Ellen DeGeneres enjoys lunch with Kevin Hart… after he defended her amid ‘toxic’ workplace scandal

Kevin Hart took to Instagram earlier this month to publicly defend friend and fellow comedian Ellen DeGeneres amid her ‘toxic’ workplace scandal.

And on Saturday, Hart, 41, and DeGeneres, 62, looked extra chummy as they enjoyed a sit down lunch at Rosewood Miramar in Montecito.

Meanwhile, Kevin’s pregnant wife Eniko, 35, hung out on a nearby beach with their son Kenzo, two, and Kevin’s daughter Heaven, 15, whom he shares with ex Torrei Hart.

For their lunch date, Kevin and Ellen sat at a table for two with an impressive ocean view.  

Kevin sported a patterned button down shirt and a pair of shorts, while Ellen rocked a blue Hawaiian shirt and a pair of grey capris. 

Ellen slowly sipped on a glass of white wine as Kevin engaged in animated conversation with her.

The Jumanji star was seen using various hand motions and even leaned closer to Ellen in order to clearly communicate his points to her. 

After Kevin completed his passionate spiel, Ellen took control of the conversation.

At one point, Ellen had one hand rested on the arm of her chair, while the other remained aimed in Kevin’s direction as she spoke.

The talk show host’s signature bleach blonde hair looked noticeably undone and she wore a silver watch on her wrist.

She had a white cloth napkin resting in her lap as she and Kevin waited for their food to arrive.

After finishing her meal, Ellen was spotted making her way down the steps of the restaurant’s patio.  

Kevin’s wife Eniko appeared to be having a great time away from her husband as she romped on the beach with her blended family.

The 35-year-old showcased her baby bump in a tropical print two piece swimsuit. 

She wore her curly, raven hair down and she had a pair of gold studs fastened to her ears.

Her son Kenzo, whom she welcomed with Kevin in 2018, looked undeniable adorable in a pair of yellow and pink swim trunks.

Kevin’s daughter Heaven looked every bit the teenager in an oversized Nirvana tee and a black cloth face mask. 

Kevin also has a 12-year-old son named Hendrix, whom he also shares with ex Torrei Hart, who did not appear to join Eniko and his siblings for their beach day.

Ellen’s public outing with Kevin comes nearly two-weeks after the Ride Along actor voiced his support for her on Instagram.

In recent months, Ellen has been accused of racism, bullying, as well as fostering a ‘toxic environment’ behind the scenes of her hit talk show. 

An official investigation into the allegations, made by past and present employees, was launched by WarnerMedia earlier in the month. 

In the Instagram post, which included a photo of him on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hart wrote that it was ‘crazy to see [his] friend go thru what she’s going thru publicly.’  

‘I have known Ellen for years and I can honestly say that she’s one of the dopest people on the f*****g planet.’

While Hart maintained that his post was not ‘meant to disregard the feelings of others and their experiences’ he stressed that DeGeneres has ‘treated my family and my team with love and respect from day 1.’

Hart also seemed to call for the end of ‘cancel culture’, writing: ‘The internet has become a crazy world of negativity….we are falling in love with peoples down fall. It’s honestly sad…When did we get here? I stand by the ones that I know and that I love.’ 

It appears Hart is returning a favor to DeGeneres, who was one of the few stars to publicly defend him last year, amid his backlash, when his past homophobic comments resurfaced after he was announced as the Oscars host.