Kevin Hart is a comedian, actor, producer and bestselling author known for his blockbuster films, sold-out stand-up tours and relentless work ethic. In this conversation from May 2021, Kevin joins Willie Geist to talk about his dramatic role in the Netflix movie “Fatherhood” and why presenting a positive Black father on screen mattered to him. He also reflects on performing stand-up at home during the pandemic, his turn toward dramatic acting, and his recovery from the near-fatal car crash that almost left him paralyzed.
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Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another episode of the Sunday Sit Down Podcast. My thanks as always for clicking and listening along. Got a good one for you today. One of the funniest people currently striding the earth. His name is Kevin Hart. Now Kevin and I have gotten together previously for a big Sunday sit down conversation a couple years ago. It was at Madison Square Garden. It was so cool. We were kind of sitting up in the rafters looking down before one of his stand up shows at the Garden. You might hear a reference in the interview he was wearing it was midsummer and he was wearing holiday plaid pants. They were red, they were green, they were white. And he explained to me that this is where he was with his success, that he could wear a pair of holiday pants in the middle of the summer. That was the level of confidence he was feeling in that moment and continues to feel today. He's got a new movie out, really good called Fatherhood on Netflix, a turn toward the dramatic. It's still funny, it's still Kevin Hart. But at the heart of the story is a very moving true story about a man who lost his wife and raised his daughter on his own with the help of his in laws and his own parents. So it's interesting to see Kevin talk about a little bit of a turn maybe for him from all the things he's doing. Not that he's going to stop doing standup or stop being funny, but he wants to kind of broaden out a little bit. He's also got a book out for young readers. I mean, he's got so much going on it's hard to capture it in an introduction. But Kevin, you know Kevin Hart, I don't need to introduce him any further. I will tell you this. We did this over zoom. I am sitting in my garage, the room over the garage which you've come to know and love. He is in Budapest, Hungary shooting a movie at this very moment so he's in a hotel room, so it's a little bit quicker conversation than we usually have. But, man, he was so nice to carve out a minute. He was literally, like, running off movie sets, sitting down to chat with us and talk about everything he's got going on. So I'm grateful for his time. Always fun to sit down and catch up with Kevin Hart Heart right now on the Sunday Sit Down Podcast. Kevin, good to see you, man. Thanks for doing this.
B
Good to see you too, man.
A
So you've been very busy during this pandemic, including right now, I believe you're in Budapest, is that right?
B
Yes, that is absolutely correct. I am currently in Budapest filming a movie called Borderlands.
A
And you've. You've got. I think I've got this right. You got a movie out right now, about to come out. You got a book out?
B
Yes.
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Podcast. Big comedy special.
B
Yes.
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Audio book.
B
Yes.
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Hosting big telethons.
B
Yes. And a lot going on.
A
Oh, by the way, you also had a daughter. How's your baby girl?
B
Oh, man, my baby girl is amazing. Kaori, my heart, I'm. I'm so in love with her already, as I am all my. All my kids, of course. But, you know, we got a new. A new boss in the household, so it's exciting time.
A
Well, it's also. You've had to slow down a little bit, I imagine. Imagine. Right. For the last year. So you've sort of been there through the process. You're such a hustler, I imagine, with your other kids. You've been in and out. What's that been like for you?
B
Well, you know, there. There's truly been a void of weekends with me in the house. You know, it's like, very rare that I've had a weekend where I've been home in my career, because as a standup comic, of course, you tour and the weekends are mostly the dates where you're on stage. And, you know, if it wasn't on stage, you know, it was me kind of filming a movie or doing something. And there was a point when filming the movies, it kind of flip flopped. And I would take the weekends to kind of go home and see the kids. But I've never. I've never been able to have, like, that. That type of consistency in me being home. So, you know, it's unfortunate about the reason, you know, why we were all able to spend the time that we got to spend with our families. And I'm talking about the pandemic and Covid and, you know, the destruction that it caused, you know, but there's, there's a positive and every negative and, you know, me sitting down and getting to really tap in with my loved ones, with my wife and my kids, it was a. It was a really good thing for me.
