Kevin Hart
This article is about the American comedian and actor. For other people named Kevin Hart, see Kevin Hart (disambiguation).
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979)[3] is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Hart began his career by winning several amateur comedy competitions at clubs throughout New England, culminating in his first real break in 2001 when he was cast by Judd Apatow for a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared. The series lasted only one season, but he soon landed other roles in films such as Paper Soldiers (2002), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Soul Plane (2004), In the Mix (2005), and Little Fockers (2010).
Kevin Hart
Birth name: Kevin Darnell Hart
Born: July 6, 1979 (age 41) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Net worth: $200 million
Medium: Stand-up, film, television
Years active: 2001-present
Genres: Observational comedy, black comedy, surreal humor, insult comedy satire
Subject(s):
African-American culture
everyday life
human sexuality
marriage
parenting
pop culturerace relations
racism
self-deprecation
Spouse:
Torrei Hart (m. 2003; div. 2011)
Eniko Parrish (m. 2016)
Children: 4
Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album I'm a Grown Little Man (2008), and performances in the films Think Like a Man (2012), Grudge Match (2013), Ride Along (2014) and its sequel Ride Along 2 (2016), About Last Night (2014), Get Hard (2015), Central Intelligence (2016), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Night School (2018), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).
He also released four more comedy albums, Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, Let Me Explain in 2013, and What Now? in 2016. In 2015, Time Magazine named Hart one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. He starred as himself in the lead role of Real Husbands of Hollywood.
Early life
Hart was born on July 6, 1979 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was raised in a single-parent household by his mother Nancy Hart, who was a systems analyst for the Office of Student Registration and Financial Services at University of Pennsylvania. He has one older brother named Robert. His father, Henry Witherspoon,[6] was a cocaine addict who was in and out of jail throughout most of Kevin's childhood, and Kevin used humor as a way to cope with his troubled family life. He is a Christian. After graduating from George Washington High School, Hart briefly attended the Community College of Philadelphia and moved to New York City. He then moved to Brockton, Massachusetts, and found work as a shoe salesman. He began pursuing a career in stand-up comedy after performing at an amateur night at a club in Philadelphia.
Career
Stand-up
Hart's first gig was at The Laff House in Philadelphia under the name of Lil Kev, which did not go well. His career suffered a slow start, as he was booed off stage several times, once even having a piece of chicken thrown at him. After those initial unsuccessful shows, Hart began entering comedy competitions throughout Massachusetts and audience receptions of his performances eventually improved.
It took time for Hart to develop a unique comedic style. After an early period of attempting to imitate comedians like Chris Tucker, he found his own rhythm by delving into his insecurities and life experiences. "Because of what I do, it has to be an open book," he has said. "But right now this is a book that is being written."
Hart's comedy tours began in 2009 with his act titled I'm a Grown Little Man, followed by Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, and Let Me Explain in 2013, the later two of which were also released as features in movie theaters. Hart grossed over $15 million from "Laugh at My Pain", making it one of the year's top-selling comedy tours.[citation needed] Hart also has a game available through iTunes called "Little Jumpman". His Facebook page, Twitter account, and YouTube channel are all connected to and accessible through this app. Most overseas fans of Hart discovered him on YouTube, as well.
On April 9, 2015, Hart embarked on a comedy world tour titled the What Now? Tour at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, which concluded on August 7, 2016, at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia. On July 16, 2015, Universal Pictures announced that Kevin Hart: What Now?, a stand-up comedy film featuring a performance of Kevin Hart's What Now? Tour, would be theatrically released in the United States on October 14, 2016. The show was filmed live on August 30, 2015, in front of 53,000 people, at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.
Film and television roles
Hart came to prominence from his guest appearance in Undeclared. He made his film debut in the film Paper Soldiers. Hart then gained further recognition from his other films such as the Scary Movie franchise, Soul Plane, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Death at a Funeral, and Little Fockers. He turned down a role in the 2008 film Tropic Thunder because the character is gay, citing his own "insecurities".
