When you think of Mark Laita, you probably picture the man behind Soft White Underbelly – that raw, unflinching YouTube channel that gives voice to people society often ignores. But here’s something most people don’t know: for 25 years, there was a woman standing beside him through it all. Mark Laita wife, Elizabeth Susan, wasn’t just along for the ride. She was building her own career, raising two incredible daughters, and somehow managing to keep their family grounded while Mark’s work took him into some pretty dark corners of human experience.
Their story isn’t your typical Hollywood romance. It’s messier, more real, and honestly, more interesting than most celebrity marriages you read about. Elizabeth – or “Ellie” as friends call her – was never content to just be “the photographer’s wife.” She had her own dreams, her own talents, and her own very strong opinions about how life should be lived.
When their marriage ended in 2014, it wasn’t with tabloid drama or bitter court battles. Instead, it was two people who’d grown in different directions finally admitting that sometimes love isn’t enough to keep a marriage together. But here’s the thing that really gets me about their story – they figured out how to do divorce right. Their daughters are thriving, both parents are happier, and nobody’s throwing shade on social media.
Who is Elizabeth Susan?
Let me tell you about Elizabeth Susan, because she’s way more interesting than just being Mark Laita’s ex-wife. Born in September 1963, she’s one of those people who refuses to be put in a box. Singer? Check. Actress? Yep. Motivational speaker? Absolutely. Teacher? She’s done that too. Try explaining that combination at a dinner party.
Elizabeth grew up with big dreams and the work ethic to match them. She made her way to Loyola University Chicago, where she probably drove her professors crazy with questions and ideas. That’s just who she is – someone who wants to understand everything and then figure out how to make it better.
When she started her professional entertainment career in 1998, the industry was different. Social media wasn’t a thing, and you actually had to show up and do the work to get noticed. Elizabeth did exactly that. Her resume might not scream “A-list celebrity,” but it tells the story of someone who kept showing up, kept improving, and kept believing in herself even when the odds weren’t great.
Here’s what I love about Elizabeth’s approach to her career: she never saw her different interests as competing with each other. Teaching informed her motivational speaking. Acting made her a better performer. Singing gave her confidence on stage. She built a career that actually made sense for who she is as a person, not what other people thought she should be doing.
And then there’s the surfing. Oh man, the surfing. If you follow Elizabeth on social media now, you’ll see this woman in her 60s absolutely crushing it on waves that would terrify most people half her age. It’s not just a hobby for her – it’s like watching someone who’s finally found their true element. The ocean doesn’t care about your resume or your ex-husband’s fame. It just demands that you show up present and fearless. That’s Elizabeth in a nutshell.
The Marriage That Lasted 25 Years
Mark and Elizabeth’s love story started in the late 1980s, back when people actually had to meet in person and cell phones were the size of bricks. Mark was grinding it out as a commercial photographer, probably living on coffee and determination, trying to make a name for himself in an incredibly competitive field.
What drew them together? I’m guessing it was that shared understanding of what it means to be an artist trying to make it in the world. Elizabeth was pursuing her own creative dreams, and Mark was building his photography career. They probably recognized something in each other – that mix of ambition and vulnerability that comes with putting your art out there for the world to judge.
The early years of their marriage coincided with Mark’s rise in commercial photography. We’re talking major league clients here: Apple, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Coca-Cola, Adidas. These aren’t companies that hire photographers on a whim. They want perfection, and they want it yesterday. Elizabeth wasn’t just along for this ride – she was the one making sure Mark could focus on his work while still having something resembling a normal family life.
Think about what that actually means. Mark’s job required him to be obsessive about details, to travel constantly, and to pour his emotional energy into creating images that would sell products. That’s not exactly conducive to romantic dinners and weekend getaways. Elizabeth had to be incredibly strong and independent to not just survive that lifestyle, but to thrive in it while building her own career.
For 25 years, they made it work. That’s not luck – that’s two people who decided their partnership was worth fighting for, even when it got difficult. They raised two daughters who are now successful adults. They supported each other’s dreams. They built something real together, even if it ultimately didn’t last forever.