A
So let's talk about this movie, Fatherhood. I was just saying to you before we started here, I was ready for the Kevin Hart experience. I'm always ready for that. I sat down within, I think 10 minutes, I was getting choked up. So for people who don't know this story, maybe didn't read the book, what appealed to you about this story?
B
A lot. I mean, first of all, it's a real story, true story, based off of Matt Logan's life and meeting Matt, hearing his story, you know, seeing the material, embracing the script, it was appetizing. It was something that was different for me. It could give me a chance to showcase my talent in a way that I've yet to showcase it. And, you know, I love the opportunity of being a black father on screen in a positive light, which is something that you don't really, you don't really get to see that much. You know, most of the times they're on drugs, off drugs, in jail, out of jail. It's kind of the same, you know, storyline that's attached to a black dad on a big screen. So I said to be able to do it and to have some type of positivity behind it and maybe be a part of kind of changing the narrative or changing the stereotype of black fathers and also motivating fathers in general to understand the importance of our involvement in our kids life, that acted as a bonus, that was a big plus. So everything lined up. You know, the other producing partners that we have on a project with Marty Bowen, his team, the Obamas, are a part of the project. I mean, there's so much that just made sense. So all arrows pointed to go, yeah.
A
And I think people are going to be pleasantly surprised. As I said, they come to expect comedy, they know it's going to be funny, they know you're going to be you. But. But was this a conscious sort of career turn for you? A little bit. Not that you're getting away from comedy, but to say, hey, I need to step up and show people that I can do this too.
B
You know what it is, man, it's not, it's not necessarily proving, proving something to people. I think, you know, you gotta find levels of fun for you in the craft that you've chose, you know, and whatever that Is you gotta constantly find new ways to excite and incentivize you. Because ultimately without you being happy, then what you're doing, you know, won't serve the purpose that you want it to serve. And entertainment and acting and anything. It's all about growth. It's about growth, it's about experience, it's about knowledge, and it's about what you do with it once you get it. So this was an opportunity for me to expand my resume, you know, to step into a different lane and, and do it, you know, I know I can do it. Other people are going to be shocked when they see it and go, wow, you know, Kevin's got some dramatic chops. But I'm not doing it for you to be blown away. I'm doing it because I know I can. And I know what I can bring to a piece of material like this. And you know, the project is what excites me. Now people get to see the project. I'm hoping that you guys walk away with a good feeling from what I felt good about making. But it starts with me. It starts with me. My mindset, my drive, my will, my want. Without that, then you got nothing.
A
We're not giving away too much. I don't think for people who are gonna go see it, to say there's a big trauma in your life right out at the beginning of the movie and then you are raising this sweet little girl on your own. So what did you draw from as a father to play this part?
B
Well, you know, the idea of being a single father is a tough one. And I take my hat off to first and foremost Matt, whose life has been unreal. You know, for him to overcome the battles that have been put in front of him and find a light at the end of, you know, so many dark tunnels is amazing. I take my hat off, I give him his flowers, I applaud him, all of the above. You know, the thought of being a single father is tough. It's tough, you know, because there's moments of am I doing it right? Am I doing everything that I can? You know, am I loving enough? Am I, am I being a good example? Am I, am I teaching the correct lessons? There's so many opportunities to have self doubt and that's where a lot of the emotion comes from. The emotion comes from in wishing and wanting to do everything that you possibly can and constantly questioning yourself. You're second guessing yourself and your, your insecurities and you rear their head because it's you and, and, and your loneliness of this particular. This particular thing. And, you know, I can only hope that single fathers out there have families or loved ones that can help and step up. But some may not. And if they don't, you know, it's. It's a tough thing. It's something that shouldn't be overlooked. The same way that you would respect and appreciate a single mother who steps up and, you know, endures the burden of not. Not just making sure that they're raising a child correctly, but sacrificing so much of themselves and for themselves to give to this child. That's. That's a big deal. So in this movie, it was just something I thought about in the back of my mind of how much you're willing to actually do, how much you actually love. And, you know, loving at the highest level possible hurts. It sometimes comes with pain. And, you know, it was just pulling from those emotional moments when and where I can.
