Kevin Hart Steps Back From Media Company During Layoffs and Financial Turmoil

Kevin Hart vanished from his media company Hartbeat’s offices for weeks or months at a time after resuming the CEO role in January 2025, according to a Bloomberg News report. The comedian left employees to handle layoffs, canceled meetings and financial difficulties without his day-to-day presence.

Hart had vowed to unveil a strategy to stabilize the business following a series of executive departures. The company fired about 20 out of roughly 80 employees days before Thanksgiving. It later cut additional workers tied to podcasting and scripted television.

Following one round of layoffs, executives held a Zoom meeting in which Hart appeared off-camera until he spoke briefly about the restructuring and ended the session without taking questions. In the weeks after the layoffs, Hart changed his phone number.

Bloomberg News reported that advisers had encouraged him to make himself less accessible. The report said Hart delegated control to a longtime lieutenant and the chief financial officer.

Hartbeat was formed after Hart merged his production company with the digital comedy brand Laugh Out Loud in 2022. The business sold a 15 percent stake to a private equity firm in a deal that valued Hartbeat at roughly $650 million. It focused on film and television production, short-form digital video and branded advertising.

The company secured partnerships with Netflix, SiriusXM and Audible. It also worked with advertisers that included Lyft, Procter & Gamble and DraftKings. Hartbeat moved into a 40,000-square-foot office space in West Hollywood that had previously been occupied by Oprah Winfrey.

As the streaming boom slowed and media companies reduced spending, Hartbeat began to lose money. The company closed its New York office while executives urged scaling back operations. A deal reached earlier this year with a licensing firm allowed Hart to gradually buy out the private equity investor and regain control over his name, image and likeness rights.

Some employees interpreted the deal as a sign that Hart was distancing himself from the company. ” Hart addressed the company’s direction in a recent interview. “What we do very well at Hartbeat studio that I oversee as chairman and CEO is not just highlight women of color, but we try to remove the stigma,” he said.

News of the business challenges emerged as Hart was featured in a Netflix roast special on Sunday.