The public may be not familiar with the name Torrei Hart, but Kevin Hart’s ex-wife has played a major role in the star’s life—even a decade after filing for divorce from him. Find out who she is and the unfortunate drama surrounding their split.
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How Did Kevin Hart Get Famous?
Kevin Hart got his start as a stand-up comedian in the late 1990s. His early years were a struggle to find his identity. Hart found his voice and today he’s a household name who’s crossed over from unknown joke teller to A-lister.
Hart eventually broke into film and TV, appearing on the short-lived Fox series Undeclared and 2003’s Scary Movie 3. But people might remember him making his fresh-faced leading debut in the cringeworthy cult classic comedy Soul Plane. In it, he plays Nashawn Wade, founder of an airline that caters solely to African Americans. Despite terrible reviews, Hart said that the film helped propel him to stardom thanks it being heavily bootlegged.
From there, Hart shot to stardom with multiple stand-up specials and starring roles in box office hits like more recently released Jumanji. Although his ex-wife stood by him through the first half of his career, things eventually fell apart for the two.
Who Is Torrei Hart?
Torrei Hart was born on February 28, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She’s the first wife of Kevin Hart and has her own career in show biz as an actress, producer, and TV personality. Tori has appeared in a number of films (Perfectly Single, The Workout Room) and ran her own YouTube comedy channel, PrettyFunnyFish. Like her ex, she’s toured as a stand-up comedian, headlining her own “It’s Time to Tell My Side” tour in 2019.
Torrei is a veteran of reality TV. In 2014, she starred on VH1’s Atlanta Exes. The show followed the former wives of celebrities, including the exes of Usher, CeeLo Green, Ne-Yo, and NFL player Ray Buchanan.
She is also an entrepreneur. In 2017, Torrei broke into the beauty business with her own hair care line, Heavenly Hart by Nzuri.
How Kevin And Torrei Hart Met
Kevin and Torrei were college sweethearts, meeting at the Community College of Philadelphia. In support of each other’s ambitions to become entertainers, the two dropped out and relocated to Los Angeles for better opportunities.
“We met when we were 19 and 20 and came up together, moved out to L.A. together,” she said in an interview with Us. “I knew him when he was selling sneakers before he ever hit the stage.”
The couple married in 2003 and had two children together: daughter Heaven, born March 22, 2005, and son Hendrix, born November 8, 2007.
Why Torrei Hart And Kevin Hart Got A Divorce
Torrei was a solid support system while Kevin tried to get his career off the ground. Prior to Soul Plane, Hart couldn’t predict if they’d make it or go bust. But in an episode of Hollywood Divas, his ex-wife reveals that she didn’t believe in divorce and envisioned them becoming the perfect power couple.
Unfortunately, Hart made it difficult for Torrei to stay. Torrei told Inside Edition in 2017 that bearing the brunt of his bad decisions led to their demise. “He started to get fame and I’m kind of feeling a little left behind. We grew apart,” she said. “I have an ex-husband who has repeatedly used me in his stand-up routines. For years, I had to endure that.”
She also alleged that he was unfaithful to her with his current wife Eniko Parrish, an allegation which Kevin responded to by saying, “Going to be honest with you people, I’m at a point where I can’t even be shocked anymore. All I do is laugh man.”
The break-up led her down a dark path. In a 2018 interview with Essence, Torrei reveals that she battled suicidal thoughts shortly after their split.
“To see him move on and so publicly, that was hard for me,” she said. “So there were days I didn’t want to get out of bed, there were days when I didn’t want to go on and I was like well what do I need to live for?”
Hart and Torrei separated in 2010. He filed for divorce in January 2011 citing irreconcilable differences; the split was made final in November of that year. According to TMZ, Torrei received a lump sum of $175,000 and was granted joint custody of the children. However, Hart was on the hook for $19,785 in monthly child support payments.
Since then, the couple has had a few public spats. But at the end of the day, they make it work for their children. “Listen, at the end of the day, things happen,” she told Essence. “What happened was in the past, I’m so far removed from what happened years ago. I’ve done too much to get in a happy place to let anything steal my joy.”
We are relieved to hear that Torrei is in a better place and that she’s built an independent life for herself.