Be a Dumb Genius with Kevin Hart

Summary

IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson

Episode: "Be a Dumb Genius with Kevin Hart"

Date: June 17, 2026
Guest: Kevin Hart (with his daughter Heaven)
Summary prepared by podcastsummarizer.ai

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Episode Overview

This lively and heartfelt episode dives deep into family, aging, resilience, and the journey to success. Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson are joined by comedian, entrepreneur, and actor Kevin Hart (alongside his daughter Heaven) for a candid discussion full of laughs and wisdom. The trio explore personal stories about parenting, tough childhood experiences, growing into adulthood, the complexities of forgiving parents, and what it really means to be a "dumb genius"—taking big leaps without always having a blueprint. They also touch on the importance of representation, Black fatherhood, creative entrepreneurship, and practical advice for navigating challenging parent/child relationships.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Dumb Genius" Approach & Early Hustle

• Kevin Hart’s Leap to LA
  • Hart shares how he moved to Los Angeles with almost no plan—just $25,000 left from a development deal and $60,000 owed to the IRS.
  • Quote: “Dumb genius, dumb genius. I moved to Los Angeles without a plan.” (00:07)
  • Emphasizes the risk involved and how often, in retrospect, “dumb” leaps are necessary for “genius” breakthroughs.
• Early Comedy Career
  • Hart’s beginning in stand-up was “an accident on accident”—he entered on a dare and left his job after a $75 amateur night win, only for the competition to end.
  • No formal training or classes before launching into showbiz.
  • Quote: “Stand up comedy was an accident... I quit my job cause I got $75 from winning the competition. … I was like, I'm gonna do this.” (45:16)

2. On Aging, Bodies, and Parent Humor

• Discussion about the realities of aging—aches, stretching, and comedic takes on failing bodies.
  • Michelle: “I find that men, though, just don’t stretch.” (03:24)
  • Kevin: “I can't touch my toes.” (03:27)
  • Laughter over the little indignities and precautions of getting older and saving face in front of kids.
• Relatable stories about digestive changes and food restrictions as you age.
  • Quote: “Not eating if I have a drive ahead of me. ... I'll wait till after.” (09:08-09:27)
• The generational gap in digestion and the envy older folks have for younger people’s seemingly indestructible bodies.
  • Quote: “They literally eat like a tank. ... I’m envious. Very envious.” (10:10-10:59)

3. Parenting—Lessons from Mom and Dad

• Mother’s Strength and Lasting Lessons
  • Kevin details his mother's unyielding work ethic, pursuit of education, and ability to provide without resources.
  • Quote: “We didn’t have money, but we also never saw that we didn’t have money. … It wasn’t until my mom passed away that me and my brother got to see how much my mom did and what she prepared for.” (18:04)
  • His mom embedded in him the importance of learning and resilience, which he overlooked as a child but deeply values now.
  • Quote: “If I could tell my mom anything, if I could have a conversation with Nancy, it would just be, you were right.” (19:49)
• Father’s Flaws and Redemption
  • Kevin’s dad struggled with addiction and was often absent, yet taught crucial lessons about facing one’s own flaws head-on and developing resilience.
  • Tells poignant stories about seeing his dad at his lowest and later watching him rebuild as a grandparent.
  • Quote: “My dad was very accountable. Yeah, I did it. Yeah. I wasn’t there. ... I was on drugs, Kev. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.” (27:42)
  • On forgiveness: “In seeing him repair his years of bad father by great grandparent energy. Oh, shit, this is full circle.” (31:24)
  • Explains how his brother still struggles with the past, but Kevin chooses to forgive, noting the emotional cost of holding a grudge.
    • Notable moment: “Do you know the amount of energy that it takes to keep a grudge?” (35:02)

4. Parenting Now: Passing It On

• Kevin talks about parenting his own kids, striving to be present and breaking old cycles.
• Importance of supporting kids individually and recognizing generational growth.
• Quote: “In parenting, all you do is give your best and you hope that your efforts didn’t fall on deaf ears.” (12:06)
• He realizes that his own father’s mistakes made him more determined never to repeat them.
• Discussion on Black fatherhood and breaking stereotypes.
  • Hart: “The only way to redefine these stereotypes is to put better examples of fatherhood out there in the world...” (39:17)
  • Michelle: “There are a lot of good fathers … especially Black fathers.” (40:02)
  • Craig and Michelle thank Kevin for his Audible project on fatherhood and for using his platform to share these stories.

5. Building an "Ecosystem": Heartbeat & Mentoring

• Kevin describes his entertainment company, Heartbeat, as an “ecosystem” with many “branches,” dedicated to finding and mentoring upcoming comedic talent.
  • Quote: “At this point in my career, [it’s about] creating opportunities for the new.” (40:44)
• Conversation with Michelle about stepping out from exclusive deals to work independently, to open more doors for new voices.
  • Quote (Michelle): “It’s all about mentoring and opening doors.” (42:23)
• Both express pride in creating platforms that serve and empower others, especially in storytelling and the creative industries.

6. Endurance, Reinvention, and Giving Back

• Kevin’s career path was marked by major setbacks (Soul Plane, The Big House), but he persisted, ultimately breaking through with "Think Like a Man" and embracing constant reinvention.
  • Quote: “I have not taken my foot off the gas. … To most it’s, ‘Oh man, it’s overnight’—yeah, no, not the real grind.” (57:31)
• He continues to test and develop new material in small clubs, emphasizing the fearless, workmanlike approach to creativity.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On his mother’s legacy:
  “If I could tell my mom anything, if I could have a conversation with Nancy, it would just be, you were right.” – Kevin Hart (19:49)
• On forgiveness and his father:
  “In seeing him repair his years of bad father by great grandparent energy. Oh, shit, this is full circle.” – Kevin Hart (31:24)
• On dumb genius risks:
  “You're looking at a dumb genius. An accident on accident, on accident.” – Kevin Hart (45:16)
• On Black fathers and breaking the stereotype:
  “The only way to redefine these stereotypes is to put better examples of fatherhood out there in the world that can be received, that can act as energy to energize this new generation...” – Kevin Hart (39:17)
• On parenting and self-doubt:
  “In parenting, all you do is give your best and you hope that your efforts didn’t fall on deaf ears.” – Kevin Hart (12:06)
• On work and reinvention:
  “When I sit down for too long, I’m like, ‘Okay, I gotta figure out the next wave...’” – Kevin Hart (57:36)
• Playful challenge on stretching:
  Michelle: “I challenge you... if you were doing yin yoga once a week, you could touch your toes.”
  Kevin (mock-annoyed): “Well, I don't want the challenge... Challenge accepted.” (03:36–03:51)

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Listener Question Segment: Parenting Challenging Teens

Timestamps: 60:26–63:14

• Question: A listener asks for advice connecting with her eldest daughter, who has become distant and difficult in the teen years.
• Kevin’s advice: Create new quality-time settings—a breakfast, a hike, or an activity that "forces you to enjoy one another in a different manner," not just "your version of quality time."
  • “Always comes out of quality time. Right. And not your version, but something that acts as a new version for the both of you.” (61:19)
• Michelle’s advice: See each child as they are; respond to the child in front of you, not just how you remember them.
• Touching exchange: Michelle and Kevin riff on writing a parenting book/audiobook, with Michelle joking about negotiating her “percentage” (63:06–63:16).
• Craig adds: Sometimes you have to ask your kids what interests them so you can go explore new things together as a way to rebuild connection.