He played Doug in the film The Five-Year Engagement (2012) and appeared in Think Like a Man which was a box office success. He also appeared in the sequel. He had a cameo as himself in This Is the End. In 2013, Hart played a boxing promoter in Grudge Match and appeared in Exit Strategy as Mannequin Head Man. He also appeared in 35 and Ticking.
In 2014, Hart starred as Ben in Ride Along, opposite Ice Cube. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, but was a major box office success. Hart returned in the sequel, Ride Along 2, which was released on January 15, 2016.
In 2013, Hart co-created Real Husbands of Hollywood with Chris Spencer. The show follows Hart along with other married celebrities (each playing a comical fictionalized version of themselves) within the series including: Boris Kodjoe, Nelly, Duane Martin, J.B. Smoove, Nick Cannon, and Robin Thicke. Thicke didn't return for the second season due to his music career, though Hart has stated that the door is open for Thicke to return. The series is intentionally filmed in a style similar to Bravo's The Real Housewives. Episodes often hinge on the "real" Kevin Hart's desperately unsuccessful attempts to climb Hollywood's celebrity social ladder (which always backfire in humiliating ways), and the character's barely-hidden jealousy of his more successful celebrity friends. A sneak peek was shown as a segment during the 2012 BET Awards and the official promo was released in October 2012.
In 2015, Hart starred in the films Get Hard with Will Ferrell and The Wedding Ringer. In 2016, he starred in the movies Central Intelligence, with Dwayne Johnson, and the animated The Secret Life of Pets. In 2017, he starred in the movies Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, in a voice role, and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle with Jack Black, Karen Gillan, and retaming again with Johnson.
In 2018, he produced his first film under his production company HartBeat Productions, Night School. In October 2018, it was announced that through his production company, he has signed a first-look deal with Nickelodeon. Under the deal, Hart and his HartBeat Productions banner will develop and produce live-action, scripted kids content for the network. Hart also has a first-look film deal with Universal Studios.
In 2019, Hart's film The Upside, his first headlining role in a drama, was theatrically released. It also starred Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman. Hart also reprised his role of Snowball in the sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2.
Upcoming projects
Hart will next appear in Fatherhood, a drama about a man whose wife dies shortly after childbirth, leaving him to raise their daughter on his own. It will be released on January 8, 2021.
As of October 2016, Hart was set to portray Santa Claus in Dashing Through the Snow, a planned 2017 Disney Christmas-themed film. In October 2018, it was reported that Chris Rock will direct Hart in a movie based on an original idea by the both of them. The film will be written by Black-ish writer Yamara Taylor and the film will revolve around a stay at home dad who raises the kids while his star CEO wife serves as the breadwinner. The man finds himself in emotional and public turmoil when his wife kicks him to the curb, and they engage in a bitter divorce and custody battle. In 2019, Hart signed on to star in and produce Monopoly, Black Friday, an untitled international romantic comedy, Extreme Job, and Scrooged.
Hosting
In addition to acting, Hart has also hosted various ceremonies. Hart first hosted the 2011 BET Awards. Hart then hosted the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. His longtime friend Judd Apatow, the director who gave him his first big on-screen break in the TV series Undeclared, was the one who recommended him for the gig. Hart hoped that this will project him further into a side career as an emcee, stating, "Hopefully after MTV, of course we're talking Emmys, Oscars, whatever." He has hosted three episodes of Saturday Night Live. In 2015, Hart hosted the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. In 2016, Hart co-hosted the 2016 MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson.
Kevin Hart has also hosted on HQ Trivia and gave away $100,000 to 1 person with Scott Rogowsky on September 26, 2018 which had 699K players.