A
As you and I both know, it's hard enough with two parents, and then you watch a single parent, you watch a movie like this. And as you say, all respect. You mentioned the Obamas being producers on this. This was. I think it was their first or one of their first projects from the. From their production company. Was there any work with them? Did you hear from them? Is Barack Obama calling you with notes?
B
You know what? I actually did talk to Barack, man. I had a couple conversations with Barack on the phone. And, you know, first of all, I think it's just crazy that I can say I talked to Barack on the phone comfortably. You know, it's like, where's my life? And what is my life becoming? That I have a relationship with Barack Obama, and it's been one for a minute. You know, I've known him for a while before the movie, and, you know, he's a comfortable, casual, good guy. And, you know, the reason why they wanted to take on a project was because of the story, because of the messaging. And he and Michelle both just felt strong about the material. So I think, you know, when you're looking at partners, especially producing partners, you want people that simply see the. See the vision and understand what the takeaway can be from it, what the messaging can be from it, and having them see and understand the positive message behind it, I mean, that's as good as it gets for me.
A
And the fact that you can just drop and call him Barack, that's a statement right there of where you are.
B
Yeah, Bo. Call him Bo. Hey, Bo. What's up, man?
A
I'm sure he loves that.
B
Kevin. Hey, Kevin. Hey, Kevin, how you doing? You tell me, Bo. I'm good. That's how it went down. Just like that.
A
Wow. You have reached somewhere in your career. That's amazing. So does this now inspire you, Kevin, to start thinking about drama again? As you said, you're doing a big movie right now with a lot of big name actors, really respected group of actors. Is this. Maybe you'll look back someday at this being a turning point in your career.
B
Well, you know, the upside was a, was a baby step in the right direction. You know, that was my way of just giving, giving my audience a sneak preview as to some things that I wanted to do. You know, that's why I took on that movie. I was interested in doing that. You know, I have something coming out called True Story, which will be on Netflix soon as well. It's, you know, it's a, it's a little darker series where you're gonna see me in a way that you've never seen me, just much more serious. And, you know, I think, of course, I go back to my comedy roots and do some more big comedies, big action comedies. But then I'll come back and I'll dabble again. I just try to spread it out. You know, I think I've, I've checked a lot of boxes in my comedy to action comedy, to dramedy, to animation, to adventure, family. There's, there's not a lot that I haven't been able to throw myself into in the theatrical space. And, you know, I think it's something that people will probably look at later and go, oh, wow, I haven't realized how much he's actually been able to do and how much, you know, he's been able to kind of navigate through while doing it. So it's, it's all intentional. You know, these, these choices are extremely intentional. And I think after success with fatherhood and the response, it's looking for the piece of material that acts as an elevation after, because once again, you want the, you want the challenge, you want the, the thing that, that excites you and that makes you grind hard and work harder. So I'm never not looking for a piece of motivation or a challenge that can act as an aid to me doing what I do, what I love.
A
And in some ways, I guess people who make movies now watch fatherhood and they go, oh, I see, okay, he can do that. And then the next one comes. We can add to your list of talents. Author of Young Adult READERS Marcus MAKES a movie So I have an 11 year old son. The book came in the mail a couple weeks ago, and I handed it to him to read. He read it. He loved it. He noticed you snuck your own name in there, Changed the name a little bit. He thought that was good. What was behind that choice to jump into sort of young adult books?
