What You Don't Know About Lisa Bonet
While some know Lisa Bonet primarily for her marriages to singer and songwriter Lenny Kravtiz, which ended in 1993, and to actor Jason Momoa (they announced her separation in early January 2022), she has always had her own career and been able to stand on her own two feet. After rising to fame as Denise Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" and its subsequent spin-off series "A Different World," Bonet has acted steadily throughout the years. She's also brought three children into the world. Daughter Zoë Kravitz was born in 1988, and Bonet's children with Momoa, Lola and Nakoa-Wolf, were born in 2007 and 2008, respectively.
Bonet is a hard woman to find information about, a fact that she is likely quite pleased by. After all, as she told Porter magazine, she doesn't mind that her home in the mountains outside of LA is a little "reclusive." Here are a few things you might not know about Lisa Bonet.
Lisa Bonet changed her name in the 1990s
In 1993, Lisa Bonet was at a personal crossroads. Her marriage to ex-husband Lenny Kravitz ended a few years prior, their daughter together was 5 years old, her career had stalled, and, as she told People, she needed to do something that would "honor my personal life outside of this."
So, Bonet made the decision to legally change her name to Lilakoi Moon, which surprised some, to be sure. But regardless of the name change, the actress continued to be credited as Lisa Bonet in her projects.
At the time, Bonet said that the name change was part of a larger effort to keep her privacy intact, with Emerge magazine reporting that her official explanation to the court for the change was to "protect her privacy" (via the Orlando Sentinel). In the years that followed, she offered very little additional explanation about the swap, and it's unclear to what degree she has used the name since.
Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei are close friends
Lisa Bonet and Marisa Tomei met for the first time when they were both cast on "A Different World." The two played roommates, an arrangement that they also lived out offscreen, and developed such a close bond that Tomei is godmother to all three of Bonet's children (per PopSugar).
While the pair traded off questions for Interview magazine, they revealed just how deep their friendship goes back. After discussing their fondness for visiting flea markets and finding clothes (with Tomei admitting that they often ended up bringing home the same styles), Bonet admitted that Tomei helped guide her toward reusing and repurposing older items. She said, "I'm a total repurposer, so finding another life for something, and letting it live on is so satisfying. And then, knowing an object's history and craftsmanship, and you've got me hooked."
Tomei and Bonet's daughter Zoë Kravitz have also spoken for a publication. When Kravitz graced the cover of InStyle in 2018, the magazine had Tomei ask her a few questions for the interview. After Kravitz shared that she is entering an age where she feels comfortable with her body and embracing her inner beauty, Tomei brought things back to Bonet by adding, "You grew up knowing that — or being taught that. And I know because I'm best friends with your mom, and that's something she also taught me."
She is a fitness enthusiast
While Lisa Bonet doesn't give a lot of interviews or statements, she has spoken up about her penchant for fitness and healthy eating habits over the years. In an interview with The New York Times, Bonet shared that she's a big fan of yoga and Pilates and that she definitely enjoys hitting the gym. Bonet also said that she even takes part of a dance class, adding, "I take an African dance class that I live for. I just walked in one day, and I have been doing it pretty regularly for seven years now."
That healthy lifestyle also extend to what she puts into her body. While speaking with and interviewing her good friend Marisa Tomei for Interview magazine in late 2021, Bonet shared her ideal breakfast. She said, "I'll scramble an egg in coconut oil and throw the bone broth over that. And that is very sustaining with some lovely sourdough and some beautiful cultured butter."
Lisa Bonet has lived in the mountains for over 20 years
Lisa Bonet sat down for an intimate interview with Porter magazine in March 2018, inviting the article's writer out to her home tucked away in the mountains outside of Los Angeles where she has lived for over two decades. After moving to the home following her divorce from ex-husband Lenny Kravitz, Bonet built a home for herself and their daughter, Zoë.
Of her home, which the magazine described as adorned with Tibetan prayer flags and "daily mandalas of pebbles and beans on the path," Bonet shares that the area she lives in is just right for her. She explained, "I know people give Southern California a bad rap, but I love it here. You can create the life you want."
Bonet's home is also filled with animals, including two half-wolf, half-Malamute dogs, named Amba and Zion, and a donkey called Freya. While she admits that her home is "quiet, tranquil and, yeah, a bit reclusive," Bonet also says that those traits are perfectly in line with her own personality.
She co-wrote some of Lenny Kravitz's early songs
Lisa Bonet married her ex-husband Lenny Kravitz in 1987. Though the two divorced only a few years later in 1993, they share a daughter that they are both tremendously proud of. As shared by Porter magazine, their relationship and marriage was a powerful time for the pair. Bonet was already well known for her work on "The Cosby Show" and "A Different World," and Kravitz was writing his music.
Kravitz landed his first record deal a year after their relationship began, and it turns out that Bonet even contributed to his first album by co-writing a few of the songs. Happily, the two worked through their problems following their divorce and have been good friends ever since, which Bonet said was an effort they both made for their daughter. "I didn't want to pass on those heirlooms, and this fresh wound of a divorce," she said.
Lisa Bonet and ex-husband Jason Momoa co-starred in a movie together
Lisa Bonet met her second husband, actor Jason Momoa, in 2004 or 2005. As shared by PopSugar, the two welcomed their first child together in 2007 and their second in December 2008. They remained together for years, marrying in 2017 before announcing their separation in January 2022 (via CNN).
Though they are both actors, the twosome only worked together professionally once when they co-starred in 2014's "Road to Paloma." Momoa was also billed as a writer, producer, and director on the movie, which is about the events following an Indigenous American revenge against the killing of his mother. He told Indian Country Today that Bonet's character, described as "a wayward gypsy who lives off the rez in some sort of hippie encampment," is the type of person that his own character could fall in love with, but that the audience knows it can never work out.
When asked if the two had fun working together, Momoa said, "Yes but it's also nerve-racking because your love is there — but at the same time is a dream come true to work with her."
She was reportedly fired from A Different World for getting pregnant
Audiences were stunned when Lisa Bonet was fired from the set of "A Different World" in 1988 after only being in one season of the show. The reason why she was asked to leave wasn't immediately clear, but Bonet was recently married and, as people would find out soon enough, expecting her first child.
In his book "Let Love Rule" (via MovieWeb), Bonet's ex-husband Lenny Kravitz touched on why Bonet lost her spot on the show and finally confirmed what many believed and suspected. It turns out that the show's producer Debbie Allen knew Bonet was pregnant, and she liked the idea of Bonet's character, Denise Huxtable, being pregnant and raising a child as a single mother on the show. Unfortunately for Bonet, however, the show's creator, Bill Cosby, did not.
As Lenny wrote in his book, Cosby called up Bonet to issue a simple statement: "Lisa Bonet is pregnant, but Denise Huxtable is not." With that, Bonet was apparently no longer a part of the cast of the show.