Kevin Hart is suing YouTube star Tasha K for extortion.
The internet star, whose real name is LaTasha Kebe, allegedly threatened to release an interview with Hart’s former assistant unless he paid her a “ransom of $250,000,” according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Thursday, December 28.
In November, Kebe recorded an alleged bombshell interview with Miesha Shakes, who made “false and defamatory statements regarding Hart,” the court documents claimed. Someone allegedly connected to Kebe called Hart, 44, and his camp and threatened to “publish the interview” if he didn’t pay.
Court documents revealed that the person making the phone call claimed Shakes’ alleged interview would share details that could be “damaging” to Hart’s “reputation.”
Prior to news of the lawsuit, Kebe shared a teaser for her interview with Shakes during a December 22 YouTube livestream. (The full interview went live the same day and is behind a paywall on Kebe’s website.)
Per the lawsuit, Hart sent Kebe a cease and desist letter. It was also stated that Shakes, who worked for Hart from 2017 to 2020, had also signed a nondisclosure agreement and confidentiality agreement.
While neither Hart nor Kebe has spoken publicly about the lawsuit, the YouTube star posted a link to the “explosive” interview via her Instagram Story on Wednesday.
In the teaser, Shakes detailed various things she allegedly experienced while working for Hart. At one point, she referenced the comedian cheating on his wife, Eniko Hart, something he has previously addressed.
While Kevin initially denied the 2017 cheating allegations, he eventually apologized for his infidelity. He referred to his cheating as the “lowest moment” of his life in the 2019 docuseries Kevin Hart: Don’t F–k This Up.
Kevin has since opened up about what it was like to reveal his infidelity to his children.
“You have to talk to your kids about it, because it’s going to come out,” he told Romper in June 2021. “And some of them are cool about it and some of them are not, depending on the situation. You have to understand the different personalities and manage them correctly.”
Kevin shares son Kenzo, 6, and daughter Kaori, 3, with Eniko, 39. He also shares daughter Heaven, 18, and son Hendrix, 16, with ex-wife Torrei Hart, from whom he split in 2011.
Kevin further explained that his children have come to “understand” his fame and the ups and downs that come with it.
“The gift is the life that you’re able to live,” he said. “The curse is the spotlight that’s on you constantly.”
