The Untold Truth About Kevin Hart's Wife
Eniko Hart, neé Parrish was thrust into the spotlight overnight when she was introduced to the public as Kevin Hart's girlfriend in 2011, according to O: The Oprah Magazine. The public was intrigued by the 22 year-old Chinese-Jamaican beauty instantly.
When Eniko and Kevin publicized their relationship, many wondered how he got so lucky. He and his wife of eight years, Torrei Hart, had recently gotten a divorce. It seemed like he was moving on quickly. Not only was the timing surprising, but Eniko was far from a household name.
The first thing everyone noticed was their height difference. The internet went nuts when Eniko posted a family photo in which she and their infant son are the only ones barefoot. The consensus was it was to lessen the couple's height difference, which Kevin doesn't see as a problem. He told Oprah, "I'm confident in who I am. I'm confident in the person that I am. I think I'm sexy." Clearly Parrish does too. We're sure Kevin's pockets don't hurt either. Men's Health reported in February 2020 that he was the richest comedian in the world with a net worth of $200 million.
That laugh-generated fortune aside, these two have been through a lot, but they somehow emerged from the flames stronger than ever. This is the untold truth of Kevin Hart's wife.
Eniko Parrish's model roots
According to IMDb, Eniko Parrish was born in Baltimore, Md. and moved to Los Angeles, Calif. to become a model. That makes sense given her tall frame and clearly stunning good looks. In 2013, she landed a spot on BET's annual televised fashion show Rip the Runway, which is kind of like a hyper-condensed version of America's Top Model. She didn't win, and her modeling career never seemed to take off afterwards. As of this writing, she doesn't appear to have been in any major ad campaigns or runway shows, however, she does frequently post sponsored ads to Instagram for her brand ambassadorship with Fabletics.
Nonetheless, Parrish ended up the long-term winner when she found true love with Kevin Hart. The comedian explained the depth of their relationship to The Breakfast Club, saying, "I call her my real," which he described as "someone that you can't live without." In addressing claims about when exactly Parrish entered the picture, Hart said, "I wasn't all the way 'Kev' [as he became known after achieving super stardom]. I was stepping into 'Oh, it's about to get crazy.' ... So, she's been around. Through public eye, it looks like, 'Aw man, that's your money chick." In other words, Hart wants everyone to know Parrish isn't a gold-digger — and even if she wanted to be, the prenup he also confirmed they have effectively nixes that anyway.
The messy start to Eniko and Kevin Hart's relationship
In the couple's Netflix docu-series Kevin Hart: Don't F**k This Up (via O: The Oprah Magazine), Kevin Hart officially states he met Eniko Parrish in 2009. That date is important, because according to US Weekly, at the time Kevin was still married to his first wife, Torrei Hart. Kevin and Torrei were married from 2003 to 2011.
Kevin has been open about his infidelity while he was married to Torrei, even using it as a punchline in his stand-up specials, which Torrie told Inside Edition in 2017 that she had to "endure" for years. The tabloid interview was a rare one for Torrei, who US Weekly noted "tried to maintain an amicable relationship with Kevin for the sake of their children, Heaven, (then) 12, and Hendrix, (then) 9." In fact, Torrei had had to defend instances where she posted photos of Eniko with Heaven and Hendrix to her own Instagram, telling one detractor (via BET), "[The kids'] happiness is what matters. No one wins when the family feuds."
That rosy outlook seemed to work for a long time ... until things went a little sour.
The Hart family feud hit social media
Torrei Hart's attempts at keeping the peace temporarily broke down in 2017 when Eniko Hart posted a throwback photo on Instagram for her and Kevin Hart's one-year marriage anniversary. In the post, Parrish stated that she and Kevin had been together for eight years. Naturally, fans were quick to point out that Kevin and Torrei (pictured above left) had only been divorced for six years.
Eniko responded to the criticism in several since-deleted comments. "Their marriage was broken way before I came in the picture," she replied (per People), adding, "They were separated living in separate homes. I was never a secret." Shots fired! Eniko also accused Torrei of spreading rumors "years ago [because] she wanted to play the victim and not own up to her wrong doing as well."
That was it for Torrei, who said she was only responding because she was Eniko had "left it open for her character to be questioned." She kept things relatively vague, however, stating, "We have made successful strides to become a loving co parenting family. ... You, Kevin, and I know the truth." The fued seemed to settle when Eniko deleted the comments, but a few months later Kevin issued the final word on The Breakfast Club, blaming the whole "home-wrecker" label with which Eniko was saddled on Torrei. "I was legally separated for a year before I even filed for a divorce," he told the morning show, adding, "[I] had tons of women during that time. Me and my wife stuck."
First comes love then comes marriage
Eniko and Kevin Hart got engaged in August 2014 at Eniko's 30th birthday party, according to People. It proved to be the perfect way for Eniko to jump into a new decade.
Luckily for fans, it was all caught on camera, which Eniko uploaded to Instagram. In a since-deleted, yet heart-melting video taken by someone in attendance, Kevin gets down on one knee and says (via People), "On this perfect day I chose to make the most perfect decision." In her own video from the occasion, Eniko then folds over in disbelief and kisses Kevin in acceptance.
Eniko's engagement ring was an insanely huge french-set with a halo fit for a queen. The couple's lavish wedding took place two years later in front of 200 family and friends in Santa Barbara, Calif. According to People, Eniko walked down the aisle in a custom Vera Wang mermaid-style dress with a corset-like bodice. Kevin's kids played an important role in the ceremony too. Hendrix, then 8, served as the best man, and Heaven matched Eniko in a white cocktail dress.
