Inside a Year of Chaos and Conflict at Kevin Hart’s Media Company

*A new deal with Authentic Brands is seen by some employees as the beginning of the end.*

*Lucas Shaw for Bloomberg News*

When Kevin Hart announced in January that he’d licensed his name to Authentic Brands Group, the popular comedian was silent on a key detail: the future of his namesake media company.

Hart sold some ownership and oversight of his brand in exchange for an undisclosed sum of money and a stake in Authentic, a New York-based firm that manages the likenesses of Marilyn Monroe, Muhammad Ali, Shaquille O’Neal and David Beckham.

Hart used the partnership with Authentic to reset his relationship with the people around him and his company, according to six current and former employees. Hart’s employees say they worry that this deal marks the beginning of the end of Hartbeat, the comedian’s namesake media company that produces films, owns a network of short-form video channels and handles marketing for brands.

Once valued at about $650 million, Hartbeat has shriveled over the past few years. The company enacted its latest round of job cuts in December, firing the heads of its scripted TV division, as well as employees working across marketing, social media and brand partnerships, said the people. Earlier this year it let go the leaders of its podcast division and later sued them for breach of contract.

[Read the full story here.](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-10/inside-a-year-of-chaos-and-conflict-at-kevin-hart-s-media-company)

All those gambling ads are a turn off. He’s helping ruin pro sports. Thanks, Kevin.