Blair Underwood has been gracing our screens for years as a love interest to some of our favorite actresses. Despite his good looks, the actor has always been off the market to fans as he was married for almost 30 years to his first wife, Desiree DaCosta. Blair and DaCosta called it quits in 2021, and he has already found his new forever in a family friend who has been in his life twice as long as his now ex-wife was.
Blair and Desiree met in the early ’90s. DaCosta was an actress as well and appeared in such films as Harlem Nights and Another 48 Hrs. They tied the knot on September 17th, 1994, and share three kids together, Paris, Brielle, and Blake. Blair credits his wife for a lot throughout his career, and during an interview with Oprah, he thanked her for teaching him patience. He said he learned how to be flexible during a drive home one day with Desiree and thanked her for showing him “what it means to be a man in my relationship.”
Essence Magazine frequently featured the couple, even covering their wedding day and featuring a series of red-carpet moments from them following their 2021 split. That included them at the Madea’s Family Reunion premiere, Crazy as Hell premiere in 2002, and The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
The duo released a joint statement on Instagram thanking friends, family, and fans for their support during their marriage and continued support during their split. “After a tremendous amount of thought, prayer & work on ourselves individually & collectively, we have come to the conclusion to end our marriage that began 27 years ago,” the statement said. “It has truly been a beautiful journey.” They went on to credit their children as their proudest achievement, saying, “We continue to be awed & humbled by the blessings of parenting. We have always put their best interests first & will continue to do so. We will continue to be the best of friends and co-parents and have the utmost respect for one another as we embark upon this new chapter of our lives separately.”
Blair did not have to look too far for love, as it appears he found it right there in his best friend of 41 years. While walking the 2022 International Emmys red carpet, Blair revealed that Josie Hart was his best friend for four decades and is now his fiance. He called walking the red carpet with her a “personal highlight” and said Josie was “the most amazing, brilliant, beautiful, hilarious, thought-provoking & insightful person I know who continuously lives life out loud.”
Blair says that Josie has been around since before his acting career kicked off and said that 41 years of friendship “kicked him in the head” and blossomed into romance. He said he is stepping forward in gratitude. Fans are not buying it and had some choice words for the besties turned fiances. “Mmhmm. I bet his ex ain’t a bit surprised. 😂😂😂 mmmhmmmm,” said one person. “They probably had one of those best friend marriage pacts 😭😭,” said another. However, there are some that are happy for him and believe it was a natural progression of his and Josie’s friendship.
The news came as a surprise to many. After reviewing Blair Underwood’s social media accounts, this is the first time Blair has spoken about his fiance online.
