September 17, 2017
Thom Carroll/PhillyVoice
Actor and comedian Kevin Hart speaks to the crowd gathered outside Max's Cheesesteaks at Germantown and Erie avenues on Thursday, July 6. His appearance in the neighborhood where he grew up was part of the city's 'Kevin Hart Day' celebration, during which a portrait of Hart was unveiled by Mural Arts Philadelphia.
Fresh off the publication of a memoir, the launch of a new comedy platform and with a slew of films set to premiere over the coming year, 2017 hasn't been nearly as rosy a time for Kevin Hart as one might assume.
The megastar from North Philadelphia, locally honored this summer with his own mural and an official day in his name, found himself battling back allegations of infidelity in July after video surfaced from a night of clubbing in Miami. Amplified by the pregnancy of his second wife, Eniko Parrish, Hart strenuously denied the allegations at the time.
But over the weekend, the existence of another "sexually suggestive" video allegedly came to light, according to TMZ. Sources told the gossip network that the video contains several clips. The first allegedly shows Hart getting "cozy" with another woman in a club, followed by an image of an empty bed with creaking sounds in the background. In the final clip, two people are reportedly seen together in a nondescript room, one of them vaguely resembling Hart.
The owner of the alleged video is reportedly seeking to extort Hart in exchange for keeping the video out of the public eye.
Hart took to Instagram on Saturday with a video apology addressed to his wife and two children. He said he feels as though he has a target on his back after a summer of unsavory tabloid reports.
"I'm not perfect," Hart said. "I'm not gonna sit up here and claim to be in any way shape or form. And I made a bad error in judgment to put myself in an environment where only bad things can happen and they did. And in doing that I know I'm going to hurt the people closest to me, who I've talked to and apologized to, being my wife and my kids."
Hart previously admitted infidelity with his ex-wife, Torrei Hart, during an interview with Chelsea Handler. The couple divorced in 2011 after having two children together.
Parrish and Hart got engaged in 2014 and had their wedding last August. Hart has acknowledged in the past that Parrish was a mistress of his during his first marriage. The two women recently had a feud of their own on Instagram.
The alleged extortion attempt comes as Hart gears up for the release of "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," "Ride Along 3," a remake of "The Great Outdoors," and an American adaptation of the French hit "The Intouchables." The latter, filmed in Philadelphia with co-star Bryan Cranston, was recently renamed "The Upside" and has already drawn some chatter that it could have Oscar potential.