B
Well, you know, I've been in the literature space for a while. My book, you know, Life Lessons I Can't make this up, was a huge success. I then did an audiobook called Decision, which was a huge success. And you fall in love with it. Fall in love with seeing people respond to things that you put your time, energy, and effort in on. To give a message, to. To give information. I feel like I got a bunch of information. Not advice, information. Because I just want people to know things so that they have choices and understanding as to how things work or don't work. And it's not. Doesn't mean you got to do it that way, but at least you have the information. Marcus Makes a Movie. Well, this is a. This is a kid's book that I wanted to do to help motivate and inspire our youth to simply understand that the word no is just a word. You know, coming up as a kid, as a young adult, I heard the word no a lot. Early in my career, I heard the word know a lot. And if I had to let it buckle me or stop me, I definitely would not be where I am today. Instead, I let the word. I let it kind of motivate me, right? Because I never stopped believing in who I was, and I never stopped believing in the thing I felt that I could do. And that's what I want. All kids, this generation and the generation after, I want you to understand that what you feel you're talented at is what you're talented at. Nobody else can dictate your talent but you. And whatever you put into you is what you'll get out of you. And Marcus Makes a Movie is about a young kid that realizes that if he puts his mind to what he wants to do, he can achieve it. And he gets some friends to help him achieve said goal. And the journey of getting the said goal is not easy. It comes with some. Some bumps, some. Some cobblestone along the road, but ultimately, it's worth it. And. And the opportunity that comes from your time, energy, blood, sweat, tears is sometimes big, Sometimes it's rewarding. Sometimes it's enough to make you feel like what you're doing is right. Fact of the matter is, it's always something that happens from you putting Your best foot forward, giving your best effort. And Marcus Makes A Movie is about that. It's about inspiring the youth to do just that. Dream big, believe in you, and do you. Ultimately, it's you against you. And I'm hoping that kids take and receive this message and use it correctly, you know, use it to apply themselves in ways that they may or may not have before.
A
As you've seen a lot in your business, you can be the most talented person in the world, and without the hustle, it's hard to get where you want to go. I think when people look at you, they see talent, obviously, but, man, do they see relentless hustle. So what's your message to the kids who might read that book who are hearing no at school? They're hearing no in sports. Sports or in their music career. They think they're funny, and they don't know how to get where Kevin Hart is. What do you say to those kids?
B
I will say, you know, I think it's not about getting where I am. It's about getting where you want to be. Right. And all I am is an example of what's reachable, what's obtainable. You know, the world knows where I come from. I come from North Philadelphia. I come from the bottom. I had nothing. And, you know, having and believing in that dream, it was. It was. It was something that acted as a helping aid to me, navigating through my career. And what I learned is that talent is amazing to have, but hard work. Hard work is going to possibly beat talent every day of the week. Because if you just rely on a talent and you know what? You don't put the hard work in. You know, hard work may surpass the talent, but what I really understand is that hard work plus talent is undefeated. You rarely lose when you have a combination of both. We have a combination of hard work and talent. That's. That's pretty. That's pretty insane. And understand the talent comes and so many different ways. You know, talent is disguised and. And. And hidden and. And discovered and. And used improperly to become proper. Like, there's so many different things that can coincide with talent and what your talent is or can be. So it's. It's just something that I truly believe that should be worked on. It should be. It should be. It should be practiced. It should be you. You should make sure that you're putting time and energy into the thing that you feel you want to do and can do. And if you do that word no will be get. It'll get less and less as I start to become a thing of old.
A
As I hear you say that. I'm thinking about the last time you and I talked was in Madison Square Garden, up in the rafters, right before you're going to do a show in there.
B
And some red pants.
A
You remember the pants?
B
Yes, I have some red pants with checkers on them. Yeah. I love those pants.
A
And those pants, we should point out, I think that was the middle of summer and they were holiday pants. And you said, this is where I am with my success. I can wear holiday pants.
B
That's right. I feel good about Christmas in the summer.
