Kevin Hart's Former Employees Battle Him Over Secret Podcast Empire

When you leave a job, there’s an unspoken rule: don’t take your boss’s playbook with you. But when Eric Eddings and Lesley Gwam departed Kevin Hart’s company Hartbeat, they allegedly decided that rule didn’t apply—and now they’re locked in a legal battle that shows just how messy things get when confidential information and competing ambitions collide.

Here’s the setup: Hartbeat sued the two former employees back in February over claims that they misappropriated company secrets while still collecting paychecks from the company. According to court documents, Eric and Lesley had access to extensive confidential data about Hartbeat’s audio and podcast division, including financial performance, partnership strategies, and business plans. The alleged offense? Using that information to build a competing podcast business right under Hartbeat’s roof. Even more damning, Hartbeat claims they created and circulated an investor pitch deck seeking $2 million for the new venture, with the tagline“We’ve built this before. Now we’re building it for ourselves.”

The fallout was swift. In late 2025, one of Hartbeat’s largest podcasting clients refused to renew its contract, and Eric and Lesley were fired on January 30, 2026, the day after Hartbeat discovered the pitch deck. A cease-and-desist letter followed, then a lawsuit seeking an injunction to block them from using company secrets. Hartbeat claims the damage was real—the podcast division took such a hit that the company was forced to downsize.

But here’s where it gets interesting: Eric and Lesley aren’t backing down. In their own legal filings, they’re dismissing the injunction as a“poorly-veiled attempt to prevent”them from working. They claim there’s no evidence they misappropriated anything confidential and argue that their investor pitch used only standard industry information. Eric points out he previously worked at Sirius XM, a much larger company, and Lesley also had significant prior experience. They say they only began seriously developing their venture after Hartbeat made severe cuts to the podcast division—and that they never actually launched the company, partly because the lawsuit has made it nearly impossible to talk to investors.

What makes this case particularly compelling is the timing and the scale of ambition. These weren’t junior staffers casually brainstorming on the side; they were pitching to raise $2 million for what sounds like a fully formed competitive venture. Whether they actually crossed the line from inspiration to theft remains the central question. The stakes? A company’s competitive edge, two employees’careers, and a reminder that in entertainment—where relationships and reputation are everything—one misstep can unravel quickly.

The case is still playing out, but it’s a cautionary tale on both sides: employers about how layoffs and division cuts can push talented people toward the exit, and employees about the very real consequences of operating in gray areas.