Kevin Hart, today one of the most successful comedians, had difficulty finding venues to perform when he first started as a comedian, so he chose some very unexpected venues.
The 44-year-old entertainer performs wherever he can: bowling alleys, cabarets and strip clubs. He doesn’t “know who thought comedy and strippers mix,” but a performance at a strip club led to one of the most heartbreaking moments of his stage career. Hart remembers hearing a woman say “Oh, baby” during his set.
“(She was) so disgusted and heartbroken that this is what I chose to do with my life,” Hart said.
But things have changed for him. Hart is the most profitable comedian today. His latest comedy tour grossed more than $122 million, and last month he received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor – as close to a lifetime achievement award as you can get.
Become an actor
Hart was always confident, his friends say. Comedian Na’im Lynn, who has known Hart since Kevin was a teenager, didn’t understand at first.
“I mean, it was confusing at first,” Lynn said. “Like, ‘Why does this little ugly guy have so much self-confidence?'”
Hart grew up in a tough neighborhood in North Philadelphia. Home movies made by his mother, Nancy Hart, show that he was always the family entertainer. Hart lived in a one-bedroom apartment with his brother and mother, who watched him closely.
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She planned every moment of his day, making sure he went to swim practice and doing his schoolwork, and even quizzing him to make sure he didn’t rush through his homework. Hart credits him with his dynamism.
Nancy Hart also kept Hart’s father, Henry Witherspoon, at arm’s length. Witherspoon was in and out of prison. He was addicted to drugs, which Hart talked about in a 2011 stand-up special called “Laugh at my Pain.” Hart describes his father showing up to spelling bees and debates and treating them as if they were sporting events.
“First of all, you can’t encourage any child to a spelling bee. It’s a spelling bee. It’s quiet, I’m focused. I’m spelling a very difficult word,” Hart said during the special. . “My dad comes late. He comes through the back door making cokehead noises, okay. Again, I can’t make this up. Okay, that’s all I got heard. I’m spelling bullshit. Out of nowhere, all I heard was, ‘Okay, okay, okay!’
The details are heartbreaking, but Hart finds humor in them.
“I see it as it was,” he said. “But when I was a kid, it was Dad.”
Hart’s path to success
For a long time, Hart struggled to achieve success.
Hart had to deal with the sound of knocked down pins during his early performances in bowling alleys. He would start joking if someone threw a strike while he was delivering a punchline.
Having a strong motivation is an essential part of making it into a comic, Hart said. Comedians who can’t get gigs on real stages have to create their own wherever they can perform.
“It’s one of the most agitated entities in existence today,” Hart said.
He thought he’d made it when he filmed a sitcom for ABC called “The Big House” in 2003. The network took him to what’s called the Upfronts to pitch the show to advertisers and the media. While waiting backstage, the “guy with the mic” directing everyone told Hart that his show wasn’t being picked up. No one from the network told him – just “a guy named Barry in the back, holding the curtain.”
This rejection pushed Hart. He didn’t want his career to be determined by people he didn’t know.
“I could sit here all day if I don’t get it back and do what I think should be mine,” Hart said.
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And that’s what he did. He started a small production company, now called Hartbeat, and began developing his own stand-up specials. Hart also marketed himself tirelessly through social media — and Hollywood studios took notice, hiring him for a slew of films.
From highlight to controversy
When Hart was chosen in 2018 to host the Oscarsit seemed like a high point in his career.
“I’m blown away simply because this has been a goal on my list for a long time. …To be able to join the legendary list of hosts who have graced this stage is incredible,” Hart wrote on his Instagram. at the time. “I know my mom is smiling from ear to ear right now.”
But then comments he made about LGBTQ+ people years earlier on stage and on Twitter sparked controversy.
Hart resigned as host of the Oscars. He did not initially apologize for his comments, but later posted his apology the next day on Twitter.
Hart said he spoke with comedian Wanda Sykes and she explained to him that people were suffering because of comments like the ones he made.
“It was presented to me in a way where I couldn’t ignore it,” Hart said. “So in those moments of despair, great understanding and great education can come from it if you are given the opportunity.”
Bouncing back and developing material for an upcoming tour
Hart has since bounced back. He seems to be constantly on the move, starting with a daily pre-dawn workout. Hart owns a nutritional supplement company. He also owns a fast food chain, a tequila brand and a $100 million venture capital fund. His entertainment company, Hartbeat, is now worth more than $650 million.
“I’m not just a comedian anymore. I’m an investment. I’m a studio,” Hart said. “I’m a partner looking for partnerships. Working for hire is not in my best interest if it’s a one-off situation.”
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He’s also working on new material for an upcoming comedy tour called “Acting My Age.” He doesn’t work with his team in a room to develop his ideas; Hart takes them to small comedy clubs to try them out. His friends and collaborators Harry Ratchford and Joey Wells serve as his editorial consultants.
Hart doesn’t write his material, but instead sticks to the bullet points on his phone. He said he wanted to make sure the story he tells is understandable and focused on relationships, friends and aging.
“All things that, no matter where you are or who you are, you can say, ‘Aha,’” Hart said.
60 Minutes correspondent Anderson Cooper watched Kevin Hart write his notes on stage in front of 3,000 people in Pasadena, California. Everyone had to hand over their phones so the equipment wouldn’t leak.
“I feel like 90 percent of what I’m going to do tonight is really good,” Hart told the audience. “The reason I took your phones is because of the remaining 10%. Right? Just in case. Just in case some aren’t, you have no proof .”
Wells and Ratchford took notes while Hart played. Ratchford focuses on structure, where the jokes have to be part of the setting, Wells said. Wells focuses on making Hart’s whole thing a little funnier.
“He might get a standing ovation. I’ll say, ‘That was great. It was great. How about you try this?’” Wells said.
Hart’s sets include embarrassing and revealing stories about his wife and four children, his insecurities and his many shortcomings.
“It’s about things you’re not afraid to laugh at,” Hart said. “I really believe that the laughter I get, you’re not necessarily laughing at me, like I’m a joke. You’re laughing at the experience.”
Anderson Cooper
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