Kevin Hart Is Reportedly Scaling Back His Role At Hartbeat
Kevin Hart has been absent from his company, Hartbreak, for weeks, leaving employees worried after layoffs, according to Bloomberg. Hart has also changed his phone number since the layoffs that eliminated almost 25% of his workforce.
Layoffs at Hartbeat Studios
In January 2025, Hart became the CEO of his entertainment company, Hartbeat Productions. Two CEOs left the company within 15 months, while nearly 20 employees were dismissed during the same period. The CEO’s exits were due to differences of opinion over the company’s strategic direction. However, they left the company on good terms, as reported by Bloomberg.
Now, staff reported that Hart has vanished from the office and left the day-to-day delegations to longtime lieutenant Jeff Clanagan and CFO Eric Stoneburner.
There were further cuts to employees in podcasts and scripted TV, including executives involved in a “Barbershop” TV adaptation for Amazon and a second season of the animated series “Lil Kev.”
About Hartbeat Productions
As a successful actor and comedian, Hart wanted to build something big. So, he created a separate company, Laugh Out Loud, to produce comedic videos for the internet. Hart also founded an advertising business with clients such as Lyft and Procter & Gamble. Additionally, he made YouTube videos and podcasts for SiriusXM.
When he founded Hartbeat in 2022, he brought all his ventures under the Hartbeat banner, naming Thai Randolph, who led Laugh Out Loud, as CEO. “We’ve been very deliberate about diversifying our businesses,” Randolph told Bloomberg TV in 2023. However, the company struggled to thrive under Hollywood’s economic crisis.
In 2022, Hartbreat raised $100 million from Abry Partners at a $650 million valuation. Though it isn’t a small production company, it wasn’t large enough to be a studio.
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