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Guest Appearance: Kevin’s Daughter, Heaven

• Heaven joins parts of the conversation, with Kevin praising her as his “best friend” and model child.
• Quote: “She is your greatest treasure.” – Michelle Obama (12:01)
• Kevin credits seeing Heaven internalize his parenting as one of his biggest rewards.

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Final Reflections

• Episode tone: Warm, comedic, deeply honest, often vulnerable, always supportive.
• Central themes:
  • Generational wisdom (and wounds)
  • The necessity of both risk and failure
  • Resilience and reinvention
  • The power of forgiveness
  • Intentional, inclusive parenting
  • The joy and responsibility of creating opportunities for others
• End note: The trio part ways with humor and mutual admiration, grateful for a conversation full of laughter, insight, and new ideas.

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Additional Important Timestamps

• Kevin’s mother and her impact: 17:25–22:09
• Reconciliation with his father, addiction, and forgiveness: 22:22–34:02
• Black fatherhood & Audible project: 37:36–40:17
• Building Heartbeat and mentoring: 40:38–43:52
• Breakthrough with "Think Like a Man": 54:12–56:12

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For anyone charting their own legacy, wrestling with parenting doubts, or needing a reminder that laughter and honesty go hand-in-hand with healing—this episode is a generous, genuine listen.

Transcript

[Kevin Hart]

I up and moved to Los Angeles.

[Craig Robinson]

And at no point during that process did you get any kind of professional development.

[Kevin Hart]

Dumb genius, dumb genius. I moved to Los Angeles without a plan.

[Michelle Obama]

No acting classes, none of that.

[Kevin Hart]

I moved to Los Angeles with 25,000. I had about $25,000 left of the development deal. I moved about 60 grand to the IRS because I didn't pay taxes. I was technically in debt. I moved to Hollywood. And I remember, I remember moving and walking down, walking down like Sunset Boulevard. And I was like, okay, here we go. This is it. What now?

[Michelle Obama]

This episode is brought to you by Chase Home Lending.

[Craig Robinson]

Hey, little girl.

[Michelle Obama]

Hi, Craig. Craig Robinson.

[Craig Robinson]

How are you?

[Michelle Obama]

You know what I'm doing? I'm doing pretty good. You know, everything is in one piece, I believe. I feel healthy.

[Craig Robinson]

Good.

[Michelle Obama]

How you feeling?

[Craig Robinson]

I feel great.

[Michelle Obama]

Well, our next guest, you know, his latest standup, which cracked me, I mean, tears rolling down my face, is talking about us getting old.

[Craig Robinson]

And the funny thing is he's still so young.

[Michelle Obama]

I mean, it's true. It's like, you know, we got to. Hello, we're talking about Kevin Hart, who is here with us today. Got to say hello. And it's like, yeah, he's all in shape. He looks like he's about 15 still, right? Talking about not being able to run and pulling stuff and whatnot.

[Kevin Hart]

Like, what you pulling?

[Michelle Obama]

You know, maybe he's stretching more now.

[Kevin Hart]

We'll find out.

[Craig Robinson]

You know, we love all of our guests, but, you know, I haven't met

[Michelle Obama]

Kevin Hart and I haven't had a chance to sit down and talk to. I mean, we've met on some photo line or something. We're just like, hey, how you doing? But yeah, so I'm excited.

[Craig Robinson]

Yeah. Well, let me get his introduction going. Kevin Hart has made a name for himself as the hardest working comedian, entrepreneur, producer and actor. He is a global box office powerhouse and has earned both Emmy and Grammy nominations. His authentic approach to sharing life's everyday moments, like we talked about, with humor and heart has earned him a devoted global audience and social media fan base. So, yes, indeed, without further ado, let's bring out the former varsity basketball player, Kevin Hart. You knew? I did my research.

[Kevin Hart]

Beautiful, beautiful introduction. This is great.

[Craig Robinson]

This ball has got to stay together. You know how that is?

[Kevin Hart]

This is so great.

[Michelle Obama]

So how are you talking about feeling old?

[Kevin Hart]

What do you mean?

[Michelle Obama]

Really?

[Kevin Hart]

I'm getting older. What do you mean? It happens.

[Michelle Obama]

You don't look it.

[Kevin Hart]

What you look and feel are two different things.

[Michelle Obama]

I didn't say look.

[Kevin Hart]

Okay. The perception is amazing.

[Michelle Obama]

I expected you to come in here,

[Kevin Hart]

like, do a cartwheel or something like that, or twisted ankle or something. No. It's a lot going on under the hood. I'm in pain. I am in pain. The maintenance to keep this up is extreme.

[Michelle Obama]

I find that men, though, just don't stretch.

[Kevin Hart]

It's true. I can't touch my toes.

[Michelle Obama]

See, now that's the thing. I've been talking to Barack about this.

[Kevin Hart]

I have no ego about it. You see how fast I touch. I can't touch my toes.

[Michelle Obama]

But you can. You could be able to do it. I mean, you could. If you were doing yin yoga once a week. You could touch your toes. I challenge you.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, I don't want the challenge. Okay. I didn't ask for this challenge. Like, you just gave me a challenge. Challenge accepted.

[Craig Robinson]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

Kevin, I challenge you to do the yin and touch yours. I don't want to touch my toes at this point. Kev's point.

[Craig Robinson]

So you know how some people become famous

[Michelle Obama]

and what?

[Craig Robinson]

And become bullies?

[Kevin Hart]

Yes.

[Craig Robinson]

They just bully you into doing stuff like, yo.

[Kevin Hart]

Yes. Yes.

[Michelle Obama]

Bully.

[Craig Robinson]

She just comes busting in.

[Michelle Obama]

It didn't work.

[Kevin Hart]

No. What you just did is the clear definition of bullying. Like, that was. If we're just gonna be honest about it, that is exactly what bullying is right there.

[Craig Robinson]

And then act like she's not.

[Kevin Hart]

No, she said it. And slam. Challenge accepted. Wait a minute. I never asked for the challenge. This is. This is unwarranted. I will try it, though. My flexibility is in dire need of help.

[Michelle Obama]

But that's why you ripped up your. What did you tear?

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, I tore my abductor. That's like.

[Michelle Obama]

See, in yoga, that abductor is stretched out.

[Kevin Hart]

It would be prepared for the.

[Michelle Obama]

It would be prepared for it.

[Kevin Hart]

You ain't got to run.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

You decided.

[Michelle Obama]

Now I'm going to race you. You'll see when I get up. The problem here is, like, I jump up. See, I needed a minute to just, like, let this leg get out.

[Kevin Hart]

You get a little dizzy, you jump up too fast, you know, Get a little too dizzy.

[Craig Robinson]

Yes.

[Kevin Hart]

Equilibrium is unbalanced. Right.

[Craig Robinson]

The dizziness is a problem.

[Michelle Obama]

Break your hip.

[Kevin Hart]

Does that ever happen?

[Craig Robinson]

Oh. Oh, right there.

[Kevin Hart]

When you get a quiet dizzy spell and you don't want to alert anybody, but you're like, oh, this is it.

[Craig Robinson]

This is it.

[Kevin Hart]

This is about. Oh, this is.

[Michelle Obama]

And the higher up you go, you know, it's just like. You just keep going, and your blood is like, we can't go that fast.

[Kevin Hart]

I think that I have to do a better job of alerting people when these things happen. Like, I've had things that I deem to be scares. Like, you know, if you're eating and you swallow too fast and something gets stuck in your chest, this is a heart attack. 1000% is happening right now. And I'm just quiet about it.

[Michelle Obama]

I gave one of my girlfriends the Heimlich at dinner.

