Since the beginning of his career in the early 2000s, Kevin Hart has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry. He's primarily known as a comedian, but over the last two decades, Hart has also proven himself as an actor, producer, and entrepreneur.
Early life and influences
UNCASVILLE, CT – OCTOBER 14: Headliner Kevin Hart performs stand-up comedy at Mohegan Sun as part of the 20th Anniversary Comedy All-Star Gala event at Mohegan Sun on October 14, 2016 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Mohegan Sun) – Credit: Photo Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images Dive into Hart's early life and discover who he was before headlining comedy tours and starring in box-office hits.
Childhood backgroundKevin Darnell Hart was born July 6, 1979, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He's the younger brother of one sibling, Robert Hart. Hart's parents, Nancy Hart and Henry Witherspoon, divorced when he was six.
Witherspoon was a drug addict who constantly found himself in trouble with the law. Hart didn't see his father very frequently. Due to his less-than-stellar record, Nancy Hart limited Witherspoon's contact with his children.
Because of his drug use, Witherspoon was prone to parental screw-ups, like dropping his son off at the wrong school. Those mistakes escalated, and Witherspoon's behavior took darker turns, causing Hart's mother to limit her ex-husband's contact with their children.
In a 2017 interview with "Variety," the Philly native shares that his father broke into his mother's house to steal money, robbed Robert Hart's barbershop and crashed his car.
Family and upbringingHart's home life wasn't easy. He not only dealt with an absent father but a troubled sibling, too. Hart spoke of his brother, Robert, in an interview with "Distractify:"
"Any mistakes you could make as a teenager, he made. My brother was in a gang, he dealt drugs. One afternoon, my brother tried to snatch a purse from an old lady. That there was the last straw for my mom. She took my brother to court and got him emancipated."
After Robert was legally emancipated and on his own, the younger Hart lived in a stricter household. His mother put him on a routine of structured, supervised movements. She hoped she could keep him from becoming like his brother and father, who both turned their lives around and reconciled with Hart later. Thanks to his mother's discipline, Hart learned how to hustle, a trait that would help him become a successful entertainer.
His family's hard times helped Hart realize that he was funny. He saddled himself with the responsibility of making his mother's life better, noting that if he couldn't be a good student, he could at least make her laugh.
Early influences on comedyNancy Hart supported her youngest child's dreams of being a stand-up comedian. In the early stages of Hart's career, the single mother and University of Pennsylvania computer analyst agreed to pay his rent for a year so he could focus on getting his foot in the door.
As Hart worked to break into the comedy world, he drew inspiration from what he saw his peers doing in their routines. He told "Variety:"
"In the beginning, I was trying to be versions of what I saw or what other people were doing. It was all, what's the new shtick?"
This approach wasn't working, though. Hart stumbled through his sets, and audiences weren't connecting with or laughing at him. He was booed offstage at Philadelphia's Laff House comedy club several times. One dissatisfied audience member even threw a piece of chicken at him.
Rise to fame
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 04: Kevin Hart attends Peacock's "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist" World Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on September 04, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kamb ouris/Getty Images) – Credit: Photo Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images Despite getting off to a rocky start, Hart eventually found his place in the comedy world.
Breakthrough in stand-up comedyThe more Hart did stand-up, the more he learned what worked and what didn't during his performances. The key, he discovered, was in connecting with the audience through personal stories. His first set to land centered on a fight he'd had with his girlfriend.
"I was like, 'I called the cops on her,'" he recalled, "'Officer, I called you here because she put her hands on me, and you guys need to do something about it.' It was funny because all the things a woman would say, I was saying."
Before long, Hart was winning comedy competitions, and his reputation as a funny man was spreading throughout New York. Eventually, word of his talent spread to Hollywood, and he began getting cast in television roles.
Major film rolesComedian, director, screenwriter and producer Judd Apatow gave Hart his first TV role, a guest appearance in the college-aged sitcom "Undeclared." Though it only lasted one season, and he only showed up in a few episodes, "Undeclared" helped launch Hart into an acting career and lead him to the big screen.
Hart's list of film credits is long. Some of his most noteworthy roles include:
Though it wasn't his first film role, Hart's appearance in "Think Like a Man" in 2012 was his breakout role. Hart's performance made him stand out among the ensemble cast in the box office success — it grossed more than $96 million and knocked "The Hunger Games" from the top of the box office charts — and showed Hollywood that he was a bankable performer.
Success in televisionIn addition to his work in film, Hart boasts numerous TV credits that span various genres. Some of his notable television roles are:
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 26: Kevin Hart poses in the IMDboat Exclusive Portrait Studio at San Diego Comic-Con 2024 at The IMDb Yacht on July 26, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for IM Db) – Credit: Photo Vivien Killilea / Getty Images Hart is known for his hustle mentality and work ethic, both of which he says are courtesy of his late mother. Because she always strove to learn and achieve more, Hart does, too. This inherited drive encouraged him to pursue more than just acting and comedy.
