Torrei Hart and Kevin Hart have come a long way since divorcing over a decade ago. They welcomed two children during their eight-year marriage, but Kevin’s cheating during their marital union and remarks after the divorce made it difficult for them to co-exist as former spouses.
On a resurfaced episode of “The Culture Club” with Osei the Dark Secret and special guest host Claudia Jordan, Torrei candidly discussed a significant conversation she had with Kevin that also helped their co-parenting relationship.
The Philly comedienne has repeatedly taken credit for some of the “Ride Along” actor’s jokes during his early standups and televised specials. But she has since asked her ex to stop talking or referencing her in his comedy specials.
She then believed not only did they place her in an uncomfortable position, but also that she no longer financially benefits from being part of his material.
During a segment where Jordan touched on the broader topic of maintaining amicable relationships with ex-partners, fellow guest Tameka Foster shared her experience with her ex-husband, Usher Raymond. She stated that his public comments also affected her professional opportunities.
Torrei said she resonated with Foster’s experience, prompting her to share how she and Kevin came to an understanding about jokes he has made about her.
“I’ve had somebody tell me, Claudia, that ‘we love you… We want to work with you… but we’re scared because of Kevin,’” the ex of the “Jumanji” actor said in 2022.
“I’m like, ‘Scared of what? He’s never gonna work with you… Ever?’” she joked. “‘What are you scared of? You don’t have a chance in hell to work with him.’ So what I don’t understand what she’s scared about.”
According to Torrei, there’s a “mentality in Hollywood” where people feel they “have to pick a certain side” when a male celebrity leaves his wife. But she and Kevin had a candid conversation about this, and he understood where she was coming from.
“I did the last episode of ‘Real Husbands of Hollywood.’ He put me on that,” she said, referring to Kevin’s show that aired on BET. “So I started telling him [and] this is where stuff started clearing up.”
“I was like ‘Kev, like, the last Netflix special … like, before I was getting paid off them jokes.’ I’m like ‘None of that money’s coming to me anymore,’ So, yes, stop putting me in the jokes, because I just don’t like it anymore,” Torrei explained. “That’s when he started realizing, like, ‘Oh yeah. OK. You’re right. So that’s when a turning point happened for us and when I got out of the material more, it [their relationship] became better.”
Torrei and Kevin divorced in 2011 due to Kevin’s infidelity, which he has adamantly confessed to.
During and after the marriage, he often referenced his ex-wife in his stand-ups, interviews and other bits and according to Torrei, she helped craft some of those jokes.
In Kevin’s “I’m a Grown Little Man” in 2009, which was a half-hour special on Comedy Central, he joked out the gate he was “mad” at Torrei for “dressing them in different colors” when they go out with their two kids because they looked like circus clowns.
“Solid colors from now on,” Kevin joked, before weaving all kinds of zingers where Torrei had a role in them, including a time when she was in Maui where she really didn’t respect him and to get at him she “sings” to get him “mad.”
“You ain’t gonna do s—t, n—gggggggga. You ain’t gonna do s—t,” he said she would chant before making it into a cheer song and he just had to sit there looking dumb.
Kevin also mentioned his then-wife in his “Seriously Funny” special in 2010. In it, he talks about their arguments and everyday living. He actually mentions that he knows Torrei doesn’t like him saying jokes about her in his routines.
After the divorce, she continued to pop up in Kevin’s specials for at least five years. He mentioned their arguments and his infidelity in his 2011 special, “Laugh at My Pain.”
When he dropped “Let Me Explain” in 2013 he talked about the process of getting divorced and the emotional turmoil it brought. He then joked about the legal aspects and the financial impact, saying, “Divorce is like getting hit by a bus. It’s painful and it’s expensive.”
The “Lift” actor, who currently has an estimated net worth of $450 million, acknowledged his faults in their union, including cheating, and uses some self-deprecating humor to discuss how his actions led to the end of the marriage.
It was during this time, during the taping of his BET reality show’s fifth season, that she asked him to leave her out of his jokes.
Kevin seems to have honored his word to her.
In 2016, in his special “What Now?” he talked about his personal growth. While he doesn’t delve deeply into details about Torrei in this special, he makes it clear that his experiences with her were a significant part of his journey.
Now, he only puts his kids in his story. However, at least one of them doesn’t like being a source of content for his comedy.
During a recent interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” show with host Anderson Cooper, Heaven Hart, Torrei and Kevin’s only daughter and eldest child, said he is not allowed to include her in his routines because it embarrasses her.
Cooper asked, “He’s told jokes about you onstage. … What’s that like?”
“Yeah,” Heaven replied, before sarcastically saying. “Well, you know. It’s great. It’s fantastic.”
“You’re lying,” Kevin interjects. “You got mad at me.”
“Why is he blowing my business out there?” says Kevin Hart’s daughter, Heaven. He’s promised to not talk about his daughter in his stand-up routines. https://t.co/SBOZM5T0CB pic.twitter.com/dwlKFyZcYE
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) April 24, 2024
“Some of them suck,” the daughter then continued. “Some of them definitely sucked. Why is he blowing my business out there? He’s a little sneaky guy.”
“The older she got, she got more vocal about what she liked and what she didn’t. In all seriousness, as your kid grows older, you have to be a little more conscious,” he later explained.
