[15] Initially interested in becoming either a fashion designer or record producer,[16] Denise pursues several short-lived part-time jobs, from which she is either fired or quits after a brief period of time, before traveling to Africa to work as a wildlife photographer's assistant.

[6] Denise returns to the Huxtable household one year later, this time as the second wife of a divorced United States Navy officer, Lt. Martin Kendall (Joseph C. Phillips) – who she has married without her family's knowledge – and stepmother to his three-year-old daughter Olivia (Raven-Symoné).

[27] Denise is portrayed by American actress Lisa Bonet, whose acting experience prior to The Cosby Show had been limited to television commercials and a guest appearance on the medical drama St.

[22] Impressed by the young actress' strong sense of self,[23] producer Marcy Carsey said Bonet wore braces, a "real kid" hairstyle,[23] and "off-center" clothing to her audition, which were very similar to what the creators had always envisioned for Denise.

[28] They described Bonet as a young woman who refuses to be anything but herself based on the actress' natural line delivery,[23][28] which Cosby found refreshing compared to the "stagey" acting most child auditionees relied on.

[21] Being of mixed ethnicity, her character's upbringing "as a teen-ager in a well-adjusted, upper-middle-class black family" is remarkably different from how Bonet grew up, which took some time for the actress to adjust to; she never knew her father and was raised by her mother in a lower-middle-class, mostly white neighborhood.

[5][14] To allow Bonet time to have her baby,[60] her character was written out of the series for a year by having Denise announce she has dropped out of Hillman to pursue a job opportunity as a wildlife photographer's assistant in Africa (after having briefly attempted to become a fashion designer or record producer).

[81] When Bonet declined to attend The Cosby Show: A Look Back,[82] a retrospective television special hosted by NBC in 2002, she explained, "The whole experience and energy behind it felt disingenuous and motivated by corporate profit.

[97][98] Kamille Cooper, contributing to Vibe, described the character's wardrobe as "synonymous with 90's trends and groovy 70's-inspired prints–even more so perpetuated by her carefree persona", identifying "her ability to mix prints and patterns effortlessly to embellished adornments on fedoras and blazers".

: How Friends & Strangers Helped Shape My Style, described the character's wardrobe as "drapey and Japanese-y and so perfectly '80s", which she believes only improves once she transitions from The Cosby Show to A Different World.

[81] Author Mark Whitaker wrote in his book Cosby: His Life and Times that the character resembles a "laconic mixture of sweetness and sarcasm that captured the ironic detachment that was becoming a hallmark of Generation X.

[18] While Sondra successfully graduates from Princeton University, Denise drops out of Hillman, travels to Africa and marries a Navy lieutenant instead, representing "that children don't always grow up how parents expect", according to the Ames Tribune.

[112] Writing for the same publication, Joshua Alston believes that Bonet's real-life "earth-mother persona was integrated into the character, and became a riff on what rich-kid rebellion might look like for a wealthy black family.

[78][55] Denise was quickly established as an audience favorite during the show's earliest seasons,[92][113] which Mental Floss writer Kara Kovalchik attributed to her "typical teenage carefree attitude and her cutting-edge fashion sense".

[115] Entertainment critic Ken Tucker said "the clever contrast between Bonet's sloe eyed sexiness and her teenybopper sense of humor ... made her the standout member of Bill Cosby's clan".

[92] Vibe's Greg Tate believes Bonet's performance "won the heart of just about every young black woman who didn't fit the mold of debutante, fly girl or hoochie mama".

[128] Writing for the same publication, Kevin O'Keefe ranked Denise fifth because he struggled to "understand her motivations", finding her relationship with straight man Martin unconvincing due to her free-spirited nature.

[28] Some media headlines, such as USA Today's "X has Cosby kid's film on spot", gave readers the impression that "all 77 million weekly watchers are outraged by the behavior of their little Denise", according to Trustman Senger of The Washington Post.

[23] Cosby eventually said that he was not particularly fond of Bonet's role in the film, which he dismissed as "a movie made by white America that cast a black girl, gave her voodoo things to do and have sex".

[37] Envisioning Black Feminist Voodoo Aesthetics: African Spirituality in American Cinema author Kameelah L. Martin believes that Cosby's avoidance of the film only augmented the controversy surrounding Bonet's role.

[121] Victor Valle of the Los Angeles Times wondered if the sex scene would harm Bonet's "wholesome TV image" on both The Cosby Show and the then-upcoming A Different World.

[145] Journalist Emily St. James agreed that the actress "wasn't yet ready to carry a show", blaming her "sleepy demeanor and subdued line readings" for encouraging audiences to gravitate towards more interesting supporting characters.

[45] Emily Nussbaum, television critic for The New York Times, reviewed Denise as "so diffident she seemed barely there",[146] and Scott Weinberg of DVD Talk said Bonet's acting discouraged him from completing the first season.

[149] Television critic Marvin Kitman credited Bonet with making the show work, saying she approaches her performance with "deceptively different style of comedy" from traditional comediennes, despite the limitations of her role.

[42] In his biography of the actress, Michael Hastings of AllMovie said that after "assert[ing] herself as one of the most memorable kids in the Huxtable clan", Bonet has "enjoy[ed] a longevity that few former child stars can claim".

[123] Vibe's Kamille Cooper crowned the character "the epitome of the Bohemian Chic" and described her overall wardrobe as a "pop culture phenomenon", observing that women continue to emulate Denise's style decades after The Cosby Show ended.

[162] In 2014, Bustle compared Denise's impact on fashion to Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City and the cast of Gossip Girl, with author Cherise Luter calling her clothes as appropriate for the present as they were for the 1980s.

[32] Agreeing that Denise is a precursor to Carrie Bradshaw and Cookie Lyon from Empire, Julee Wilson of HuffPost named her "one of our first TV style crushes", crediting the character with teaching fans how to layer and accessorize.

[175] Sherri Williams of The Washington Post described both Denise and Bonet as it-girls "of the 1980s whose unique style and independence endeared audiences",[176] and AfterEllen's Erin Faith Wilson called the character one of her favorite television crushes from the time period.

"[180] A. Bottinick of TV Insider identified both characters' pursuit of higher education and African American heritage among their similarities, dubbing them both "the teen style icons of their time and—quite surprisingly, considering their shows take place years apart—have donned quite a few of the same looks.