On December 4, 2018, Hart was announced as the host of the 91st Academy Awards, but on December 6 he stepped down as host in response to public criticism of several homophobic tweets from 2010 and 2011. Hart characterized the protest as non-constructive and stated "If you don’t believe people change, grow as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you". On December 7, he tweeted an apology to the LGBTQ community following criticism that he did not issue one the previous day. On January 3, 2019, Hart announced he was going to reconsider stepping down as host, after openly lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has hosted the Academy Awards multiple times, expressed support for Hart to do so and said she telephoned the Academy to ask if Hart would be able to reverse his decision if he wished and, according to DeGeneres, the Academy said he would be able to do so. On January 8, after a backlash for what was perceived as his insincere apology, Kevin Hart announced that he would not be hosting the Academy Awards. The ceremony was held without a host that year.
On September 9, 2020, executives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced plans to relaunch their annual MDA telethon, move it to October 2020, and make Hart its new host, taking over duties that had been previously been held from 1966 to 2010 by comedian and former National MDA Chairman, Jerry Lewis. Entitled The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, the new two-hour telethon will be seen exclusively through participating social media platforms; the event is scheduled October 24, 2020 at 8 p.m. EDT.
Music
As Chocolate Droppa, his alias, he signed to Motown Records and released Kevin Hart: What Now? (The Mixtape Presents Chocolate Droppa), the soundtrack to his stand-up film of the same name.[59] He released the singles "Push It On Me" featuring Trey Songz and "Baller Alert" with Migos & T.I.
Modeling
In 2017, Kevin Hart and Tommy John appeared in an underwear commercial for Macy's.
Influences
Hart has cited as comedy inspirations Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, George Carlin, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, Patrice O'Neal, and Keith Robinson.
Personal life
Family relationships
Hart's relationship with his father improved after the latter recovered from his addiction. Hart said, "My dad said I was supposed to be on drugs. I was like, 'Dad, shut up', but then I thought about it, and it was stupid, but it made sense. He was saying that basically he was my example to never go down that road."
Hart also talks about his mother in his stand-up routine, portraying her as a loving, yet intimidating woman. She died from cancer in 2007.
Marriages
Kevin and Torrei Hart filed for divorce in February 2010, citing irreconcilable differences. Hart requested joint custody of their two children, daughter Heaven Leigh, born March 22, 2005, and son Hendrix, born on October 8, 2007. The divorce was finalized in November 2011.
On August 18, 2014, Hart proposed to Eniko Parrish. They married on August 13, 2016, near Santa Barbara, California.
Their son Kenzo Kash was born on November 21, 2017. On December 15, 2017, Hart publicly admitted to having cheated on his wife while she was pregnant with their son. Their second child together, a daughter, was born on September 29, 2020.
Earnings
Hart earned an estimated $32.5 million in 2017.
Poker
Kevin Hart has been playing poker since around 2010, entering major tournaments such as the WSOP, cashing in one event for $4,783 in 2014. He also plays cash games, like the ones organized by PokerStars, and actually became their Brand Ambassador in 2017. As such, he was featured in PokerStars ad campaigns and promotional content, along the likes of Usain Bolt.
As of September 2020, Kevin Hart has earned $47,828 in live tournament cashes.
Legal troubles
Hart was charged on April 14, 2013 on suspicion of drunk driving after his black Mercedes nearly collided with a tanker truck on a Southern California freeway. Hart failed a field sobriety test and was booked for misdemeanor DUI. On August 5, 2013, Hart was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading no contest to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Car accident
On September 1, 2019, Hart was a passenger in a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment near Calabasas, California. He and the driver reportedly suffered "major back injuries" and were taken to separate hospitals. Hart was released from the hospital ten days later, and continued recovery at a rehabilitation facility.
