Here's What Jason Momoa Did Hours Before Announcing Split From Lisa Bonet
Just a few days into 2022, news of Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet's split has already sent the Internet into a tailspin. As one commentor summed things up on Twitter, "I usually don't comment on these news, but this one I did not see coming. My best to the both of them moving on." The pair were together for over 16 years, per Insider, and regularly posted glowing tributes to each other on social media. Not only that, but the "Aquaman" star had spoken publicly about how he felt Bonet was the one for him. "Ever since I was, like 8 years old, and I saw her on the TV, and I was like, 'Mommy I want that one,'" Momoa said on a 2017 episode of "The Late Late Show With James Corden." Naturally, "I didn't tell her that until we had two babies, otherwise I'd be creepy and weird," he added.
However, while the world believed Momoa and Bonet to be soulmates, there were recent signs that all was not well in paradise. "I'm definitely learning how to be authentically me, learning to be new, and following this invitation from the universe to step into this river of uncertainty," Bonet told Interview in December 2021, hinting at a newfound independence. Though Momoa didn't echo her sentiments, he's been hard at work filming "Aquaman 2: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" — even right up to announcing the split.
Jason Momoa wrapped Aquaman 2 hours before announcing the split
On January 11 — the same day that Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa announced their split — "Aquaman's" film director James Wan took to Instagram to share that the cast and crew had officially wrapped the movie. In a post that showed Wan posing under a shower head with film stars Momoa and Patrick Wilson, he wrote, "And finally, finally, finally picture wrap on the actual last day of #Aquaman2 in Malibu with these two gents. Yes, we do get very wet, a lot, on this show. A THOUSAND THANK YOUs to all the incredible crew who worked so hard and tirelessly on this picture." He added that he "can't wait to share this little film with you all."
According to Us Weekly, Momoa broke the news of his split with Bonet just one hour after Wan's picture went up. "We have all felt the squeeze and changes of these transformational times ... A revolution is unfolding and our family is of no exception," the "Game of Thrones" star wrote on Instagram. "And so we share our family news, that we are parting ways in marriage." Prior to the post, the actor had not shared an image of himself with his wife in quite some time — though, in the past, he had been known to post adoring tributes to Bonet.
Jason Momoa was responsible for Lisa Bonet's return to acting
From 1984 to 1991, Lisa Bonet rose to prominence with her role as Denise Huxtable on "The Cosby Show." She would also portray the Huxtable daughter in the spinoff, "A Different World," which she departed after the show's first season. But in the years that followed, Bonet seemingly stepped away from the limelight, focusing on motherhood after she welcomed daughter Zoe with Lenny Kravitz in 1988.
Splitting from Kravitz in 1993, Bonet eventually found herself entranced by "Aquaman" star Jason Momoa. Bonet and Momoa got together in 2005, and the former "Cosby Show" star even credited Momoa with helping her get back into acting. After nabbing a recurring role in the ABC series "Life on Mars" in 2008, Bonet told People, "To have my face reinstated in minds and homes once a week was an intense decision." Bonet portrayed Detective Maya Daniels on the series, which lasted just one season, per IMDb.
She further told People that she was hesitant about reentering the limelight. "I'm a shy person," she said. "I don't know if it's in my DNA to share with the world." She did, however, give Momoa a shoutout for his support. "Having a mate has given me that feeling of safety," she said, poignantly noting, "Jason is the love of my life. He's everything I hoped would come."
Jason Momoa and Lisa Bonet struggled through hard times together
There was a time when Jason Momoa wasn't a household name. With wife Lisa Bonet essentially stepping away from the spotlight after "The Cosby Show," Momoa was left to scratch and claw his way through Tinseltown as the couple raised their two young children. In a 2020 interview with InStyle, Momoa reflected on those hard times with Bonet, noting that there was a time where the couple was totally broke.
Portraying Khal Drogo on "Game of Thrones," Momoa's character died at the end of the show's first season in 2011 — well before the HBO show became a worldwide sensation. "I mean, we were starving after 'Game of Thrones,'" he told the outlet, adding, "I couldn't get work. It's very challenging when you have babies and you're completely in debt." Thankfully, however, Momoa found his footing in Hollywood when he was cast as Aquaman — making his first appearance in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
Momoa and Bonet share two kids — daughter Lola Iolani, who was born in 2007, and son Nakoa-Wolf, who was born in 2008. Bonet also shares daughter Zoe Kravitz with musician Lenny Kravitz.