Comedian and actor Kevin Hart is better known for his quick wit and comedic honesty. However, we also know that he is no stranger to the harsh reality of divorce and its impact on familial structures. This week we shine a spotlight on how Kevin Hart’s highs and lows give us an insight into the difficultly divorce presents in assimilating new families with old.
Kevin Hart’s career sky-rocketed from early 2010 in the form of critically acclaimed stand-up shows and a series of prominent Hollywood blockbusters. But alongside his career there were several marital breakdowns. In 2011, Kevin and the mother of his two children, Torrei Hart finalised their divorce in what was a tumultuous first marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
While the couple did eventually reach an agreement for joint custody, a number of ongoing disputes regarding Hart’s extramarital affairs have continually risen to the attention of the media. The added pressure of the media, no doubt added to the difficulty of raising children in a divorced household. Although, it is clear that while Hart and his former wife have in the past been unable to reconcile their differences, they have worked hard to not allow their own personal differences to impair on their joint upbringing of their son and daughter. The pair have often been spotted with their children celebrating events and taking precious time to be together as a family, a marked difference from their difficult separation years before.
Divorce and new families
This being said, an added layer of complexity to the breakdown of a marriage is the beginning of new relationships and their impact on a previously established family unit. Hart married his long-term girlfriend Eniko Parrish in 2014 and the pair welcomed their first child on 21st November this year. However, Hart’s new relationship has already been the subject of several media mishaps. Torrei’s accusations in August that Hart and his new wife were having an affair during their marriage and the most recent blackmail allegations against Hart for a video where he was spotted with another woman have once more placed an added strain on relationships with his former spouse and expanding family.
Looking to the future
Things do however appear to be looking up in the Hart family – Torrei has made it clear in recent comments to US Weekly that she is glad that her children will share a new sibling and extend their family. Hart’s familial situation is undoubtedly far more complicated with the added layer of media attention, but if his situation teaches us anything, it is this: there is evidently a difficult balancing act between ensuring any acrimony between former spouses does not detrimentally impact children and moving on to strengthening new bonds.