Tours
• What Now? Tour (2015–16)
• Irresponsible Tour (2017–18)
Filmography/Film/Year/Film/Role/Notes
2002
Paper Soldiers
Shawn
2003
Scary Movie 3
CJ
Death of a Dynasty
P-Diddy / Cop 1 / Dance Coach / Hyper Rapper /
H. Lector
2004
Along Came Polly
Vic
Soul Plane
Nashawn Wade
2005
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Smart Tech Customer
In the Mix
Busta
2006
Scary Movie 4
CJ
The Last Stand
F Stop / G Spot
2007
Epic Movie
Silas
2008
Fool's Gold
Bigg Bunny
Superhero Movie
Trey
Extreme Movie
Barry
Meet Dave
Number 17
Drillbit Taylor
Pawn Shop Dealer
2009
Not Easily Broken
Tree
2010
Something Like a Business
JoJo
Death at a Funeral
Brian
Little Fockers
Nurse Louis
2011
35 and Ticking
Cleavon
Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain
Himself
Let Go
Kris Styles
2012
The Five-Year Engagement
Doug
Think Like a Man
Cedric
Exit Strategy
Mannequin Head Man
2013
This Is the End
Himself
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain
Himself
Grudge Match
Dante Slate Jr.
2014
Ride Along
Ben Barber
About Last Night
Bernie
Think Like a Man Too
Cedric
School Dance
OG Pretty Lil' Thug
Uncredited
Top Five
Charles
2015
The Wedding Ringer
Jimmy Callahan/Bic Mitchum
Get Hard
Darnell Lewis
2016
Ride Along 2
Ben Barber
Central Intelligence
Calvin Joyner
The Secret Life of Pets
Snowball (voice)
Kevin Hart: What Now?
Himself
2017
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
George Beard (voice)
Also songwriter for "Saturday"
The Upside
Dell Scott
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Franklin "Mouse" Finbar
2018
Night School
Teddy Walker
Also producer and writer
2019
The Secret Life of Pets 2
Snowball (voice)
Hobbs & Shaw
Dinkley
Uncredited
Jumanji: The Next Level
Franklin "Mouse" Finbar
2021
Fatherhood
Matt Logelin
Post-production; Also producer
Television
Year/Film/Role/Notes
2002–2003
Undeclared
Luke
3 episodes
2004
The Big House
Kevin
6 episodes
2004
Comedy Central Presents
Himself
2005
Barbershop
James Ricky
3 episodes
2005–2006
Jake In Progress
Nugget Dawson
2 episodes
2006
Help Me Help You
Kevin
Episode: "Raging Bill"
2006
Love, Inc.
James
2 episodes
2007
All of Us
Greg
Episode: "The B-R-E-A-K-U-P"
2007
Wild 'n Out
Various
21 episodes
2009
Party Down
Dro Grizzle
Episode: "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen"
2009
Kröd Mändoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire
Zezelryck
6 episodes
2009
Kevin Hart: I'm a Grown Little Man
Himself
2010
Kevin Hart: Seriously Funny
Himself
2011–2012
Modern Family
Andre
2 episodes
2011
BET Awards 2011
Himself / Host
2012
Workaholics
Kevin
Episode: "To Kill a Chupacabraj"
2012
2012 MTV Video Music Awards
Himself / Host
2013–2016
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Himself
60 episodes; Also co-creator, writer, executive producer
2013
Second Generation Wayans
Himself
Episode: "The Arrival"
2013–2017
Saturday Night Live
Himself / Host
3 episodes
2015
Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber
Himself / Host
2016
Lip Sync Battle
Himself
Episode: "Olivia Munn vs. Kevin Hart"
2016
2016 MTV Movie Awards
Himself / Co-host
2018
TKO: Total Knock Out
Himself / Host
10 episodes; Also executive producer
2019
Kevin Hart's Guide to Black History
Himself
2019
Kevin Hart: Irresponsible
Himself
2019–present
Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud
Himself / Host
2019–present
Kevin Hart: Don't F**k this up
Himself
2020
Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time
Himself - Video Clue Presenter
1 episode
Music videos
Year/Song/Artist/Role
2004
"Lean Back"
Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe and Remy Ma
Himself
2011
"Booty Wurk (One Cheek at a Time)"
T-Pain
Himself
2016
"Push it On Me"
Trey Songz
Chocolate Droppa
2017
"Jumanji Jumanji"
Nick Jonas and Jack Black
Himself
2018
"Kevin's Heart"
J. Cole
Himself
2019
"Earth"
Lil Dicky
Kanye West
Bibliography
Awards and nominations
Year/Award/Category/Work/Result
2004
Teen Choice Award
Choice Breakout TV Star – Male
The Big House
