Blair Underwood Ex Wife Desiree DaCosta: Bio, Divorce, Kids, and Life Today

When people search for Blair Underwood ex wife, they’re usually trying to learn about Desiree DaCosta—the woman who shared nearly three decades of marriage with the actor and helped raise their family mostly away from the spotlight. Their split in 2021 surprised fans because their relationship always looked steady, private, and respectful. Here’s what we know about Desiree, her life, and the chapter that followed.

Quick Snapshot: The Basics People Want to Know

Ex wife: Desiree DaCosta
Marriage: Married in 1994, announced divorce in 2021
Children: Three — Paris, Brielle, and Blake
Public style: Very private, rarely gives interviews
Known for professionally: Film-industry work behind the scenes (crew/assistant credits)
Blair Underwood now: Remarried in 2023 to Josie Hart

Desiree DaCosta Bio

Full name: Desiree DaCosta
Known for: Blair Underwood’s ex wife; mother of their three children
Age: Not officially confirmed in major mainstream profiles (often reported online but not consistently verified)
Height: Not publicly listed in reliable, consistent sources
Career: Behind-the-scenes film work; assistant/crew credits connected to major productions
Estimated net worth: Around $1 million (estimate; not officially verified)

Who Is Desiree DaCosta Beyond the “Ex Wife” Label?

Desiree DaCosta is one of those partners the public stays curious about because she never tried to become famous from the relationship. During Blair Underwood’s rise and long career, Desiree kept a low profile, showing up at major events when it made sense, then stepping back into private life. That choice is a big reason people still look her up today—because she didn’t build a loud public brand, so the internet keeps trying to fill in blanks that she never wanted to share.

But “private” doesn’t mean “unknown.” Desiree has a real work history and a real life outside of red carpets. She also played the kind of behind-the-scenes role many celebrity spouses play: keeping family life steady while the public career stays demanding, unpredictable, and constantly judged.

Desiree DaCosta’s Career and Work Background

One of the most overlooked facts about Desiree is that she has connections to the film world that are not just “married to an actor.” She has been credited for behind-the-scenes work on films, including titles connected to Eddie Murphy’s era of major studio hits. In other words, she has experience inside the industry, not just beside it.

In public bios and film credit listings, Desiree is often described as having worked as an assistant/crew member on productions such as Harlem Nights, Another 48 Hrs., and Boomerang. Those kinds of roles are not glamorous, but they’re important. They require organization, calm under pressure, and the ability to keep things moving when sets are stressful and schedules change in seconds.

That background also explains something about how she handled life with Blair. A spouse who understands the industry usually has a different level of patience for it. Long days, travel, sudden schedule shifts, and the emotional crash after a big project—those things hit differently when you’ve already been in that environment yourself.

How Desiree DaCosta and Blair Underwood Met

Their earliest “how we met” details are not heavily documented in a clean, official way, which fits their overall style. What is widely reported is that they were together for years before marrying and built a real foundation before becoming husband and wife. They didn’t appear to chase attention as a couple. They moved like two people who wanted a real life first, not a public storyline.

That’s also why their marriage lasted as long as it did. They weren’t performing a relationship for the public. They were living it.

Marriage in 1994: A Long Chapter That Outlasted Most Hollywood Relationships

Desiree DaCosta and Blair Underwood married in 1994. Over time, they became known as a couple that kept things calm and respectful. They weren’t constantly in gossip headlines, and they didn’t treat every private moment like content. When they did appear publicly, they looked united—comfortable, confident, and not trying too hard to prove anything.

That kind of quiet consistency is rare in entertainment marriages. Acting careers come with constant outside noise: rumors, flirtation assumptions, travel, and long hours that separate couples for weeks or months at a time. The fact that their marriage lasted nearly three decades suggests that whatever was happening privately, they had real teamwork for a long time.

Motherhood and Family Life: Their Three Children

Desiree’s most important public role has always been motherhood. She and Blair share three children: Paris, Brielle, and Blake. While Blair is the public figure, Desiree is the parent fans rarely hear about—but the one who likely handled the most day-to-day stability.

Paris Underwood

Paris is their eldest child and has largely stayed out of the celebrity spotlight. That, by itself, tells you something about Desiree’s parenting style. In many celebrity families, kids become public personalities early. In this family, privacy stayed the priority.