A
But. But what you were. Well, another part, another thing you told me was in your early days of doing standup, there was one moment where you were someplace and somebody threw a chicken wing at you or something, like hit you in the face with a chicken wing. You get heckles, all that stuff. So how do you. Because I think it keeps with the message of the book, but also with your career. How do you keep going through that? How do you face failure again and again and push through to the other side?
B
You know what? I think the best way is to try to understand that sometimes you're just not ready. It doesn't mean that you're not good, doesn't mean that you suck. Sometimes you're not ready. And there were tons of things that I just wasn't ready for. There are tons of opportunities that came my way that I didn't get because I just wasn't ready. It wasn't my time. That's it. And, and, and, you know, now that I'm older, I understand that. I can see that clearly. Back then, when it didn't happen, oh, my God. Everybody hates me. Nobody wants to deal with me or work with me. Life is over. But it just meant I wasn't ready. That's all. That's. That's all that it meant. It just meant that I wasn't ready for those moments. And, and when you understand that with time comes experience, comes knowledge, and just improvement. That's what it's about. It's about growing. And whatever it is you do, it's about growing. You know, that's what I love. I love that. I understand that. And right now I just want to give information to make the youth see and understand just as clear as I now do. And you take the information and do what you want with it, but at least you have it. At least it's not a secret.
A
Hey, guys, thanks for listening to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Stick around to Hear more from Kevin Hart right after the break with Venmo Stash.
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A
Welcome back to the Sunday Sit down podcast. Now more of my conversation with Kevin Hart. Speaking of the Hustle, your latest Netflix comedy special was performed in your living room because you couldn't stay, you couldn't stay away from it. What was that like? How do you put together and act differently than being in Madison Square Garden, for example, standing in your living room?
B
Well, you know, we wanted to do something very intimate. We wanted to do something extremely intimate. We wanted to make it to where you felt like you were having a conversation with me. You know, that, that, that special was an honest conversation. It, it was, it wasn't necessarily about the performance. It was about the honesty attached to the material. It was just about me being honest about my, my life at that time. The pandemic. Me at 40 and understanding life at 40. My mindset, my just like there's just a comfort that comes with being honest and aware. Whereas at one point you used to live, used to live to please others. And then you make a turn in life where you understand that you want to please yourself, that you want to make yourself happy. And that was about me having a realization that I'm, I'm Good. I'm happy. And there's certain things that I don't want to do or I don't feel like I have to do, and I shouldn't feel bad about those things. So let me be vocal about what those things are. I don't like it when this happens. Leave me alone. Let me sit here. I don't want to go. Come to the store with me. No, I don't want anything from the store. It's like, you know, that. That. That honesty that. That people are just afraid to have. I'm okay with being blunt about now.
A
But you weren't before. I mean, does that come with experience and success, too? Where you're now, frankly, can say, I don't want to go to the store or I don't need to go do that project because I'm good with who I am and where I am.
B
It comes with experience, success, and also a true understanding of what happy is. Which is. Which is foggy. It's foggy for a long period of time for me. Right. Like, I've never been an unhappy person. But you. You know, there's a. There's a thing where this is going to make me happy, and if I get this, I'll be the happiest person ever. And then you get it. And then after getting it, you have it, and then you find yourself getting over it. Yeah. And then you go, oh, but if I get this, this is going to make me happy. This is all I need. And then you get it. And time goes by, you forget about it. You're over it. That thing that was once the biggest thing ever, and I was going to make you happy, you're not even thinking about it. So you need something else to make you happy. There's. There's this thing of what is going to bring you the happiness. And what ends up happening is you. You end up looking over the things that are most present, the things that truly bring you joy, the things that truly keep a smile on your face, you overlook them. And once you realize, oh, wait a minute, it's not about the material stuff, not saying that it isn't nice, not saying it isn't cool, because it is. But when you really realize it's about the people, the family, the love, the connection, the value of these relationships, when things kind of change, you understanding your mindset change?
A
Absolutely. How much of this perspective that I'm hearing right now, Kevin, comes from the experience of surviving the car accident that you were in. Come home and see your wife and see your kids and appreciate Everything.