The fact that their marriage eventually ended doesn’t diminish what they accomplished together. If anything, it makes their story more honest. Not every love story has a fairy tale ending, and that’s okay. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is recognize when you’ve grown in different directions and give each other permission to find happiness elsewhere.
Mark Laita Wife Divorce: What We Know
July 31, 2014. That’s the date Elizabeth Susan walked into the Los Angeles County Superior Court and filed for divorce from Mark Laita. After 25 years of marriage, she was done. The divorce was finalized a year later, in July 2015, and here’s what’s remarkable about the whole thing: nobody threw anyone under the bus.
In a world where celebrity divorces usually involve leaked text messages, bitter custody battles, and competing tell-all interviews, Mark and Elizabeth did something radical. They kept their mouths shut. To this day, neither of them has publicly explained what went wrong. They’ve chosen dignity over drama, and honestly, that tells you everything you need to know about who they are as people.
But let’s read between the lines a little bit. The timing of their divorce is interesting. This was right around when Mark was getting deeper into the work that would eventually become Soft White Underbelly. If you know anything about that project, you know it’s not exactly light entertainment. Mark was spending his time interviewing people dealing with addiction, homelessness, trauma, and every other form of human suffering you can imagine.
That kind of work changes you. It has to. You can’t spend your days documenting pain and injustice without it affecting how you see the world, how you relate to people, how you think about your own life. I’m not saying that’s what ended their marriage – I have no idea, and neither do you. But it’s worth considering that sometimes people grow in directions that take them away from each other, even when they still love each other.
What I respect most about their divorce is how they handled it. No public mudslinging. No attempts to turn their daughters against the other parent. No bitter social media posts or strategic leaks to gossip magazines. They acted like adults who understood that their children’s wellbeing was more important than their own hurt feelings.
That’s rare. That’s really, really rare. And it suggests that whatever went wrong between them, they never lost respect for each other as people and as parents.
Their Daughters: Alexandra and Olivia Laita
Want to know if Mark and Elizabeth did something right during their marriage? Look at their daughters. Alexandra and Olivia Laita are the kind of young women who make you believe in the next generation. They’re talented, driven, and grounded in a way that’s pretty remarkable for kids who grew up in the spotlight.
Alexandra Laita: The Volleyball Star
Alexandra, born December 19, 2000, is what happens when natural talent meets relentless work ethic. At 6’2″, she’s got the physical tools to dominate on a volleyball court, but height only gets you so far. Alexandra earned her success the hard way, grinding through practices, studying game film, and pushing herself to be better every single day.
Her high school career at Palisades Charter was the stuff of local legend. Player of the Year in 2017 – that’s not a participation trophy. That’s recognition that you’re the best at what you do in a region full of incredibly talented athletes. But here’s what really impresses me about Alexandra: she didn’t let that success go to her head. She kept working, kept improving, and earned her spot on the University of Oregon volleyball team.
College athletics is a whole different beast. The competition is fiercer, the expectations are higher, and the margin for error is basically nonexistent. Alexandra has not just survived at that level – she’s thrived. And when she’s not on the court, she’s exploring photography and nature, clearly influenced by her father’s artistic eye but finding her own way to see the world.
Olivia Laita: The Rising Model
Then there’s Olivia, born in June 2003, who decided to take on one of the most brutal industries in the world: modeling. If you think volleyball is competitive, try being a young woman trying to make it in fashion. The rejection rate is astronomical, the standards are often unrealistic, and the industry can chew up and spit out even the most talented people.
But Olivia isn’t just surviving – she’s building a real career. She’s signed with Margaux The Agency in Los Angeles, and her Instagram shows someone who takes her craft seriously. These aren’t just pretty pictures; they’re the work of someone who understands that modeling is about more than just looking good. It’s about conveying emotion, telling stories, and connecting with an audience.
