TV Special executive producer | |
Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself | 2006 | TV Special executive producer |
Soundtrack
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special | 2008 | TV Special documentary lyrics: "Jingle Bombs" / performer: "Jingle Bombs", "Roadkill Christmas" |
Art Department
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Achmed Saves America | 2014 | Video original character design |
Editor
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map | 2014 | TV Special |
Thanks
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
The Biggest Schmucks in the World | 2011 | Video short special thanks | |
Mr. Chili: Too Hot for TV! | 2007 | Video short special thanks |
Self
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
60 Minutes Wednesday | 2005 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Ventriloquist (segment "Ventriloquist Convention") |
TV Land's Top Ten | 2005 | TV Series documentary | Himself |
Just for Laughs | 2005 | TV Series | Himself |
Hollywood Squares | 2004 | TV Series | Guest Appearance |
Comedy Central Presents | 2003 | TV Series documentary | Himself Melvin the Superhero Guy Peanut ... |
The Test | 2001 | TV Series | Himself - Panelist |
The Rosie O'Donnell Show | 1998 | TV Series | Himself |
Xuxa | 1993 | TV Series | Himself |
Bob Hope and Other Young Comedians: The World Laughs, Young and Old | 1992 | TV Special | Himself |
Hot Country Nights | 1991-1992 | TV Series | Himself |
The Chuck Woolery Show | 1991 | TV Series | Himself |
Jonathan Winters and His Traveling Road Show | 1990 | TV Movie | Himself |
The Comedy Concert II | 1990 | TV Movie | Himself |
Halloween Baking Championship | 2016 | TV Series | Himself - Host |
Hell's Kitchen | 2016 | TV Series | Himself - Restaurant Patron |
Jay Leno's Garage | 2015 | TV Series documentary | Himself - Ventriloqust-Comedian |
Jeff Dunham: Unhinged in Hollywood | 2015 | TV Movie | Himself Walter Bubba J ... |
Today | 2014-2015 | TV Series | Himself - Guest / Himself |
Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map | 2014 | TV Special | Himself Walter Bubba J ... |
Late Show with David Letterman | 2006-2014 | TV Series | Himself - Comedian / Himself - Guest / Ventriloquist Perfomer / ... |
The O'Reilly Factor | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
Jeff Dunham: Minding the Monsters | 2012 | TV Special | Himself Achmed Jr. Walter ... |
The Wendy Williams Show | 2012 | TV Series | Himself - Guest |
Fox and Friends | 2012 | TV Series | Himself |
The Batmobile | 2012 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno | 1996-2012 | TV Series | Himself / Walter |
Jeff Dunham: Birth of a Dummy | 2011 | TV Special | Himself Walter Peanut ... |
Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos | 2011 | TV Special | Himself Walter Achmed the Dead Terrorist ... |
The Biggest Schmucks in the World | 2011 | Video short | Himself |
The 2010 American Country Awards | 2010 | TV Special | Himself |
The Jeff Dunham Show | 2009 | TV Series | Himself Walter Achmed the Dead Terrorist ... |
The Jay Leno Show | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
I'm No Dummy | 2009 | Documentary | Himself |
Boogie | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
Last Call with Carson Daly | 2009 | TV Series | Himself |
Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special | 2008 | TV Special documentary | Himself Walter Achmed the Dead Terrorist ... |
Live at Gotham | 2008 | TV Series | Himself |
History of the Joke | 2008 | TV Movie documentary | Himself |
Jeff Dunham: Spark of Insanity | 2007 | TV Special | Himself Walter Achmed the Dead Terrorist ... |
Mr. Chili: Too Hot for TV! | 2007 | Video short | Himself |
Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself | 2006 | TV Special | Himself Walter Sweet Daddy Dee ... |
Archive Footage
Title | Year | Status | Character |
---|---|---|---|
CMT's Biggest Laughs | 2012 | TV Movie | Himself - Comic / Walter |
Aangenaam... Comedy 2009 | 2009 | Video | Himself |
Awards
Won Awards
Year | Award | Ceremony | Nomination | Movie |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | American Comedy Award | American Comedy Awards, USA | Funniest Male Stand-Up Comic |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
4 Comments
Interesting article, but it was very surprising and confusing that you kept referring to Paige as Dunham, even after their divorce, and Jeff as Jeff. Dunham was always Jeff’s last name, while Paige only inherited it when she married him. I do understand her choice to keep Jeff’s surname, because I was divorced and have also kept my married name, even 20 years later, since it matches my children’s last name. Still, besides being very confusing, it seems very disrespectful to Jeff to refer to his ex-wife as Dunham. Especially after Paige disrespected Jeff and his new wife by registering various domains under “Audrey Dunham” without permission. If you’re going to call Jeff by his first name, please be consistent and call his ex-wife Paige. I think it’s standard practice in writing that when two or more people share the same last name, you refer to them by their first names. Thanks!
Cindy:
I wanted you to receive notification of my reply to Mr. Witt. I supported your viewpoint completely.
Scotty
Yes, Cindy, you are correct. The AP Style book tells journalists that consist in pronouns and story subjects must be consistent and remove naming ambiguity.
Heck, It’s one of the 5 Ws and 1 H rule.
Such writing suggests a novice writer never held to writing standards or worse, an uneducated “reporter” on a power trip.
Good thing I earned a Bachelor of Journalism degree from a top rated school and more than 25 readers of experience in radio news before we returned to sloppy, opinion-based crap we now have.
Mr. Witt:
No need to get snippy; Cindy was correct, Scott was inconsistent. Paige Brown / Paige Dunham, when referred to as a single name noun, logged four Paige’s and 12 Dunham’s; even using both alternatively in the same paragraph. This mixed name-use style includes a reference to her as “Dunham” long before she ever met Jeff Dunham, much less married him and took his name: “Dunham enrolled at Clemson University…”
I too was confused by your jumpy name referencing – I don’t know what the grading scale was at your “top rated” (sic) school, or where you fell within it, but I would have had many a paper in my non-journalism based major classes tossed back at me if I had submitted a similar level of effort.
Perhaps you’re not (you aren’t? – that one always confuses me) a fan of Jeff Dunham’s, or of ventriloquism, else the heady life of journalists – living in/ swim through/ made up of/ smoking – pronouns (???) confuses the rest of us: “journalist that consist in pronouns”
And heck, nowadays I fix clocks for a living – what do you do?
(PS – is there some sort of degree or certification awarded once a radio journalist reaches an audience level of at least 25 people who have listened to radio news before? If not, then I’m not sure why you were making this point – unless it is yet another example of quick dash-off writing prone to hit errors?)
Scotty Dean