B
I mean, tons. You know, understanding that you're not in control, that's a big deal. It's a big deal to understand that you're not in control. At any point in time, it can be over. Snapping fingers, over. Holy cow. I'm fortunate and lucky to still experience life. While experiencing life, I'm lucky to experience it with the ones I love. I'm very lucky. Let me make sure that I take the time to appreciate it. That's. That's. That's a lesson. It's a lesson learned. It's a lesson given. It's something that, you know, I think a lot of us take for granted because it doesn't have to be this way.
A
I don't think most people, most of your fans appreciated at the time how serious the accident was and how serious your injuries were. Yeah. You broke your back.
B
Almost paralyzed.
A
Almost paralyzed. Are you recovered today? You feel good?
B
I mean, obviously, 100%, 100% recovered. I was very lucky to still be able to walk. You know, you're talking about a couple centimeters, a small space between your fingers. That's what separated me. And being paralyzed, you know, you're talking four months, five months of recovery. I was, like, close to six. Like five. And some change of work to recover, you know, losing all my body mass. And it was tough. It was. It was a tough thing. But I'm blessed to have been able to recover from it, to have the mindset and good people around me to help me stay locked in, to understand that I could get back to a place where I once was. It was just going to take time. And, you know, because of everything going on, I had nothing but time.
A
Yeah.
B
So the focus was my health and nothing else.
A
Well, thank God I'm sitting here talking to you after that. Now that we know how serious that was, I'll let you get back to your movie set. But what else? I mean, as I look at your resume, God only knows what you're gonna do next. Is there something else out on the horizon that's gonna shock people that you're up to?
B
Well, you know, we got. We got a lot of stuff going on, man. I got. I got Borderlands, which I'm filming now.
A
Yep.
B
I have, as you know, true story I told you about. That's a movie. Not a movie. That's a series that I did with Netflix, Fatherhood, which is coming out now. Marcus makes a movie which is available. I'm dropping another audio book soon, probably in, like, the next six to seven months. About to do another film. With Netflix. I start that in September 10 of the title right now is called me time. My podcast comedy gold mines is doing amazing. I love it where I get inside the minds of comedic personalities, comedians in general, people who understand and think about funny just isn't those minds are and they work. Still have my radio show on our on our channel Laugh out loud radio straight from the heart. Plastic cup boys got a car show coming out on Motor Trend with the plastic cupboard dropping the talk show called heart to heart. Doing that on Peacock with NBC Universal shoot I doing amazing things with my heart capsule collection on fabletics with fabletics women and fabletics men me and my wife Chase commercial coming soon. That partnership is going well. What else, what else, what else? Suggesting everybody row and go hydro roll machine. I can keep going. That's doing very well. You know, partnerships on partnerships, relationships on relationships. Man. Oh my God, I think I froze you. I went so long that I froze Willie.
A
So as you could hear there, the connection from my garage to his hotel room in Budapest cut out the zoom, died. I vanished from Kevin's screen. And our wonderful producer Sylvie continued to ask him a couple of questions. But man, he rolled with that like he rolls with everything. My big thanks to Kevin, a very busy man who stopped and took some time to talk with us the other day. His latest project, the movie Fatherhood, premieres June 18 on Netflix. And you can catch his book, Marcus Makes a movie wherever fine books are sold. My thanks to all of you for tuning in this week. If you want to hear more of my conversations with our guests every week, be sure to click subscribe so you never miss an episode. And of course, don't forget to tune into Sunday Today every weekend on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. We'll see you right back here next week on the Sunday Situation Down Podcast. A Sapphire Reserve story from Ella Langley.
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In this episode, Willie Geist sits down (virtually) with Kevin Hart, who is in Budapest filming a movie, to discuss Hart's latest ventures: his dramatic film Fatherhood, his new young readers' book Marcus Makes a Movie, the life-changing aftermath of a near-fatal car accident, and his relentless work ethic. The conversation captures Kevin's trademark humor, personal insights, and honest reflections on growth, family, and success.
