Kevin Hart has reportedly sold his name and a stake of his Hartbeat empire to Authentic Brands Group, concerning some of the comedian’s employees who are now anticipating a significant company downsizing.
According to Bloomberg, in the last year, Hartbeat has frequently laid off executive members after being developed in 2022. The company, which was once valued at $650 million, has allegedly relied on the leadership of president and Chief Distribution Officer Jeff Clanagan and CFO Eric Stoneburner to oversee operations while Hart has subsided his involvement. Clanagan was also alleged to have pushed employees to move towards AI-generated projects.
As recent as December 2025, a round of layoffs occurred within Hartbeat, with lead members of the company’s scripted division, marketing, brand partnerships and social media being terminated.
Former employees Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam were previously onboard to develop audio podcasts, which did not involve the actor and comedian, but were fired by Clanagan after it was discovered that they planned to launch their own production company. Hartbeat alleged that the production duo had partaken in theft of trade secrets and breach of contract. A judge has thrown out the claim in a preliminary injunction, calling it “vague, ambiguous, and overly broad.”
Also fired in recent years were Hartbeat’s former TV division heads, Tiffany Brown and Mike Stein, who were midway through producing a TV adaptation of 2000s comedy film Barbershop, along with the second season of BET+ animated show Lil Kev. Upon the launch of Hartbeat, the company merged with Laugh Out Loud (LOL) Productions to create film and TV, short-form video and advertising projects. Although Hart was to occasionally star in Hartbeat programming, the plan was for the company to have longevity without him being frequently attached.
The Bloomberg report was published around the same time as Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart was made available to stream. The special featured entertainers like Katt Williams, Tom Brady, Pete Davidson and Chelsea Handler.
