She married a rising comedian on New Year’s Eve, spent two years in the spotlight, divorced quietly, and then spent decades building a life almost entirely off the radar. Diana Lasso may be best known as the ex-wife of American comedian and actor Wayne Brady, but there is far more to her than that label suggests. She had a music career before Wayne Brady was a household name. She kept one going after the marriage ended. And in 2026, she remains one of the more genuinely private figures in the celebrity ex-spouse orbit which, honestly, makes her more interesting.
Here’s everything actually known about Diana Lasso: the facts, the gaps, and what her life looks like now.
Who Is Diana Lasso?
Diana Lasso is a Colombian-American singer, most widely recognised through her marriage to Wayne Brady, the comedian, singer, and television host. She was born on March 4, 1975, and grew up in Jackson Heights, New York, with her two siblings, Elena and Julie.
Born into a family passionate about music, Diana’s path into singing began early. Her grandmother’s love of music reportedly shaped her childhood, and by the time she moved to the United States she was already pursuing a career as a professional musician. That context matters: Diana Lasso was not someone who stumbled into music after a celebrity marriage. She was already on that road when she met Wayne Brady.
A few basic facts about her background are worth flagging as genuinely uncertain. Different sources list different parent names, some say Carlos A. Lasso and Inez Lasso, others name Isabel Gamboa. Her birthplace is listed as Colombia by most sources, though at least one notes she was born in the USA to Colombian parents. Given her own preference for privacy, none of these details have been officially confirmed.
Diana Lasso’s Music Career
Sometime in her life, she moved to the United States, and she was already trying her hand at a music career when she met fellow entertainer Wayne Brady.
After the divorce, it was a difficult time for Lasso, but she eventually moved on with her life. She tried her hand once more at a career in the music industry, returning to her home in Colombia to pursue her passion. That gamble paid off. Her music is highly acclaimed in her native Colombia, with her song “Esta Noche No” being her most renowned piece. The title translates roughly as “Not Tonight” in English, and the track became her calling card, picking up radio play and attention in Latin music circles.
Her song “Esta Noche No” attracted a lot of radio play and popularity in local stores around 2014 and was a catalyst in her emergence to the spotlight. She began to get invitations as a guest in various radio and television programs.
She also has a YouTube channel under the name “DIANA LASSO Music” where the song is available, and at various points maintained accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, though her activity has been inconsistent in recent years. As of now, it looks like Lasso has taken something of a hiatus from her singing career. Looking through her social media, she travels widely and enjoys nature photography.
How Diana Lasso Met Wayne Brady
Brady married Diana Lasso on December 31, 1993. New Year’s Eve. The details of exactly how they met remain murky; most sources acknowledge the specifics have never been publicly confirmed. What’s known is that both were in the entertainment industry, both were young, and the attraction moved fast.
At the time of their marriage, Diana was 18 and her partner Wayne was 21. Wayne Brady had not yet broken nationally at that point. His big moment was a regular spot on the American version of Whose Line Is It Anyway? came in 1998, three years after the divorce was already finalized. So Diana married him before the fame, not because of it.
The Marriage and Divorce
After two years of marriage, Diana Lasso and Wayne Brady decided to end their relationship. They officially divorced on September 21, 1995. There was no big public drama. There were no cheating stories or scandals in the news. It was mainly about timing and maturity.
Wayne Brady has been more forthcoming about the split than Diana. According to Closer Weekly, Wayne said he married young, which could have been why the marriage did not work. He stated: “My first wife is a great person, but you should not be getting married when you’re 20 or 21 because you still don’t know yourself. I think the lesson was not to rush into things.”
Reports suggest their divorce was partly because of Wayne’s constant busy schedule; he was always travelling and rarely had time for his new bride. Other findings also indicate that Wayne had a long-time struggle with clinical depression.
No children came from the marriage. This is worth stating clearly because several lower-quality sources have incorrectly suggested otherwise. Wayne Brady’s daughter, Maile Masako Brady, was born in 2003 from his second marriage to dancer Mandie Taketa. Diana Lasso has no confirmed children.
What Happened to Diana Lasso After the Divorce?