Nominated
2005
BET Comedy Award
Platinum Mic Viewers' Choice
Nominated
2012
BET Awards
Best Actor
Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain
Won
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Movie: Male Scene Stealer
Think Like a Man
Nominated
Choice Movie Hissy Fit
Nominated
2014
BET Awards
Best Actor
Ride Along, Real Husbands of Hollywood, About Last Night
Nominated
NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Comedy Series
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Won
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Won
Entertainer of the Year
Won
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Funny Star
Grudge Match
Won
MTV Movie Awards
Best Comedic Performance
Ride Along
Nominated
Best On-Screen Duo (with Ice Cube)
Nominated
Acapulco Black Film Festival
Artist of the Year
Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain, This Is the End, Grudge Match
Won
Teen Choice Awards
Choice TV: Reality Show
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Ride Along
Won
Choice Movie: Chemistry (with Ice Cube)
Nominated
Choice Movie: Hissy Fit
Nominated
Choice Comedian
Won
2015
NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Comedy Series
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated
MTV Movie Awards
Best Comedic Performance
The Wedding Ringer
Nominated
Comedic Genius Award
Won
BET Awards
Best Actor
The Wedding Ringer, Think Like a Man Too, Real Husbands of Hollywood and Top Five
Nominated
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Comedian
Nominated
2016
Billboard Touring Awards
Top Comedy Tour
Won
People's Choice Awards
Favorite Comedic Movie Actor
The Wedding Ringer
Won
Favorite Cable TV Comedy
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Nominated
Favorite Cable TV Actor
Won
MTV Movie Awards
Best Comedic Performance
Ride Along 2
Nominated
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Nominated
Choice Movie: Hissy Fit
Nominated
Choice Comedian
Nominated
Choice Twit
Nominated
Choice Movie Actor: Summer
Central Intelligence
Won
2017
People's Choice Awards
Favorite Movie Actor
Nominated
Favorite Comedic Movie Actor
Won
Favorite Cable TV Comedy
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Nominated
Favorite Cable TV Actor
Nominated
Favorite Comedic Collaboration (shared with Conan O'Brien and Ice Cube)
Conan
Nominated
Favorite Animated Movie Voice
The Secret Life of Pets
Nominated
NAACP Image Awards
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Real Husbands of Hollywood
Nominated
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – (Television or Film)
The Secret Life of Pets
Nominated
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie
Nominated
Favorite Villain
Won
Most Wanted Pet
Won
Best Friends Forever (shared with Dwayne Johnson)
Central Intelligence
Won
Best Friends Forever (shared with Ice Cube)
Ride Along 2
Nominated
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Comedian
Nominated
2018
Grammy Awards
Best Comedy Album
Kevin Hart: What Now?
Nominated
Black Reel Awards
Outstanding Voice Performance
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Nominated
Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Movie Actor
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
Nominated
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Best On-Screen Team (shared with Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan and Nick Jonas)
Nominated
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Movie Actor – Comedy
Nominated
Choice Comedian
Nominated
People's Choice Awards
The Comedy Act of 2018
Won
2019
Teen Choice Awards
Choice Comedy Movie Actor
Night School
Nominated
Choice Comedian
Nominated
2020
Kids' Choice Awards
Favorite Movie Actor
Jumanji: The Next Level
Nominated
Favorite Male Voice from an Animated Movie
The Secret Life of Pets 2
Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
Kevin Hart: Don't Fuck This Up
Nominated
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