“There’s truly been a void of weekends with me in the house...but there’s a positive in every negative. Me sitting down and getting to really tap in with my loved ones... was a really good thing for me.” – Kevin Hart ([03:37])
“...to be able to do it and to have some type of positivity behind it and maybe be a part of changing the narrative... of Black fathers… that acted as a bonus.” – Kevin Hart ([05:11])
“It’s not necessarily proving something to people… You gotta find levels of fun for you in the craft that you’ve chosen...” – Kevin Hart ([07:01])
“The thought of being a single father is tough...there’s moments of ‘Am I doing it right?’...that’s where a lot of the emotion comes from.” – Kevin Hart ([08:42])
“I actually did talk to Barack, man. I had a couple conversations... I think it’s just crazy that I can say I talked to Barack on the phone comfortably.” – Kevin Hart ([11:20]) “Hey Bo, what’s up, man?” – Kevin Hart, joking about their newfound rapport ([12:28])
“I want kids... to understand that what you feel you’re talented at is what you’re talented at. Nobody else can dictate your talent but you.” – Kevin Hart ([15:28])
“The word no is just a word...if I’d let it buckle me or stop me, I definitely would not be where I am today.” ([15:28])
“Talent is amazing to have, but hard work... may surpass the talent. But hard work plus talent is undefeated.” ([18:35])
"Sometimes you’re just not ready. Doesn’t mean that you’re not good... it just meant I wasn’t ready for those moments." – Kevin Hart ([21:28])
“With time comes experience... improvement. That’s what it’s about.” ([21:28])
“...that special was an honest conversation...about me being honest about my life at that time... just a comfort that comes with being honest and aware.” – Kevin Hart ([24:38])
“There’s a thing where this is going to make me happy, and if I get this, I’ll be the happiest person ever...then you get it...you have it, and you find yourself getting over it... It’s not about the material stuff... it’s about the family, the love, the connection…” – Kevin Hart ([26:29])
"You're talking about a couple centimeters... that's what separated me and being paralyzed... five and some change months of recovery... losing all my body mass." ([29:20])
“You’re not in control... At any point in time, it can be over. Snapping fingers, over. Holy cow. I’m fortunate and lucky to still experience life... Let me make sure I take the time to appreciate it. That’s a lesson.” – Kevin Hart ([28:27])
On changing narratives:
“To be able to do it… maybe be a part of changing the narrative or changing the stereotype of black fathers and also motivating fathers in general... that acted as a bonus.” – Kevin Hart ([05:11])
On personal growth:
“It’s all intentional. These choices are extremely intentional. I think after the success with Fatherhood and the response, it’s looking for the piece of material that acts as an elevation after because once again, you want the challenge.” – Kevin Hart ([13:01])
On happiness:
“You end up looking over the things that are most present... the things that truly bring you joy, the things that truly keep a smile on your face, you overlook them. It’s about the people, the family, the love, the connection, the value of these relationships.” – Kevin Hart ([26:29])
On the car crash:
“You’re not in control... At any point in time, it can be over. Snapping fingers, over. Holy cow. I’m fortunate and lucky to still experience life... Let me make sure that I take the time to appreciate it.” – Kevin Hart ([28:27])
Upbeat, candid, motivational, and honest—Kevin Hart brings his infectious energy, quick humor, and hard-won wisdom to every topic. Willie Geist matches with friendly, conversational warmth, drawing out both laughter and deep reflection from Hart.
This episode offers a heartfelt and humorous look at the evolution of one of the world’s biggest comedic talents. Kevin Hart shares why he's branching into drama with Fatherhood, what motivates his continued hustle, and how near-tragedy reshaped his view on life, family, and happiness. The conversation inspires with real talk about handling rejection, striving for growth, and never taking loved ones for granted, peppered with laughs and industry anecdotes—making it a must-listen for fans and newcomers alike.