Phthalate (2-ethylhexyl) ester (DEHP) is a synthetic plasticizer of organic compounds, which is widely used in personal care, medical devices, food packaging, and plastic manufacturing due to its excellent flexibility, plasticity, and durability. DEHP is widespread in soil, water, atmosphere, and other environments. As DEHP is a common endocrine disruptor with reproductive toxicity, immunotoxicity, and neurotoxicity, it not only poses a threat to the ecological environment, but also enters the human body through the food chain to bring harm to health. Therefore, removing DEHP from the environment has attracted great attention. The biodegradation of DEHP is considered to be greenest and environmentally friendly degradation method, and many researches on the biodegradation of DEHP have been reported. In this paper, the harm of DEHP pollution, current situation of bacterial biodegradation, complete degradation pathway (including ester bond hydrolysis, β oxidation, protocatechuic acid degradation, benzoic acid degradation, and tricarboxylic acid cycle), and molecular mechanism are reviewed, and problems existing in the biodegradation of DEHP are summarized and prospected, which are listed below. (1) At present,the research on the biodegradation of DEHP mainly focuses on the domestication screening of degrading bacteria and the analysis of degradation properties, but the research on the functional genes of degradation is not deep enough. Therefore, more research on the functional genes of the degrading strains should be conducted while screening strains. (2) Although several biodegradation pathways of DEHP have been reported, the molecular mechanisms of the side chain β-oxidation of DEHP and the anaerobic degradation pathway of PA have been less studied and not yet understood, so revealing the mechanisms of these specific degradation pathways at the genetic level is necessary. (3) Most DEHP-degrading enzymes are derived from culturable microorganisms. Using metagenomic technology, all of the genetic resources in the environment can be mined in the future to obtain more novel DEHP-degrading enzymes. (4) The majority of research on DEHP biodegradation is still in the laboratory stage, and few researchers have applied it to the remediation of actual environmental pollution. Considering the significant difference between the laboratory and the actual environment, how to apply the research results obtained in the laboratory to the remediation of DEHP pollution in the natural environment and the resolution of practical issues is a problem that researchers need to consider and solve further. This review will provide a reference for effective biodegradation of DEHP in the environment.