Diana would go on to share her side of the story through YouTube, saying in her native tongue that she moved into a small house after the divorce, and struggled every day until she found her break in music. She didn’t do well initially, but held on and found success.
That honesty is rare. There was no carefully managed PR narrative. She returned to Colombia, worked on her music, and quietly rebuilt. She didn’t go on talk shows or share her story in the news. Diana chose peace over fame. She focused on her music, her family, and her own well-being.
Diana also uses her platform and fame to promote various fundraisers and engage in philanthropic work as often as possible.
As of 2026, Diana Lasso is believed to be living in Miami, Florida, far from Hollywood.
Diana Lasso’s Net Worth
Net worth figures for private individuals are always estimates, and Diana Lasso is no exception. In 2024, Diana Lasso’s estimated net worth is around $1 million, a figure that mirrors her success through music and creative work. Some sources put the figure slightly lower, around $800,000, while a small number claim higher. What most agree on is that her income comes primarily from her music career, not from her brief marriage.
For context, her ex-husband Wayne Brady’s net worth is estimated at over $12 million, built through his long television career. The gap is big, but it reflects the difference between a decades-long mainstream TV career and a music career focused largely on the Latin market in Colombia. That’s not a failure story, it’s a different story.
Wayne Brady’s Life After Diana
After the split from Diana, Wayne Brady married dancer Mandie Taketa on April 3, 1999. They have one child, a daughter born in 2003. Brady and Taketa separated on April 5, 2006; Taketa filed for divorce on July 2, 2007, and their divorce was finalized on April 14, 2008. They have remained close friends and co-parents.
In 2023, Wayne Brady made waves in the LGBTQ+ community when he announced that he was pansexual. He described the process of reaching that understanding as deeply personal, shaped in part by his relationships and his journey of self-discovery. His first marriage to Diana Lasso was, by his own account, part of that process of learning who he was and what he needed.
Brady’s career trajectory after the 1995 divorce reads like a textbook in late-career explosion. Five Emmy Awards, Let’s Make a Deal, Broadway runs in Kinky Boots, Hamilton, Chicago, and Moulin Rouge!. The man Diana Lasso married in 1993 became a very different public figure though by all accounts, she had already moved on long before any of that happened.
Diana Lasso in 2026: Where Is She Now?
As of 2026, Diana Lasso is 51 years old. She does not share much about her exact location, but her social media activity suggests she spends time in the United States. She lives a calm and private life. She is not active in television interviews. She does not appear at public celebrity events.
She travels a lot and enjoys nature photography. Her Instagram, under the handle @dlasso, features content tied to exploration and mindfulness of places, people, and her inner world.
She has largely stepped away from the “Wayne Brady’s ex-wife” identity that first put her name in search engines, and by all available signals, that’s entirely intentional. The music is still there. The creativity is still there. The fame, such as it was, has been let go.
FAQ: Diana Lasso
How old is Diana Lasso?
Diana Lasso was born on March 4, 1975. She turned 51 in 2026.
Did Diana Lasso and Wayne Brady have children together?
No. The marriage lasted approximately two years and produced no children. Wayne Brady’s daughter Maile Masako Brady was born in 2003 from his second marriage.
What is Diana Lasso’s most famous song?
“Esta Noche No” is her best-known track, a Spanish-language single that gained significant traction in Colombia and on Latin radio stations around 2014.
Where does Diana Lasso live now?
Multiple sources suggest she lives in Miami, Florida, as of 2026, though she has never confirmed this publicly.
What is Diana Lasso’s net worth?
Estimates vary, but the most frequently cited figure across multiple sources is approximately $1 million, earned primarily through her music career.
Why did Wayne Brady and Diana Lasso divorce?
Wayne Brady has cited youth and immaturity as the primary factors, noting that marrying at 20 or 21 means neither person fully knows themselves yet. Wayne’s demanding travel schedule and his personal struggle with depression have also been cited by various sources.
Diana Lasso’s story doesn’t have a dramatic arc in the traditional celebrity sense. No reality show, no memoir, no headline-grabbing return to the spotlight. What she has is something rarer: a quiet, self-directed life built entirely on her own terms after an early marriage to a famous man tried to define her. She didn’t let it. That’s the version of the story worth telling.
Read More About: Devon Erickson