[Craig Robinson]

What? I mean, just hearing about this.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah, well, a friend of mine was visiting me, and it was funny because Malia was.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, that's right. We're back to bullying. We're back to bullying. No, this is full circle.

[Michelle Obama]

But we're the same age, and, you know, you start having, you know, swallowing problems, things just stop, you know? Yeah.

[Craig Robinson]

So how about chewing your food?

[Michelle Obama]

But she had chewed her food. But she had told me that she had this esophageal issue where things will get stuck. Right. So I knew that about her. Now we're there with Malia and two of her friends. They're in their 20s, right, but they're still babies. Right. She stands up, finished eating. She stands up and coughs. And I think she coughed up something and it got stuck in her throat. And she was like. And I said, are you okay? And she said, now, the three children, they just pushed away from the table

[Kevin Hart]

and laughed and started laughing.

[Michelle Obama]

No, they didn't laugh. They were like, huh?

[Kevin Hart]

Oh, that's what I would've done.

[Craig Robinson]

It was girls, guys. We'd have been cracking up.

[Michelle Obama]

They were moving away. And I got up and I said. I went behind her, and I just pulled up like I'd never done the hind before, and it dislodged. It.

[Craig Robinson]

Did they pop out of her right away?

[Michelle Obama]

It just popped up right away.

[Kevin Hart]

One, one, one. Good.

[Michelle Obama]

Got her.

[Kevin Hart]

That's pretty big.

[Michelle Obama]

I looked at the kids, and I was like, what were you all doing? You know, I mean, my question. And they were like, you're right. You're like, we were useless. They realized that that was a mother moment.

[Kevin Hart]

That's actually a story.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

That's one that you gotta pull out at some dinners. Like, that's not a casual.

[Craig Robinson]

Just caring about this.

[Kevin Hart]

That's a big one.

[Michelle Obama]

We talked about it when it happened. No, we didn't. But in. In. In our family orbit, we talked about it.

[Kevin Hart]

How good is your life to throw out a casual hero story of. Yeah, I saved the life.

[Craig Robinson]

She's trying to make up for the bull.

[Kevin Hart]

I only gave one. I don't even.

[Michelle Obama]

But I only say that because that's kind of stuff that happens when we get older. And I. The reason why I would like I knew she wasn't faking cuz she told me that had happened to her before where she. Something got caught in her throat and

[Craig Robinson]

she was home alone and it didn't pop out of her mouth.

[Michelle Obama]

It didn't pop out, but it dislodged

[Craig Robinson]

and then she could swallow and then went back down.

[Kevin Hart]

Oh no. Oh, she re ate it.

[Craig Robinson]

It could have happened again.

[Kevin Hart]

She gave a re eat a re.

[Michelle Obama]

You can't.

[Kevin Hart]

You can't re eat. You can't do a re eat. You can't do a re eat over the problem piece. You gotta get that out.

[Michelle Obama]

Well, she's alive. But it's a hazard of aging, you

[Kevin Hart]

know, it's the things that break down.

[Michelle Obama]

Right.

[Kevin Hart]

And the definitions for the words. You know, I think that's the funniest thing that I found about getting old is that you have a word and reason for everything, you know, because right now I'm losing mobility in my elbow. So what they said to me is that like you just. You look for so much information. Yeah. So apparently I don't have the same recoil that I did. So I have to basically extend my elbow but overextend to get the full, the full variation of use. But other than that I'm fine. Yeah, other than that I'm okay. But when it rains, it tightens up like it's that you turn into that

[Michelle Obama]

and what did you say? You can't eat anything?

[Kevin Hart]

No. You get to the point where you

[Michelle Obama]

put lemon in water like woo, child, that lemon's going to mess up my system. I cracked up because I feel that way.

[Kevin Hart]

You're, you're much more regular the older you get.

[Michelle Obama]

You know, sometimes it's like, not now, it's too much. Not now.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, I'm not eating if I have a drive ahead of me.

[Michelle Obama]

You know, you wind up thinking 20

[Kevin Hart]

minutes to get there. I'll wait, I'll eat when we get there. I'll eat, I'll eat once we're there.

[Michelle Obama]

I don't think I've eaten today.

[Craig Robinson]

Listen, that is so true. I mean, oh, I got a flight. Let me, let me not drink anything and I'm not eating.

[Kevin Hart]

You say we're going over somebody's house. No, I'm a wait. I'm a wait till after we. Because I don't know these people and

[Craig Robinson]

I don't want to.

[Kevin Hart]

I don't want to eat over there.

[Michelle Obama]

They don't give me anything. No cheese.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, please, please no cheese. I'm sorry, What's. What's in that? Walnuts? Yeah, I can't. I can't. I'm going have to. I'm. I'm going to push this back and just. Wait.

[Craig Robinson]

Could you.

[Kevin Hart]

Do you just have dried lettuce?

[Craig Robinson]

That I can.

[Kevin Hart]

I'll just put.

[Michelle Obama]

Don't put any.

[Kevin Hart]

No, no, no, no, no, boss. Justin, please, please, please don't. No, none of that. Thank you.

[Michelle Obama]

Oh, my God. See, we got young people here. You all don't even know which is.

[Kevin Hart]

Strong digestive systems.

[Michelle Obama]

It's coming for you all.

[Kevin Hart]

They literally eat like a tank. Just nothing. They don't worry about anything.

[Craig Robinson]

Spicy food.

[Kevin Hart]

Oh, my God. Put it on, add more spice.

[Michelle Obama]

Really? And you just look and go, oh, Jesus, I would never make it to the car.

[Kevin Hart]

Respectfully, you know the language. I won't. I'll. I'll curb my language. But it's. It's like having no fear for consequence when you eat is a. Is an unbelievable asset. It's unbelievable.

[Michelle Obama]

Childlike eating a.

[Kevin Hart]

An ass bomb, for lack of a better word. Like, it's going to. It's going to blow.

[Craig Robinson]

It's going to.

[Kevin Hart]

It's going to blow. You're not afraid of when that's going to detonate.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah, but they can still control it.

[Kevin Hart]

They hold their. They're like. Like, they're like. What are the seagulls? What are the. Like the. The birds that could just hold on for so long? Like, I've never seen anything like it.

[Michelle Obama]

And fly a continent, fly over oceans.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm envious. Very envious.

[Michelle Obama]

Oh, well, Wheat, we're supposed to be talking about you.

[Kevin Hart]

Yes, I'm ready. By the way, that was a great conversation of relatability just now. Yeah, you got that right. No, when you stand up.

[Michelle Obama]

Right, right.

[Kevin Hart]

Dizzy. Yeah. No, I can't see. Yeah. Oh, you don't eat either. Yeah, I haven't eaten a day either. Oh, my goodness. That's good to know that we're all

[Michelle Obama]

in the same boat. We're all in the same boat.

[Kevin Hart]

But please, before we talk about me, I just want to say congrats, guys. This is amazing. Thank you for having me. Amazing team that you have. Amazing energy here and excited. So excited to get in all things, of course, Kevin, and be a open book of dialogue, information, conversation.

[Michelle Obama]

And to help out with that, we have a special guest in studio.

[Kevin Hart]

Yes.

[Michelle Obama]

My little eldest daughter.

[Kevin Hart]

My oldest.

[Michelle Obama]

Are you the oldest? Heaven. Are you the oldest or the. I am.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah.

[Michelle Obama]

The oldest grown child.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

It's crazy.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah. Look I spent my first mistake two minutes with her. She is your greatest treasure.