Brielle Underwood

Brielle is their daughter, and like her brothers, she has generally been kept away from constant public exposure. When people say Desiree and Blair did co-parenting “the right way,” this is what they usually mean: protecting the children from unnecessary public pressure.

Blake Underwood

Blake is their youngest, and his name is often mentioned when people summarize the family. Again, the public details are limited, and that seems intentional. Desiree appears to have raised her children with firm boundaries—enough public presence to be human, but not enough to make the kids a public product.

What Desiree DaCosta’s Life Likely Looked Like as Blair Underwood’s Wife

It’s easy to underestimate what it takes to be married to a working actor for decades. It’s not just premiere nights and nice outfits. It’s uncertainty. It’s time apart. It’s the emotional pressure of a career where every audition can feel like judgment and every headline can turn into a story that isn’t true.

Desiree’s public behavior suggests she handled that world with restraint. She wasn’t trying to compete with Blair’s fame. She didn’t center herself in the attention. Instead, she showed up when family or major career moments called for it, and otherwise kept the focus on home life.

That style often requires strength. Staying private is not “doing nothing.” It can be a full-time choice, especially when the public wants answers. Desiree’s long-term privacy looks less like avoidance and more like self-protection.

The Divorce Announcement in 2021: How They Framed the Split

In May 2021, Desiree DaCosta and Blair Underwood announced that they were ending their marriage after 27 years. What stood out immediately was the tone. The message wasn’t bitter or dramatic. It was respectful and intentional, describing their time together as a meaningful journey and emphasizing that they planned to remain close as co-parents and friends.

That kind of statement doesn’t happen when a split is fueled by chaos. It usually happens when two people have reached a decision after serious thought and want to protect the family from unnecessary damage. It doesn’t mean divorce is easy—it just means they were careful about how they handled it publicly.

What Happened After the Divorce?

After their split became public, Desiree stayed consistent: she remained mostly private. There weren’t big interviews, long social media explanations, or public back-and-forth. That silence can frustrate curious fans, but it also shows discipline. Desiree didn’t turn her personal life into entertainment.

Instead, she appears to have focused on what many people focus on after a long marriage ends: building a new routine, supporting her children as they grow into adulthood, and keeping peace where possible. Even when the public conversation got loud, she didn’t match the noise.

That approach is often the healthiest one—especially when children are involved, even grown children. A family can still function with love and respect after a marriage ends, but it takes emotional control and a commitment to boundaries. Desiree’s public behavior suggests she values those things.

Blair Underwood’s Life Now: Remarriage to Josie Hart

Because people search “ex wife,” they usually want the “what’s next” too. Blair Underwood later married Josie Hart in June 2023. Their story gained attention because they were longtime friends before romance, and the relationship was described as something that grew out of decades of connection.

That new chapter doesn’t erase Desiree’s role in Blair’s life. She remains the mother of his children and the partner from his longest marriage. In celebrity family stories, it’s possible for both truths to exist at once: a new marriage can be real and joyful, and the previous marriage can still deserve respect for the life it built.

Blair Underwood Quick Bio (Context)

Full name: Blair Erwin Underwood
Birthday: August 25, 1964
Age: 61 (as of 2026)
Height: About 5’11” (commonly listed)
Known for: L.A. Law, films like Deep Impact, and a long TV career
Estimated net worth: About $8 million (estimate)

Desiree DaCosta Net Worth (Estimated)

Desiree DaCosta’s finances are not publicly documented in a way that can be verified like a public company report. She is not a constant public-facing celebrity, so the internet numbers vary wildly. A reasonable estimate—based on limited public career credits, long-term household stability during a high-earning marriage, and the reality that her personal assets are private—places her net worth at around $1 million.

The important point is that her life has never been marketed as “net worth.” Desiree’s public identity has been centered on family, privacy, and steady support rather than headlines and branding.

The Real Takeaway About Desiree DaCosta

Desiree DaCosta is not famous for being flashy. She’s known because she lived a long, meaningful chapter beside a famous actor and managed to protect her family’s privacy through years of public attention. She worked around the film world, raised three children, and stayed mostly out of the spotlight even when the public wanted more access.

And when the marriage ended, she didn’t turn it into a circus. She stayed consistent, focused on co-parenting, and kept her personal life personal. That quiet strength is exactly why people keep searching her name—and why, even as time passes, she remains an important part of Blair Underwood’s story.

image source: https://people.com/sex-and-the-city-alum-blair-underwood-would-love-to-make-a-cameo-in-and-just-like-that-8709562