What strikes me most about both daughters is how normal they seem despite growing up with a famous father and all the complications that come with divorce. They’re pursuing their passions, supporting each other, and maintaining relationships with both parents. That doesn’t happen by accident. That’s the result of two parents who, whatever their personal issues, never forgot that their kids came first.
Elizabeth Susan’s Life After Divorce
After 25 years in Los Angeles, Elizabeth Susan did something that probably surprised everyone who knew her: she packed up and moved to Beaufort, South Carolina. Not exactly the move you’d expect from someone who’d spent decades in the entertainment industry, but it makes perfect sense when you understand who Elizabeth really is.
Beaufort is about as far from Hollywood as you can get while still staying in America. It’s historic, it’s coastal, and it moves at a pace that actually allows you to think. For someone who’d spent years supporting a high-profile career while building her own, the change must have felt like finally being able to breathe again.
The move wasn’t just about geography – it was about reclaiming her identity. In Los Angeles, Elizabeth was always going to be “Mark Laita’s wife” or “Mark Laita’s ex-wife.” In Beaufort, she could just be Elizabeth. She could surf every day if she wanted to. She could focus on her motivational speaking without the constant noise of the entertainment industry. She could figure out who she was when she wasn’t defined by her relationship to someone else.
And the surfing – my God, the surfing. Elizabeth’s social media is full of her out on the waves, and she looks absolutely fearless. There’s something beautiful about watching someone in their 60s discover (or rediscover) something that brings them pure joy. The ocean doesn’t care about your past or your ex-husband’s YouTube channel. It just demands that you be present, be brave, and be willing to get knocked down and get back up.
The distance from her daughters could have been a problem, but Elizabeth and her girls have figured it out. Modern technology helps, but more importantly, Alexandra and Olivia are adults now who can make their own decisions about relationships. The fact that they all seem close suggests that Elizabeth’s move to South Carolina was about finding happiness, not running away from responsibility.
Elizabeth’s new life looks like freedom. Not the kind of freedom that comes from having no responsibilities, but the kind that comes from finally living according to your own values instead of other people’s expectations. That’s a kind of courage that’s worth admiring.
Mark Laita’s Current Relationship Status
Since his divorce from Elizabeth, Mark Laita has been pretty much married to his work. And when I say married to his work, I mean it in the most literal sense possible. In a 2024 interview, he said that Soft White Underbelly “takes up all of my time—literally all of it.” That’s not hyperbole. That’s a man who’s found his calling and is willing to sacrifice everything else for it.
The work Mark does isn’t just time-consuming – it’s emotionally exhausting. He spends his days talking to people who are dealing with addiction, trauma, homelessness, and every other form of human suffering you can imagine. Then he goes home and edits those interviews, writes descriptions, responds to comments, and plans the next day’s shoots. It’s the kind of work that doesn’t leave much room for dating apps and romantic dinners.
But in June 2025, Mark shared something that gave us a rare glimpse into his personal life. In a video called “How Childhood Trauma Destroys Us,” he opened up about losing his girlfriend. The pain in his voice was real, and it reminded everyone that behind the camera, Mark is just a human being dealing with the same losses and heartbreaks as everyone else.
The fact that he’d been in a relationship at all was news to most people. Mark has always been incredibly private about his personal life, and for good reason. When your work involves documenting other people’s most vulnerable moments, the last thing you want is your own life becoming a distraction from their stories.
His girlfriend’s death seems to have hit him hard, which makes sense. At 65, Mark probably wasn’t expecting to fall in love again, and losing someone you care about at that stage of life has to be devastating. The fact that he chose to share his grief with his audience shows both his vulnerability and his commitment to authenticity.
Right now, there’s no indication that Mark is dating anyone new. His focus seems to be on his work, his daughters, and processing his loss. At his age, with his level of commitment to Soft White Underbelly, it’s entirely possible that he’s made peace with being single. Not everyone needs to be in a relationship to be happy, and Mark seems to have found meaning and purpose in his work that fills whatever void might exist in his personal life.