[Kevin Hart]

I could tell that that's my best friend. That is my. I am unbelievably proud of the woman that she has become and is becoming. But I can say as a father, your rewards come in a proof of concept, right? Like, I mean, in parenting, all you do is give your best and you hope that your efforts didn't fall on deaf ears.

[Michelle Obama]

Really? And half the time aren't you thinking, oh, God, I don't know what I'm doing.

[Kevin Hart]

I just. I mean, you don't, but you don'? Right? You're figuring it out.

[Michelle Obama]

We just act like we know what we're doing.

[Kevin Hart]

You're figuring it out. But I think for me, the biggest reward has been seeing her actively put the things that I've, like, beat in her head over the years to use. And she's just a responsible, driven person. She truly is a little mold of the world of what her parents have put in front of her. And I think that's just. It's a plus. She's the best example in the world for her brothers and sisters. Right?

[Craig Robinson]

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[Michelle Obama]

Can you talk more about your mom?

[Kevin Hart]

Oh my goodness.

[Michelle Obama]

Because look, she, she's. She's badass, you know, single mother. I. I want to know where she got it from.

[Kevin Hart]

You know, that's a good question. I mean, no disrespect to this amazing woman that I'm sitting across from at the table, but I'll argue anybody down and say, pound for pound, I'm the best woman to walk to earth, right? Who? My mom.

[Craig Robinson]

I thought you're talking about her.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, I know what she would do.

[Michelle Obama]

And then he's gonna argue. That's what a brother does. My Big brother.

[Kevin Hart]

It's like, who her? No, not either. Not even my mom. Oh, your mother.

[Michelle Obama]

Okay.

[Kevin Hart]

You know what's crazy is like I got a. As I got older, I got a different version of my mom.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

So the, the bad version of my mom I never got to see because my mom flipped, flipped her life and went in the direction of spiritual, you know, God fearing and energy towards self and self improvement. And from the age like four on, there was no relationship with my dad. There was no. I never saw another man with my mom. All I saw was my mom go to work, come home, tend to me, my brother, and whatever my needs or our needs were. I never saw anything else. So the commitment to, to doing whatever had to be done was bar none. We didn't have money, but we also never saw that we didn't have money. We didn't have a life or lifestyle that allowed us to do the most or have the most. But we had the things that we needed. It wasn't until my mom passed away that me and my brother got to see how much my mom did and what she prepared for. Like, you know, I remember she, she passed away and there was insurance and, and, and you know, money that was given to me and my brother and the accountants that was set up and she had college funds just in case and like literally with. Without having any this crazy salary or money coming.

[Michelle Obama]

She didn't have a financial advisor.

[Kevin Hart]

My mom was a. She was hungry for information. She felt that it was free and she said that you can obtain as much of it as you can keep. So she was in college, I mean, for the duration of her adulthood, chasing masters after masters after masters, always just further extending the opportunity to educate and to do so. In my younger years, it was like, she does too much and it's annoying. And like, it's always something. You always want me to read, you always want me to like look up something. You always want me to study these things. And like, I'm not a good student. I don't want to do this. I don't want to finish or complete these things. I don't want to prepare or study. But when the adulthood kicked in, something happened. And those lessons, all of a sudden it was second nature. If I could tell my mom anything, if I could have a conversation with Nancy, it would just be, you were right. And I think like parents.

[Michelle Obama]

How old were you when she passed?

[Kevin Hart]

I get a little. I look, it gets me. So just give me a little.

[Michelle Obama]

We cannot talk about our parents.

[Kevin Hart]

No, it gets.

[Michelle Obama]

Sorry.

[Craig Robinson]

Yeah, no, no, need to apologize with Nancy.

[Kevin Hart]

That's my one regret. I never got to say you were right. And that's what.

[Michelle Obama]

How old were you when she passed, man?

[Kevin Hart]

26.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

26, 27.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

And it's not like my. My tear isn't like.

[Michelle Obama]

No, I know.

[Kevin Hart]

It's not an angry. It's like.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

It's the appreciation for the energy. Yes. And love in real time that a parent is giving.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

As a child, you overlook it. You don't value it at the level that you should. So it's not until kids get older. It's not until kids get older that you go, damn right. Like, I actually had the.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

I had the makeup around me. I had it. I had the machine around me.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

And because it wasn't glamorous, because it wasn't the bells, the whistles, the cars, the big houses, the front yards. It was like, oh, man. Well, look at us. We're struggling. We're poor with this or that.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

I also had the flip side of this as well. Right. So, like, my dad was the opposite.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

Yes.

[Kevin Hart]

And it's not. It's not glamorous. It's actually really bad. Like, my dad. My dad was really like. There was some. A lot of shit with my dad.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

But if I didn't see it firsthand and I didn't see my dad battle with addiction, with, you know, the law. I mean, that.

[Michelle Obama]

He checked all the boxes.

[Kevin Hart]

He checked. Name it, name it, name it. My dad, man. I mean, arguably, the humor, the ability to have dark humor, light humor. It comes like. It's my dad. Like, an example of my dad. Like, I remember my mom's sister had passed away, and we're going to the funeral. And, you know, this is my mom's side. Right. But, you know, a couple people had passed. Like, this is like another sister of my mom's. Like, her mom, her dad. Like, you know, the funerals are. They're happening, right. They're coming fast. My dad is there. We get there. We're like, standing with the family, and my dad goes. They drop it like flies.

[Michelle Obama]

It's like, too soon.

[Kevin Hart]

You look around. I mean, come on now. Okay.

[Craig Robinson]

Is that where the sense of humor.

[Kevin Hart]

Right away. Right away, the worst health. My dad had the worst cancer. Took his lung out. He battled with. With every level of copd. I mean, you name it. Like, my dad was supposed to be going years ago, years ago, but he would show up.

[Michelle Obama]

He's there counting.

[Kevin Hart]

He kept surviving. Yeah, man, I don't know how y' all not kicking this stuff. I mean, you can't say this. Not beating. That's it. I beat that. He's wearing it like badges.

[Michelle Obama]

Like, beat that. That one didn't get me. Cancer.

[Kevin Hart]

They had cancer. They tried it. Had me in there with the chemo. I told him, kiss my ass. I got out of there. I beat it. Y' all didn't knock that. I mean, it was bad.

[Craig Robinson]

So you've got your mom as this shining example on the one side and your dad as a different kind of example on the other side.

[Kevin Hart]

The worst of it, yes.

[Craig Robinson]

So what people talk about a lot today is raising young men to be good men.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah. My dad was very adamant about the stance of man. So bullying and things like that when I was a kid, like, yo, they messing with me, or they're getting messed. Or, I don't like that they're picking on me down the street. My dad was the. Come on, where we going? We going down the street. You're gonna go down there, and whoever it was, you're gonna handle your situation. I'm gonna stand there and win or lose, it doesn't matter. What matters to me is that you understand that you're not supposed to allow these things to happen, whether I'm there or not. You have to respect yourself enough to want to see the best for yourself. So, you know, I can go to several street fights when I was younger. And by the way, this is a different time of parenting. Like, we're a much different time where some of these things are frowned upon. But I can say the character that was built because of the things that my dad made necessary, and it was so out of the. So far out of the loop of what should be done. Everything my dad did, I was standing and argue. I think it was wrong. I can say I think it's wrong

[Craig Robinson]

looking back at it.

[Kevin Hart]

No looking back at it, like, what was he doing? My dad threw me off a cliff in the lake. I was scared to jump. He grabbed me, threw me off.

[Michelle Obama]

I was like, nope, nope. That wasn't a limit.

