Ellen DeGeneres spent her Saturday with pal Kevin Hart. The two were discovered to be dating together about two weeks after Hart’s defense of DeGeneres in the middle of their workplace investigation.
DeGeneres, 62, and Hart, 41, were photographed enjoying lunch and a glass of wine at the Rosewood Miramar beach resorts in Montecito, California. The host talk shows during the day have a house nearby, while Hart seems to be spending some time in the Santa Barbara area with his family as his wife, Eniko, prepares for birth.
© P&P / MEGA
P&P / MEGA
Hart expressed support for DeGeneres in a heartfelt post on Instagram on August 4th.
“It’s crazy to see my friend go through what she’s going through publicly,” he said. “I’ve known Ellen for years and I can honestly say she’s one of the dopest people on ef ****** planet. She’s treated my family and my team with love and respect since day 1.”
“The internet has become a crazy world of negativity …. we have fallen in love with peoples down. It’s honestly sad … When did we get here?” he asked. “I stand by those I know and whom I love. I look forward to the future where we will return to love each other …. this hatred s *** should stop. Hopefully it goes soon out of style. “
Hart concluded, “This post is not meant to ignore the feelings of others and their experiences. It’s just to show what my experiences with my friend have been. I love you for life Ellen.”
DeGeneres had Hart’s back after he resigned as host of the Oscars last year, following controversial tweets that re-emerged nearly a decade earlier. DeGeneres invited Hart on her show to explain his decision and offered her her support, sharing that she had asked the Academy to take him back as host. The talk show host then found herself in the hot seat, and received backlash from fans for her defense of Hart.
As ET previously reported, Warner Bros. Television last month released an internal memo to employees informing them that WarnerMedia would seek the services of a third-party independent company to interview current and former employees about their behind-the-scenes experiences on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, after one current and 10 former employees anonymously with their conversations BuzzFeed News about their negative experiences working on the program.
In an internal letter sent to see staff, which was received by ET, DeGeneres insisted and confirmed that they were committed to “having conversations about justice and fairness.”
ET learned that a virtual staff meeting was being held to update show staff on the investigation into alleged workplace abuse.
