Inside Kevin Hart’s Hartbeat Company: “Chaos”

On the heels of his Netflix Is A Joke roast, the fire is being lit under Kevin Hart’s feet on the business side, too.

Bloomberg has published an article documenting “a year of chaos and conflict” at his Hartbeat company, which ended with him licensing his name and selling a stake in Hartbeat to Authentic Brands Group.

The downhill slide started in January 2025, after his last two CEOs left, and he assumed the role at Hartbeat. But Bloomberg alleges he’d go “weeks and sometimes months without visiting the office.”

Even worse, he was taking the reins just as Hollywood was hitting a slump, thanks to “rising interest rates and growing skepticism about the profitability of streaming,” so many media companies were going through rounds of layoffs and halting new projects.

Hartbeat wasn’t immune, as investment in new TV and film projects slowed, a trend only exacerbated by declining sales on the company’s YouTube channels.

Still, the company hired Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam to develop podcasts, but after their projects never got greenlit, they reportedly plotted to start their own company, and once Jeff Clanagan —former concert promoter and movie producer— found out, they were fired. Then they were sued for “alleged theft of trade secrets and breach of contract,” and even got a court-approved temporary restraining order.

A round of firings in December saw six more staffers gone. Hartbeat also fired the heads of its TV division, yet no official company-wide announcement was made to explain the firings.

Senior leadership held a meeting soon after, during which Hart reportedly spoke briefly at the end about the changes, but took no questions and changed his number shortly thereafter. 

A few weeks later, the Authentic Brands Group deal was finalized, and he used some of that capital to buy out Aubry Partners, putting him back in sole charge of his brand, separate from Hartbeat.

A clarifying email followed that called the shake-up a “turning point” for the company, and a section from Hart allegedly acknowledging the hiccups, writing, “I know the past few months have been tough.”

Bloomberg adds he noted that the company was too dependent on his individual success, and he signed off the email as “Kevin AKA Boss Man.”

See social media’s reaction to Hart’s business moves below.