[Craig Robinson]

I landed.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm in the lake, treading. He yelled down, see you fine. No, I'm. No, I'm not, man. You just scared the shit out of me. I'm not comfortable in here. But his approach, the shock factor that it came with, it gave me a level of comfort with things that will be. Will be. Like, it is what it is. I don't care. Like, my dad. We in a car, the car break down. All right, leave it apart. We're gonna Walk. Walk where? Home.

[Michelle Obama]

We're in another state.

[Kevin Hart]

We gonna walk home. We gonna walk. We're in a boat. Boat break down. All right. It's okay. We wait for somebody to come by, flag em down, get on their boat, take us in. Who do we know out here? Just wait. Here you go. Hey, let that one go by. They ain't stopping. Get the next one. Whatever. Things that were bad were never that bad to him. So. My, my, my. I have such a simplistic, like, stance to problems. Like, I don't talk about the problem like, there's gotta be a solution.

[Michelle Obama]

When did you come to appreciate the wisdom that you were getting from your. Your father? I mean, what you got from your mother was evident.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah.

[Michelle Obama]

Right. But, you know, and I'm sure there's some tension to his approach. Who he was, what he wasn't, who he wasn't to your mother. There were a lot of reasons to not see his wisdom. When did it start to. When did this clarity?

[Kevin Hart]

When I realized that my dad wasn't afraid to be honest about any of his flaws. My dad was very accountable. Yeah, I did it. Yeah. I wasn't there.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

Nah, your mother should have done what she done. I was a piece of shit. I did this, I did that. I was on drugs, Kev. I wasn't in the right frame of mind. This story defines. I don't know if I told you this story.

[Michelle Obama]

We gonna hear it now.

[Kevin Hart]

You gonna hear it. This is a. Didn't know about the cliff. They know he threw off the cliff.

[Michelle Obama]

Kevin's sitting there going, jesus.

[Kevin Hart]

This is gonna mess you up, though. Heav. About Grandpa.

[Michelle Obama]

Here we go.

[Kevin Hart]

It's not gonna mess you up. This is like, a real moment. So my dad through, like, his craziest bout with drugs. My dad disappeared for a minute.

[Craig Robinson]

And how old were you when this took place?

[Kevin Hart]

I was 14. 15.

[Craig Robinson]

Okay, so.

[Kevin Hart]

So he's dad's gone.

[Craig Robinson]

Important time.

[Kevin Hart]

Yes. Like, this is the time when my brother was military coming home. Cause my brother was having problems. And it's just me and my mom. Right. Like, me and my mom. My mom's figuring it out. My mom's got me in every extracurricular activity. She's doing anything to keep me off the streets. My brother was an example of what can happen if you're on the streets. I'm not gonna let that happen with you. I got the iron fist. It's about two years since I've seen my dad. Oh, right. Like, yeah.

[Craig Robinson]

So you don't know.

[Kevin Hart]

We don't know.

[Craig Robinson]

You don't know if he's alive or dead or what.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, you hear. Because at the time, he was battling with drugs. You hear stories about, your dad's been up on X, Y, and Z. That's where the addicts are. Like, my brother was hearing things. I'm on a train, subway, public transportation in Philadelphia, and I'm sitting on a train. And

[Craig Robinson]

no way is that my dad. No way.

[Kevin Hart]

On the train.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

Dad. 15 years old, I'm coming home from school. Doors open on the train. My dad looks at me dead in the eye. He looks bad, horrible. My dad ran off the train about seven months after me and my brother find him, checks him in the rehab. My brother found out where he was, his reason for getting into rehab and doing everything, because he was so hurt at what he looked like when I saw him at his worst. And he said he would rather go through life without seeing me again than me seeing him at his worst. So his road to getting back was such a crazy road to experience because it was just. It was unapologetic and authentic and real. So rather than frowning upon the years that I missed or the moments that my dad wasn't there, I kind of like. I relish in the fact that, like, oh, he's changing. He's aware, and he wants to be better and do the right thing. And when he got on the other side of it, he said, look, I can't change anything of what I've done with you or your brother. I could say sorry, but now y' all got grandkids. Like, I got grandkids. I can be the best version of myself to them because they don't know everything. Give me the opportunity to create that with them. And seeing him. Seeing him repair his years of bad father by great grandparent energy. Oh, shit, this is full circle.

[Michelle Obama]

I'll take that.

[Kevin Hart]

I'll take it every day of the week. And that's bigger than an apology to me. Yes, it's much bigger than. You don't need to say anything to me.

[Michelle Obama]

Right. Right.

[Kevin Hart]

I've dealt with it. I'm okay. We're okay. I still love you. You're my dad. But, oh, you showed your role to repair and how you're going about it. I can't find a level of more respect. So seeing him do that, it was when I started to really, like, really peel back the layers and go, I mean, this is a man's man. This is. This is a. You're talking about falling to the bottom

[Michelle Obama]

and climbing back up and climbing back up.

[Kevin Hart]

And finding a reason to smile every day after finding solace. And then the blessings of your son becoming and you being able to see it.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

Whether. Whether the. Like, who's to say who deserved to or who didn't. Like, my mom didn't get to see any of it. My dad was able to be on my.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

My dad was on jets with me. And here's a house, dad. Here's a car. Get what you need. What do you want? My dad was able to reap the benefits of his son becoming because somehow he managed to make it through. I don't know why it plays out the way that it does, but I think everything happens for a reason. But I love the fact that my dad got a world of blessings after his world of turn.

[Craig Robinson]

And in some ways you got extra blessings from that.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, I won't touch drugs. Cause my dad.

[Craig Robinson]

Yeah.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

And

[Craig Robinson]

I've only met heaven. I haven't met your other kids. But I suspect that it's affected you in the way you parents.

[Kevin Hart]

1,000%.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

1,000%. They've never spent. They've never spent the night over their grandpop's house.

[Michelle Obama]

House. Well, yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

And I was like, hey, look, it's like, you're not going over kids.

[Craig Robinson]

Like,

[Kevin Hart]

absolutely not. Absolutely not. Yet you're going, grandpa, he's gonna come

[Craig Robinson]

over here and sleep.

[Kevin Hart]

We're gonna have grandpa coming. My dad send the kids down. Absolutely not. Yeah. Absolutely not, dad.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah. You know what? And we all have the. If. If you're black, you know, didn't grow up rich. We all have. That wasn't my father, but there were cousins and uncles and, you know, not going over there. Yeah. And it's a. The other thing you got from all that was the power of forgiveness.

[Kevin Hart]

1,000%.

[Michelle Obama]

Right. Because there's so many young men, so many grown men who are walking around with the pain from that loss without any clarity, without any context, without any reconciliation. And they are living with those holes 1,000%. And you. Your father helped you close those.

[Kevin Hart]

It's weird because my brother. My brother struggles with that.

[Michelle Obama]

Okay.

[Kevin Hart]

My brother can't let go of the times of old. He's very like, stubborn in the idea of repair. If you do something wrong to my brother, my brother is well, then for life, you and I got a problem for life. Every time I see you, I'm gonna tell you that me and you are no good.

[Michelle Obama]

That takes a lot of energy.

[Kevin Hart]

Do you know the amount of energy that it takes to keep a grudge? Do you know, like every day to

[Michelle Obama]

wake up and go, that hit me wrong.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm so. The fact that they think I'm that guy, like, like that. It takes so much and he, he, he can't. I've never been the. I'm not a grudge person.

