When you’re one of the biggest comedians in the world then news is going to follow you, whether it’s directly or indirectly.
In some cases it could be something the celebrity did a decade ago like when an old tweet of Kevin Hart’s resurfaced after he planned to host the Oscars earlier this year. It was a sweeping controversy that didn’t really affect his overall career but forced the standup comedian to withdrawal from hosting.
And now Kevin Hart is being sued for his role in a massive extortion plot.
Comedian and movie star Kevin Hart has been in the news a lot lately especially because of this new “cancel culture” seeping its way into American society. In Dave Chappelle’s most recent Netflix special “Sticks and Stones,” the famed comic tells a story about how it had always been Hart’s dream to host the Oscars.
Hart fell victim to it earlier this year when he accepted the hosting duties for March’s Academy Awards ceremony but ultimately dropped out due to some old homophobic jokes he made back in 2009.
He was also involved in a major automobile crash recently. Hart and two others were involved in a car crash in Calabasas, California almost two weeks ago.
Hart and the driver, Jared Black, sustained “major back injuries” and were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment,
Black was driving Hart’s 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, according to the report, when he lost control of the vehicle. It went off the road and rolled down an embankment. Two of the three occupants were trapped in the vehicle. Hart was airlifted to a hospital and reportedly had back surgery due to the intense pain.
And now Kevin Hart is in the news again because Montia Sabbag – a woman who appeared in an alleged sex video with the actor, is now suing the star for $60 million.
Sabbag alleges that Hart knew about the video and let his friend, Jonathan Jackson, into his suite to record the accuser without her knowledge or consent. Sabbag claims that Hart attempted to use the scandal for publicity for his “Irresponsible Tour, which was a record-breaking comedy and to increase his overall pop culture status.”
The old saying goes that all press is good press.
But probably not in the case of a sex tape, right?
In September 2017, Hart admitted to the scandal and apologized to his wife Eniko Parrish and family for engaging with Sabbag.
Hart emotionally said on Instagram, “I’m at a place in my life where I feel like I have a target on my back. And because of that I should make smart decisions. And recently, I didn’t. You know, I’m not perfect. I’m not going to sit up here and say that I am or claim to be in any way shape or form. And I made a bad error in judgment and I put myself in a bad environment where only bad things can happen and they did.”
But it was his friend, Jackson, who tried to extort Hart for money, threatening to release the video if he didn’t pay up – and then tried to sell the video to a celebrity news site.
Where it gets weird is that Sabbag said she did not intend to “sue” Hart because she felt he was a victim of the extortion plot as well.
Hart’s attorneys are reportedly refusing to give Sabbag a dime and sources say there will be no settlement.