Co-Parenting and Family Dynamics
Here’s something that will restore your faith in humanity: Mark and Elizabeth figured out how to divorce without destroying their family. In a world where celebrity breakups usually involve custody battles and public mudslinging, these two managed to put their daughters first and keep their personal issues private.
The evidence is in the results. Alexandra is crushing it in college volleyball. Olivia is building a modeling career. Both daughters seem to have strong relationships with both parents. That doesn’t happen by accident, especially when one parent lives in California and the other is in South Carolina.
Mark’s social media gives us occasional glimpses into his relationship with his daughters, and it’s clear he’s proud of them. There was this great post from 2019 where he talked about Alexandra suggesting they have a “no cell phone” dinner. His comment about actually interacting “just like humans used to” was both funny and touching. It showed a father who appreciates his daughter’s wisdom and isn’t too proud to learn from her.
The fact that both daughters are succeeding in highly competitive fields tells you something about the support system they have. College athletics and professional modeling aren’t just about talent – they require emotional support, financial resources, and the kind of guidance that comes from involved parents. Alexandra and Olivia are getting that support, which means Mark and Elizabeth have figured out how to work together even though they’re no longer together.
Elizabeth’s move to South Carolina could have complicated things, but it seems like everyone has adapted. The daughters are adults now, so they can make their own decisions about how to maintain relationships with both parents. The fact that the family still seems close suggests that Elizabeth’s move was about finding her own happiness, not escaping from her responsibilities as a mother.
What impresses me most about this family is their commitment to privacy. They could easily capitalize on Mark’s fame by sharing more details about their personal lives, but they’ve chosen not to. They’ve kept their focus on what matters: supporting each other and building lives they can be proud of.
That’s not easy to do when you’re dealing with divorce, geographic separation, and the pressures that come with having a public figure in the family. But somehow, they’ve made it work. They’ve shown that it’s possible to end a marriage while preserving the family, and that’s a lesson worth learning from.
Conclusion
The story of Mark Laita wife Elizabeth Susan isn’t your typical celebrity marriage and divorce saga. There are no villains here, no dramatic betrayals, no bitter custody battles played out in the tabloids. Instead, it’s the story of two people who built something beautiful together, recognized when it was time to move on, and figured out how to do it with grace and dignity.
Elizabeth’s journey from entertainment industry professional to South Carolina surfer is the kind of reinvention that takes real courage. She could have stayed in Los Angeles, living off her connection to Mark’s fame, but instead she chose to build a life that reflects her own values and interests. That takes guts, especially when you’re starting over in your 50s.
Mark’s continued dedication to Soft White Underbelly, even at the cost of his personal relationships, shows a level of commitment to his art that’s both admirable and a little heartbreaking. His recent loss reminds us that even people who seem to have it all figured out are dealing with the same human struggles as everyone else.
But the real success story here is their daughters. Alexandra and Olivia are thriving in their respective fields, and they seem to have inherited the best qualities from both parents: Elizabeth’s independence and determination, Mark’s artistic vision and work ethic. They’re proof that sometimes the most loving thing parents can do is show their children that it’s okay to change course when something isn’t working anymore.
In a world where we’re constantly bombarded with stories of celebrity dysfunction and family drama, the Laita family offers something different. They’ve shown that it’s possible to end a marriage without destroying a family, to pursue your own happiness without abandoning your responsibilities, and to maintain dignity even when your personal life is playing out in public.
Elizabeth Susan will always be known as Mark Laita’s ex-wife, but her story is so much bigger than that. She’s a woman who refused to be defined by her relationship to someone else, who had the courage to start over when she needed to, and who figured out how to find joy and purpose on her own terms. That’s a story worth telling, and it’s a life worth admiring.
The legacy of their 25-year marriage isn’t just in the successful careers they built or the beautiful daughters they raised. It’s in the example they’ve set for how to handle life’s inevitable changes with maturity, respect, and love. In a world that often seems to reward drama and dysfunction, they’ve chosen a different path. And honestly, we could all learn something from that choice.