[Craig Robinson]

This episode of IMO is brought to you by Chase Home Lending. Buying a home isn't just a financial decision. It's a step into a new chapter. And you shouldn't have to take that step alone. With Chase, you're supported by real people. Your neighbors, folks you see around town, people who know your community and understand what matters to you. Chase's Home Lending advisors are there to listen, guide and help you understand what's possible and help you get into your new home. With smart digital tools like Chase My Home, you can plan your next steps and explore your options whenever it works for you. You know, in my early days as I was transitioning from my corporate job to coaching, I had a few people in my corner that made all the difference in helping me succeed. I remember working in the corporate world and trying to navigate how to climb the ranks to vice president. I had a mentor that I relied on to help me learn the rules of the game. I specifically recall asking him what it took to be a vice president. His advice still stands out in my mind today. If you want to be a vice president, act like a vice president. Those words stayed with me my whole career. Behave like the position you want, not the position you're in. So if you're thinking about your own next chapter, remember, having someone you trust by your side can make all the difference. Explore your savings opportunities and let Chase support your journey. Visit chase.comimo to get started. Member FDIC equal housing opportunity. This a great way to segue into kids make me angry.

[Kevin Hart]

Yes. Yes.

[Craig Robinson]

Can you talk a little bit about your project with Audible?

[Kevin Hart]

It's a project with Audible and you know, it's more of what we're doing now, right. Like the lessons and intel information and stories of like my roadmap to better parenting from start to like where I am now. It's a very, very authentic, transparent dive into like kid one through four and the lessons that I was able to like, learn from, take on, understand, improve upon and grow with after each child. Right. Like, you know, from starting out and you know, not really like being as useful as you would want to be. Right. Like, you know, when a newborn baby's there, it's not much as a father that you can do. You're there for. You can change a diaper I mean, it's vocal, maybe, but when I start changing the diaper, you snatch the baby because I did it wrong.

[Craig Robinson]

You did it wrong.

[Kevin Hart]

That's not it. You got it too tight. That's why. Give me the baby, Let me swaddle. I can swallow. No, you don't do it. Right. The arm ain't locked. You're there for moral support, looking over

[Craig Robinson]

the shoulder, and that's it.

[Kevin Hart]

I think it's very valuable.

[Michelle Obama]

It's especially men, 1,000%. I think it's really beautiful that you are sharing your skills, tools, lessons, wisdom as a father, because fathers don't talk as much.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, I think there's a cloud over the concept of the black father. Right. And the stereotypes attached to that. Bad, good, whatever they may be. The only way to redefine these stereotypes is to put better examples of fatherhood out there in the world that can be received, that can act as energy to energize this new generation of fathers.

[Michelle Obama]

For sure.

[Kevin Hart]

Right. What better gift to give to fathers than the gift of more information? Right. And affirmation. Right. I think sometimes we're looked over and quickly looked.

[Michelle Obama]

There are a lot of good fathers.

[Kevin Hart]

1,000%.

[Michelle Obama]

We had one. I am married to one. My brother is one. You know, I'm surrounded by good fathers. And you're right. They get a bad rap, Especially black fathers.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah.

[Craig Robinson]

You know, but part of it is because there's not enough guys doing what you're doing.

[Kevin Hart]

Yes.

[Craig Robinson]

And who have the platform to go out and say and champion fathers. So thanks for doing that. Thank you. First and foremost.

[Kevin Hart]

Thank you.

[Michelle Obama]

A Heartbeat. Y' all are killing it.

[Kevin Hart]

Please talk about.

[Michelle Obama]

Talk about that joint and all that you were doing.

[Kevin Hart]

Heartbeat is my entertainment ecosystem.

[Michelle Obama]

Oh, I like that ecosystem. Okay.

[Kevin Hart]

One of many.

[Michelle Obama]

Are there plants and trees?

[Kevin Hart]

Well, there's a lot. There's a lot of trees with tons of branches that are now presenting the opportunity for so much for this next generation. I think what I'm very adamant about at this point in my career is creating opportunities for the new. For example, funny AF is a comedy series that I did with Netflix where we're finding the next voice in comedy. Right. And the winner of the competition gets an hour special on Netflix. So I was able to go to Netflix and say, look, I want to do something cool, but the hour special has to come with it. Well, Kevin, we don't know. That's a lot to give. Whereas my partner. I need you guys to align with me because this has never been done.

[Michelle Obama]

Are you guys. You're Working with everybody. Are you working primarily with Netflix?

[Kevin Hart]

I personally was doing Am not.

[Craig Robinson]

Was.

[Kevin Hart]

Was doing a film deal with Netflix. Unbelievable partners. Unbelievable relationship that we've had over the course of like the last five years. The company still does business with all right. It's Free Game and Opportunity four.

[Craig Robinson]

That's a withal. You said with all. With all. That's neat. So, Mish, how does that compare to Higher Ground and what you guys are? It's sounds really similar.

[Michelle Obama]

It's a similar philosophy, you know, except you. You're Kevin Hart. You've been doing this for a while, you know, which is a wonderful brand. But yeah, we are. It's the same sort of thing. I mean, we've had a wonderful relationship with Netflix.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, you've been actively producing a lot. You guys are doing amazing.

[Michelle Obama]

But, you know, we moved from an exclusive deal to a first look with a goal always to be independent. Yes, Right. Because our reason for getting into storytelling was to tell a broad based of stories, you know, and get it out there. So our goal is to work with everyone. So we're now at the phase after that great foundational support from Netflix to be able to go independent. It's all about mentoring and opening doors.

[Kevin Hart]

Ecosystem.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah, ecosystem.

[Kevin Hart]

You have the same thing.

[Michelle Obama]

But in order to do that, we've got to be working with everyone. Right. Because not every single story belongs on every platform. And Netflix was the example of that. I mean, they do certain things, but they don't do everything, you know, so having the freedom now to go and work with everyone, you know, we've got projects with hbo. There's a project that Barack is doing with Larry David on HBO that's coming out like right around the fourth of July that is, you know, a sort of spoof on America, you know, so it's a comedy.

[Kevin Hart]

They. There is no problem with working with everyone.

[Michelle Obama]

Well, it was great to support you in fatherhood. You know, I mean, that was really one of my favorite movies of the year that year. I mean, the, you know, the depiction of real fatherhood, I mean, you've been on. That's been a part of your brand. And I think that is beautiful. That story was so absolutely touching.

[Craig Robinson]

Kevin, when you started out in comedy, and we've been talking about a lot of stuff here, we haven't even touched on your genesis in comedy. Because I'm trying to figure out were you better in comedy or basketball when you were growing up.

[Kevin Hart]

If you really want to be honest, man, I feel like I chose comedy, but basketball chose me. Right.

[Craig Robinson]

You could hoop.

[Kevin Hart]

You could hoop. It was one of those things, I think people.

[Craig Robinson]

People don't understand.

[Kevin Hart]

No, nobody does.

[Craig Robinson]

How good. How good you have to be to play varsity basketball in high school. Nobody understands that usually people's career are over before they get to varsity.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah. It's a tough thing that I struggle with more than anything because that's where I should be. I should be.

[Craig Robinson]

You carry yourself like a hoop.

[Kevin Hart]

I should be on the court. Right. But instead I chose the stage because I had to. Right. Like the demand for laughter, it was so high. And I just had to put the basketball sneaks up. I had to put them up.

[Craig Robinson]

But when you finally got in the comedy, did you envision what you're doing with Heartbeat or did you think, all right, no, no.

[Kevin Hart]

Let me just. Let me give you an honest answer. Absolutely not.

