Torrei Hart has faced a lot of criticism in the entertainment industry as her rise to fame was attached to the celebrity status of her ex-husband, Kevin Hart. She has openly admitted to writing some of his early work and being the inspiration behind several of his jokes.
But she said the foul remarks comparing her to his current wife, Eniko Hart, and battling the public’s opinion was a “hard” pill to swallow.
“In the beginning it was hard. It’s hard of course but I feel like — if I’m really being honest — it’s more so they demonize Black women,” she stated on “The Culture Club” talk show back in 2021. “Especially dark-skin Black women. Because that’s what I’ve seen in the media and what I’ve dealt with. I mean even when he moved on to a new relationship. It was like, ‘Oh, he’s got a come-up ’cause she’s lighter or whatever.”
But “that’s a whole other show,” she added before sharing she was called vile names and other things online. “Once he started putting out pictures of us all together as a family unit, there were a few pictures that went viral [from] birthday parties. I was the one like … if were going to be a family and we’re gonna show the world that we’re doing this, they should see the positive too.”
Torrei Hart Responds After Folks Criticize Her for Posting Photo with Kevin Hart and Wife Eniko: They ‘Never Put Up Pictures of You’: https://t.co/MmiV3f12Ke #BLM #blacklivesmatter #BLMNews pic.twitter.com/qr0qyucVAB
— BLM Report (@BLM_Report) November 19, 2018
Torrei said as the “bigger celebrity” it’s Kevin’s “responsibility” to address the public discourse, whether positive or negative. But she understands he could have been in a difficult place to do so.
“In the beginning he might have felt like he was being pulled in two different directions because he was in this new relationship and then it may seem like ‘I’m trying to get back with my ex-wife from doing too much to appease her. So how do I handle it?’ So he might have been in a tough situation because of that,” she confessed. “Or she could have been feeling some type of insecurities.”
Torrei and Kevin officially divorced in 2011 after his infidelities and during his rise as one of the top comedic acts in Hollywood. They welcomed two children, son Hendrix and daughter, Heaven, during their eight-year marriage. That same year, the “Ride Along” actor went public with his current wife, Eniko Hart, who he married years later in 2014.
Rumors has it that Eniko met Kevin in 2009 and began dealing with Kevin when his marriage to Torrei was in “shambles.” Torrei has often expressed her belief that Kevin was cheating with Eniko during their marriage, though Eniko vehemently denied it.
But the funnyman has openly admitted to his past faults as a cheater in a few of his early comedy specials, but has never directly cleared up the timeline of when he began dating Eniko. He previously called her his “rib” in various interviews and publically declared, “It’s too risky to cheat,” during a 2016 interview on “The Breakfast Club.”
Sadly, a year later, the “Lift” actor was embroiled in a public cheating scandal that nearly destroyed his second marriage. An FBI investigation discovered a failed extortion attempt, demanding Hart pay $10 million to suppress a sexually suggestive tape of him cheating on Eniko.
I always side eyed Kevin Hart for leaving his dark skin wife for a light skin girl. NOW he cheating on his light skin wife w/ a white girl. pic.twitter.com/E8TOzicJOS
— ✨️👢Yee-Haw Yonce👢✨️ (@gorgeousglamher) July 19, 2017
The alleged extortionist is Hart’s former friend, Jonathan Todd Jackson, who allegedly placed a camera in the room to capture his tryst with a woman named Montia Sabbag at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.
The case was dismissed and Hart apologized in a viral Instagram video shared in September 2017. Meanwhile, viewers didn’t learn the impact his infidelity had on his marriage to Eniko until seeing her crying her eyes out in his Netflix docuseries “Don’t F–k This Up.” The cheating video also caused Hart to dodge a $60 million lawsuit from Sabbag, who blamed Hart for allowing Jackson in the room.
The “Jumanji” star was suspected of cheating again recently after Eniko shared a cryptic post, though no rumors about this have surfaced.
Yet, Hart’s former assistant’s, Miesha Shakes, claimed to have proof of numerous times he cheated on his second wife. She discussed scandalous details about her time working under the owner of Kevin Hart Enterprises during a live interview with gossip blogger Tasha K.
Hart later sued Tasha K for defamation and Shakes for revealing what she claims to have heard while “eavesdropping” during his private conversations. He also claimed he received a call from someone on behalf of Tasha K, claiming she demanded $250,000 before the interview went live not to release it.
He is currently seeking punitive damages for any harm to his career and reputation.