Laugh Out Loud Productions and Hartbeat MediaHart launched Laugh Out Loud Productions in partnership with Lionsgate in 2017. He designed the streaming service as a one-stop comedy shop, hoping the platform would not only launch new comedians but also host original scripted and unscripted comedies, stand-up specials and live events.
When it launched, Hart told "Deadline,"
"My goal is to make the world laugh. I want this to be a representation of comedy from all new talent whomever you are, wherever you come from."
Since its inception, Laugh Out Loud evolved from just a streaming service to a full-fledged entertainment production company. LOL split into four key divisions:
Hart founded a second media company, Hartbeat Productions. In 2022, the Philly native merged his two businesses, and Laugh Out Loud Network and Hartbeat Productions became Hartbeat.
Now, Hartbeat is a multimedia entertainment company behind more than just comedy projects. While several comedies have come from Hartbeat — "The Roast of Tom Brady" and "Prom Dates" are two of them — the company has also produced projects in other genres. "Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist," a period drama starring Taraji P. Henson and streaming on Peacock, is a Hartbeat production. So is "Group Therapy," a mental health documentary that opened at the Tribeca Festival.
Personal challenges
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Kevin Hart attends the "LIFT" Photocall at The Corinthia Hotel on January 11, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images) – Credit: Photo Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images Hart has publicly faced several hardships throughout his career.
Overcoming injuriesSome of the personal challenges Hart has endured are serious injuries, two of which were a car accident and a racing injury.
In September 2019, Hart's Plymouth Barracuda veered off the road and into an embankment in Malibu Hills. The crash left the "Comedy in Color" performer with three spinal fractures. Much of his spine had to be surgically rebuilt, and after being discharged from the hospital, Hart experienced partial paralysis. Thanks to physical therapy and a strong support system, however, Hart fully recovered.
Hart made headlines with another injury in 2023, after he, in his own words, was humbled trying to do "young man stuff." A 40-yard dash against former NFL player Stevan Ridley resulted in Hart tearing his lower abdomen and being temporarily wheelchair-bound.
Legal issues and controversiesGenerally, a Google search for "Kevin Hart news" yields positive results. He tends to maintain a favorable reputation. However, Hart has found himself in hot water a few times. Some examples are:
Despite his scandals and legal issues, Hart still has a successful career. His continued success may be at least partially because of his willingness to take accountability for his mistakes.
For instance, when Hart was arrested for drunk driving, he took to social media to acknowledge his screw-up:
"This is a wake up call for me, I have to be smarter & last night I wasn't … everything happens for a reason."
He also tweeted:
"Drinking & driving is not a game or a laughing matter. People have lost lives because of stupid … this!"
Hart also spoke out following his 2017 sex tape scandal, where Hart was caught cheating on his wife, Eniko. He publicly apologized to his family via Instagram, saying,
"I made a bad error in judgment, and I put myself in a bad environment where only bad things can happen, and they did."
He also vowed never to return to Las Vegas, the site of the affair, unless his wife was present.
Contributions to the entertainment industry
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 19: Founder of HartBeat Ventures Kevin Hart speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt 2022 on October 19, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch) – Credit: Photo Kimberly White / Getty Images Hart has undoubtedly impacted the comedy sphere. His collection of accolades, including a Comedy Icon Award from TheGrio, proves it.
Innovations in comedyTwo things that make Hart's stand-up routines stand out compared to his peers' performances are his knack for storytelling and his self-deprecating sense of humor. Before getting his big break, Hart tried to imitate the routines he saw others perform. But when he realized doing things differently — taking the storytelling route — worked, he changed his approach.
"I'm really confident that the laugh that I'm getting, you're not laughing necessarily at me as if I'm the joke. You're laughing at the experience," he said during a "60 Minutes" segment. "I'm giving you an experience through a story that is relatable, and more importantly, I'm saying things that other people just don't have the heart to say."
Besides blending candid storytelling and self-deprecation with stand-up, Hart has revolutionized comedy by providing a platform for up-and-comers to share their content with Laugh Out Loud.
Impact on film and televisionThe star's contributions aren't just limited to comedy. They spread to other areas of the entertainment industry, too.
While not the only comedy performer to transition from the stand-up stage to the screen, Hart has managed to do so easily. He has appeared in several hit films and TV shows, positively representing other Black performers who wish to do the same. Plus, with the establishment of his production company, Hartbeat, Hart is creating a space for other artists to headline hits.
Influence on upcoming comediansAspiring comedians can learn a lot from Hart's career — prioritizing audience connection and vulnerability, taking accountability for mistakes and hustling to reach goals are just a few key takeaways.
Hart's journey from struggle to stardom inspires not only comedians but entertainers of all kinds. Chance the Rapper is one of them. The rapper has sung Hart's praises on his X account on multiple occasions, once writing:
"I definitely consider @KevinHart4real my role model now more than ever. Successful, positive, black family man. That's who I wanna be."
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