[Michelle Obama]

No. Hell no.

[Kevin Hart]

You're looking at a dumb genius. An accident on accident, on accident. Like stand up comedy was an accident. I was working at City Sports. A friend of mine at City Sports said, kev, you funny. You should do one of those amateur nights. Cause the comedy club was right up the street. They said, would you do it? I said, I don't care, I'll do it. They said, if you do it, we'll go. We'll all go. And it was like a joke. I did amateur night. I fell in love with it. Oh, my God. This is. This is amazing. I won a couple competitions. Being a dumb genius that I am. I quit my job. Cause I got $75 from winning the competition. I was like, I'm gonna do this.

[Michelle Obama]

See you later.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm just gonna come here every week, win this. They stopped the competition soon after. I had no job. No more access to this $75. That was my plan of attack.

[Craig Robinson]

So you weren't like writing jokes and preparing. No, you just.

[Kevin Hart]

No, I want to hear that.

[Craig Robinson]

When did you start, like, treating it as a profession?

[Kevin Hart]

When my mom laid down the hammer, my mom was like, you got a year. You got one year to figure it out your way. And if you do not figure it out, I'm still living with my mom.

[Craig Robinson]

And you're how old at this point?

[Kevin Hart]

I'm 18.

[Craig Robinson]

Okay.

[Kevin Hart]

If you do not figure it out your way, you have to do my way, which is college. College, back to community college, back to school, trade, job, everything. Keep in mind, I'm out here with a dream. I'm like, mom, you don't know what you talking about. I'mma be a comedian.

[Michelle Obama]

What?

[Kevin Hart]

I'm going to be a comedian. I got It. And to her credit, she did not. Like, she did not. She didn't lessen my dream. She never was not aligned. She just. She put a time on it. And what that did. Credit to her or not, it made me go, oh, my God, I got a year.

[Craig Robinson]

I gotta get serious about that one year.

[Kevin Hart]

So I put the most pressure on myself, and I figured it out. So in figuring out where the amateur night rooms were, where the comedians were that were getting work, doing work, who can I get access to, who can I travel with, who can show me more than what I know now? And I started to figure it out. So my mom, there's the Bible story of, like, when she put checks in the Bible. She's asking me, like, am I reading my Bible? I told this story several times, and I was lying. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm reading the Bible. She was like, well, let me know when you read the Bible. I said, mom, I'm reading the Bible. But at the time, you know, the rent, it was getting crazy. I was getting notices. Like, they're about to kick me out, Mom. Like, right now, I'm having a hard time covering the rent. And she was like, well, read the Bible. You know, talk to God about it. Mom, this ain't okay. I don't know. This not a game, all right? Like, I get it. I get. I get the spiritual side of it. Look, I believe, okay? But right now, they. They put a notice on the door. I. I need to. You got to help me out, Mom. This month. Until I. Till I. Till I do these open mics the next month, read your Bible. Damn it, Mom. Like, I'm getting frustrated. So one night I open up the Bible. She had all the checks for the year. Like, she had rent checks to cover me for the year in the Bible. They all fell out, and it's like the dopest thing ever. But okay, yeah, let me. Let me. Let me actually read.

[Craig Robinson]

You just have given me the check. Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

I mean, by the way, very childish. Extremely childish, right? Extremely childish. I'm 18. Just give me the. Just give me the damn checks, lady. I'm going to get kicked out.

[Michelle Obama]

Okay, well, she knew you weren't gonna read the Bible.

[Kevin Hart]

She knew and she knew I was lying the whole time. A month and a half of lies. I read the Bible.

[Craig Robinson]

Bible, Mom.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm on page 76. Matthew's talking to Peter about the stuff he did to David. I'm. I'm clearly reading it. I'm just Cliff noting it. I'm looking up Cliff notes from the Bible. So, so when I, when I gave that year and figuring it out, I saw like the energy that you should have to like really being prepared for the craft. So I started treating it like a real business.

[Craig Robinson]

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[Kevin Hart]

I did a Def Comedy Jam competition, and I won. I won a Def Comedy Jam competition.

[Michelle Obama]

When was this? How were you?

[Kevin Hart]

This was. I mean, I want to say 1998. I was probably doing comedy for, like, maybe two years, maybe a little over at the time. And this was so big. Yeah, to me, I was like, I just won a deaf comedy jam competition, by the way. You were supposed to get so much. None of it happened. Everything was promised with the competition. Well, that none of it happened. I never even got the jacket. I never even got my leather jacket. You were supposed to get a Def Comedy Jam jacket, which was the biggest thing to me. I'm gonna wear this jacket so people know, look, I gotta be funny.

[Craig Robinson]

You funny.

[Kevin Hart]

You see what's on my back? They never gave me my jacket. And after winning, like, you were supposed to be on a Def Comedy Jam tour. I did one date, and then the tour disappeared. Like, it was just. It was a very lackluster letdown. Okay, Russell, listen, Russell. He's my guy. I've told Russell this story to his face.

[Michelle Obama]

It did happen.

[Kevin Hart]

You owe me a jacket. I've said it several times. If nothing else. Give me my damn jacket, Russell. But things were starting to happen. I did BET Comic View. Like, I started to find my way to tv, and I ended up doing Montreal Comedy Festival. When I did the Montreal Comedy Festival was when everything changed. I did the Festival of New Faces. And the Hollywood side of the business was like, you gotta see this guy, this Kevin Hart guy. You gotta see him. And I started to then move to a place of, like, auditions and things here. And. Oh, my God, now. Now I'm like, ooh, this is comedy. Gets you to the.

[Michelle Obama]

Oh, never thought about that.

[Kevin Hart]

I could probably do movies and stuff. And I remember getting a deal. I got a deal for, like, $250,000. It was a development deal with, I want to say, abc. ABC or NBC. I got a development deal. And when I got that, you know I got it.

[Craig Robinson]

I'm rich, Mom.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm getting you a house. I'mma hold you back. Everybody gets a house, by the way. Gotta get a car, right? I'm a hold dad. I know you want something. Don't worry, I got that. That money was gone in two weeks. Okay, two weeks that money was gone. But I up and moved to Los Angeles.

[Craig Robinson]

And at no point during that process did you get any kind of professional. No development.

[Kevin Hart]

Dumb genius. I moved to Los Angeles without a plan.

[Michelle Obama]

No acting classes.

[Kevin Hart]

I moved to Los Angeles with 25,000. I had about $25,000 left of the development deal. I owed about 60 grand to the IRS because I didn't pay taxes. So I'm technically in debt. I moved to Hollywood and I remember moving and walking down, walking down like Sunset Boulevard and I was like, okay, here we go. This is it. What now? So the opportunities within TV and movie, they started to come. That was when the big house and Soul plane, all of this stuff happened early on and I was supposed to be made from it. And those things failed. None of it worked. So I kept getting hit with failure. But while failure was hitting me, because I was such a road warrior, the next wave of opportunity came from Will Packer, who saw me at a comedy show and he wanted to develop Think Like a Man, which was Steve Harvey's book and he wanted me to star. Think Like a man was a $12 million budget. We did 90 something million dollars in the box office. And.

[Michelle Obama]

And that was that.