Eniko Hart's Instagram followers didn't miss a second of her pregnancy
On May 14, 2017, Kevin Hart announced that Eniko Hart was pregnant with his child. Since that day was actually Mother's Day, the Jumanji: The Next Level star posted a couple selfie with the caption: "We are laughing at the fact that this time next year we will be celebrating her [Eniko's] 1st actual Mother's Day." Naturally, Eniko seemed just as excited to become a first-time mom in the pic.
Eniko made sure to stay fit during her pregnancy, posting frequent pictures of her baby bump along the way. She even documented it with a time-lapse on Instagram that showed her doing squats at different stages of her pregnancy. According to Self, she created her pregnancy workout with the help of her trainer Rebecca Broxterman. Of the idea for the time-lapse video, Eniko also credited Broxterman, writing, "It was a simple & cute idea when you suggested it to me and it came out perfect..I couldn't be happier to see US grow together...pregnancy is beautiful."
Kevin Hart nearly destroyed his marriage
When Eniko Hart was around eight months pregnant, she and Kevin Hart hit a big bump (no pun intended) in their relationship. This one couldn't be hidden from the public. Kevin took to Instagram to call his mistake a "bad error in judgement." But that was an understatement. His "bad error" had the power to end his entire marriage. In the video to his fans, Kevin eluded to an extortion plot. In the video Kevin says in part, "...I'd rather fess up to my mistakes."
Oddly enough for a supposed confession video, Kevin didn't say exactly what his mistake was, but the public found out soon after. According to multiple sources, including O: The Oprah Magazine, Kevin was unknowingly caught on camera engaging in sexual acts with model Montia Sabbag. According TMZ, Kevin's (now former) friend Jonathan Todd Jackson allegedly taped the encounter, then threatened to release it to multiple media outlets if he wasn't millions of dollars.
Sabbag also tried to get some cash from the Get Hard star, according to the Daily Mail. She sued Kevin, Jonathan, a website that had an alleged role in publishing the video, and the hotel where the video was allegedly made for $60 million, "claiming negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy." The lawsuit was dismissed in September 2019 due to "technical legal issues" (per The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Eniko Hart finally spoke out about her husbands betrayal
Eniko Hart doesn't speak to the public in an official manner, but in the couple's Netflix docu-series Kevin Hart: Don't F**k This Up, she finally used the outlet to open up about Kevin's betrayal. She revealed that she learned of it through an anonymous Instagram DM. We really can't think of a worse way to get news like that.
"I was pregnant at that time ... I was having breakfast, I opened my phone and immediately I just lost it. I called him, I'm crying, I'm like pissed. Right then and there, I kept saying, How the f**k did you let that happen?" she said in the series (via Essence).
Hart's infidelity wasn't just emotionally devastating. It was downright dangerous. According to a 2017 study in the Nature Research Journal found that "the risk of miscarriage was significantly higher in women with a history of exposure to psychological stress." The study also lists "emotional trauma" and "marital/partnership disharmony" as possible psychological challenges.
For his part, Kevin said the conversation he had with Eniko wasn't easy. "The worst part was just knowing how you made somebody feel," he said in the series (via Essence). "There's a major effect it could have on the people that you are closest to, who you love the most. When I got to see that first-hand with Eniko when I got to see the effect my reckless behavior had ... It was crushing, that tore me up. That really tore me up."
Forgiveness is a virtue Eniko Hart definitely possesses
So after all that drama, why did Eniko Hart stay? She says the answer is simple: her son Kenzo. Eniko and Kevin Hart's son Kenzo Kash was born on November 21, 2017.
In the couple's Netflix docu-series Kevin Hart: Dont F**k This Up, Eniko explained her reasoning for staying through tears. "I wasn't ready at the time to just give up on my family," she said (via People), adding, "I wanted Kenzo to be able to know his dad and grow up, so it was a lot." But Eniko really made headlines when she rolled out this bit of logic. "I believe in second chances. I'm all about forgiveness, and you only get two times. Three strikes you're out, you're out of here. So, as long as he [Kevin] behaves, we're good." Um, is that math correct? Based on Eniko's scorecard, Kevin has one more chance to cheat.
Regardless, it doesn't seem likely that he'll get to strike three. Kevin also reflected on the cheating scandal with People, telling the outlet, "It's the most difficult test ever. And, you know, sometimes those tests come from stupidity. But it's how you handle it, and how you decide to move forward from it." For the family's sake, we hope he learned his lesson.
The Hart house is expanding
It looks like the Hart family has moved on from the controversy and is on to the next the blessing. In March 2020, Eniko announced on Instagram that she and Kevin are expecting their second baby. She captioned the photo of her baby bump, "In the midst of all of this we're counting our blessings and couldn't be more grateful! Soon to be a family of 6!"
Not only is Eniko a great Mom to Kenzo, but she's also a loving stepmom to Kevin's kids Heaven and Hendrix. It is hard to find her in a family photo without them. She makes sure to be there for their milestones, like Heaven's first homecoming dance. And the affection seems to go both ways. In 2018, Eniko posted a surprise note that Heaven left her that read, in part, "Just wanted to say that your awesome and that you're literally the G.O.A.T. You're the best and your capable of anything don't forget that okie dokie. U gave birth to one of the best people on the earth. Lil Baby Zo AKA mini heaven. I love you I love Zo I love Hendrix I love Dad And I love My whole family." We're not crying. You are.
The upcoming addition to the fam is certainly a welcome one for Kevin, too, as the comedian told told USA Today in April 2019,"I think adding one more will really complete the Hart family circle and we'll be done there. That's it." So much for lucky number seven.