[Kevin Hart]

That was it. Like literally Think Like a Man hit. I was the comedy relief. I can't thank this cast enough. The cast of Think Like a Man. Romany Malco, Megan Good, Gabrielle, Regina Lala. It was a beautiful movie, Jerry. I mean, Terrence Tim's story directed like the. This movie was set up in such a way to where I was the funny, but without the cast giving me the ammunition or the moments, none of it would work. And everybody was okay with it. And I was able to improv and I was able to do this thing that created some movie magic. So this thing comes out and then to Hollywood, it was, this is the new guy. I mean, at this time, I've been doing comedy for 12 years. You know, I'm ready. I'm like, oh my God, this is, this is it. Like it's gonna happen. I have not taken my foot off the gas. I've done the same thing over the course of a 30 year career. And to most it's, oh man, it's overnight.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah, no, no, not the real grind

[Kevin Hart]

and the real hard work that it took to get here. And you know, when I sit down for too long, I'm like, okay, I gotta, like, I'm working and working, but I'm Kevin, you gotta figure out the next wave of comedy. Like, what are we talking about? Where's the next comedic energy wave coming from? And what I do that I embrace. I go to a comedy club, I go to New York and I go to the, you know, the smallest places and in these places where, where I hold on, I'M telling my wife I'm still here.

[Michelle Obama]

Tell her, hey, Hi.

[Kevin Hart]

I'm still here. Say hi.

[Michelle Obama]

Hey, we're. We're on. We're on the podcast. You're on. Hi.

[Kevin Hart]

Completely different smile when she saw you. Did you see that? Did you see that?

[Craig Robinson]

I did see that.

[Kevin Hart]

Did you see that? A completely different. What are you doing? What are you doing? I got eyebrows.

[Craig Robinson]

What are you doing?

[Kevin Hart]

I'm still here, babe. She so. Hey. I mean, what just happened? I. I'll call you when I'm done. He's here too.

[Michelle Obama]

Hey, Nico. All right, I'll call here.

[Kevin Hart]

All right, love you. Bye. So. So, like, see, you got points there, bro.

[Michelle Obama]

His wife's call.

[Kevin Hart]

Oh, no, that's that. I don't want in that one.

[Craig Robinson]

You do not.

[Kevin Hart]

I do not. In that one.

[Michelle Obama]

Do not. Well done.

[Kevin Hart]

Hey. Hey, Fumble.

[Craig Robinson]

Hey.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

Hey.

[Kevin Hart]

You see Michelle? Hey. Everybody's here. Just. You see everybody? We still filming. You said you would be like. I know, I know what you said. I know. Yeah, that's a. That's a beaten man right there with stand up comedy. So I go to these small places and I don't have a thought. I go on stage and I talk. I'm not afraid of silence. I'm not afraid of the joke not working. I embrace the idea of. In order to get to the thing, to get to the hour, I gotta step on stage with nothing and I gotta go, okay, here we are. Here we go. And I gotta figure it out in real time. I gotta figure it out. And as you start to figure it out, my energy starts to pick up. Oh, I got a joke. Oh, that joke connects to this. Oh, I gotta go back out. I gotta get on stage again. Oh, I'm so excited to do these things to see if they work. And then after 8 to 9 months or 10 months of preparation and doing that over and over again, five to seven days out the week, I have a skeleton of what I want to talk about. It's a brutal process, but I embrace it because without that, well, you can't celebrate the good heaven.

[Craig Robinson]

We are gonna take you off the hook because we have a listener question so he can lecture them.

[Kevin Hart]

Oh, it's coming, it's coming. Yeah, here it comes.

[Craig Robinson]

So we do this listen question where we give back to our.

[Michelle Obama]

This is our wisdom sharing.

[Craig Robinson]

We share some thoughts. So this one is from Kerri.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

I'm a parent to two amazing kids. For years I was close to both of them. But with the teenage years and probably all the horm my oldest has become Challenging for me to be around. I feel like she has a mean streak that's developed towards me, and we are really not getting along these days. I love both my children, but I am closer to my youngest right now. I feel horrible because my brother has always was always the favorite growing up, and I'm extremely sensitive to how hurtful that can be. How do you think I could connect with my oldest? Do I just ignore what's going on or try to talk to her about it? And how do I make sure that my kids know I love them both equally? This is from Carrie in Madison, Wisconsin.

[Kevin Hart]

I think that, you know, when you're in that period of battle as a parent, you create settings that are just better for your mode. I would recommend your oldest. Take your oldest to breakfast. Take your oldest for a hike, a walk, you know, go to dinner, a bike ride. An activity that forces you guys to talk, that forces you to enjoy one another in a different manner than what you've been doing. Good. Always comes out of quality time. Right. And not your version of quality time, but something that acts as a new version for the both of you. I would recommend. And I think, you know, in doing that, you get to see and remember why your parent is fun or why your parent is cool or good energy. Did you like that?

[Michelle Obama]

You should do a book.

[Kevin Hart]

Well, yeah, an audible book.

[Michelle Obama]

I think that'd be a great idea.

[Kevin Hart]

You know what? This is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna focus on doing an audio version of it.

[Michelle Obama]

I think you should.

[Kevin Hart]

Of parenting and information. I discovered that today. That's wonderful.

[Michelle Obama]

I'm glad I could be of help.

[Kevin Hart]

Thank you. Thank you for that idea.

[Michelle Obama]

But I do. I like that advice. I think we talked about this as well. I would encourage her to make sure she is taking each as they come. So I would just say make sure you see the child in front of you and try to, you know, just like you did with heaven.

[Kevin Hart]

You know, I love that. I mean, I think that's two phenomenal breakdowns. So hopefully that information is taken and not frowned upon.

[Michelle Obama]

If not, then get Kevin's audible book.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, yeah. Which I just made the decision to do.

[Heaven (Kevin Hart's daughter)]

Yes.

[Kevin Hart]

Thanks.

[Michelle Obama]

Thanks to Michelle Obama.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

An amazing gym.

[Michelle Obama]

It. Should I start negotiating a percentage now?

[Kevin Hart]

Well, you said it without that. Right?

[Craig Robinson]

We already.

[Michelle Obama]

Yeah, you.

[Kevin Hart]

You gave the idea. Yeah. You. Yeah, you didn't. You said it without. First. You know, the first idea wasn't. It didn't come with a business economic. So it's weird now. So I think that we Kind of just have to. It's one of those things.

[Craig Robinson]

Yeah.

[Kevin Hart]

We just have to leave it because it's weird. You don't want to make it weird. Right. That's. That's how I would state that.

[Craig Robinson]

Master negotiator.

[Michelle Obama]

Fair point. Craig, do you have anything to. I can't.

[Craig Robinson]

I don't want to add too much because those are both great answers to Kevin's point. You know, sometimes you have to ask your kids what they are interested in and what they're doing to be better able to go find that new thing. Man, I can't tell you how wonderful this has been.

[Kevin Hart]

Thank you.

[Michelle Obama]

Really wonderful.

[Craig Robinson]

Thank you.

[Kevin Hart]

It was amazingly uplifting. Right. Like, I just love the vulnerability, transparency. So I can only thank you guys for the time today like, this was.

[Michelle Obama]

And thank you most of all for bringing heaven.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah.

[Michelle Obama]

She is heaven.

[Kevin Hart]

Bullied. Bullied.

[Craig Robinson]

My.

[Kevin Hart]

Bullied.

[Craig Robinson]

My.

[Kevin Hart]

My energy.

[Michelle Obama]

I want to pack her up, please. It's like. It's like here.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, I have a bag. Hold on. I'll be right back. I have a bag in a car.

[Michelle Obama]

You'd love Malia and Sasha. They've got to meet. That would be cool.

[Craig Robinson]

And be sure to tell Nico we said hi, too.

[Kevin Hart]

Yeah, yeah. I'm going to do it right now. My day is a little behind. It's all right.