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Kevin Hart seems to encompass a lot of celebrity roles - he is an actor, producer, writer, and most importantly a hugely successful stand-up comedian. He started off in comedy, winning several awards as a stand-up comedian, and eventually gained more widespread fame when he released his first stand-up album I’m a Grown Little Man in 2008. Hart had previously starred in some films such as Scary Movie 3 and In the Mix. Not only has he become one of America’s hottest comics, but he is also the embodiment of the American dream, finding his roots back in Philadelphia as a child with big dreams of “cracking” Hollywood.
While he has met with enormous success and is touted as being the new king of comedy in America, he continuous to stay true to his initial signature style. Among the things that drive his fans nuts are his energy and highly charged performances and, of course, his ability to draw up colorful stories about people he supposedly knows. While fans are delighted to see him in funny roles in films, here is a list of all the great things that we love about Kevin Hart and why we don’t want him to stop making us laugh.
20. His Comedy Really Does Reflect His Life
Many comedians make up scenarios that "happened" in their life to get laughs, but Hart really does draw his humor from his everyday struggles, experiences, thoughts and demeanor. It is clear to see this in many ways because his lifestyle makes that evident. He talks about his kids being such a big part of his life and the people he goes to when he needs a laugh - they inspire his comedy, and much of his comedy is about his kids and family. He has also mentioned that his friends refer to him as Panic Paul because they can count on him to be the “worst scenario guy” who thinks up the worst possible outcome of things. This is also demonstrated in his hilarious comedy routines about his reactions to fights and getting mugged.
19. He Takes Advice
One thing to admire about anyone is their willingness to learn from those who have gone before them and listen to their advice. Hart talks about looking up to multiple comedy figures including Bill Cosby, Chris Rock, and Richard Pryor. He talks about getting the best possible piece of advice from Chris Rock, who told him to stick by his own brand. Rock made it clear how important it was for Hart not to compromise his career for an easy way out that would damage his personal reputation and brand. Hart took Rock’s advice and had never joined in on a group comedy tour for this very reason.
18. He Works Out
Okay, so a lot of people in the public eye work out and keep themselves looking good but Hart is actually quite passionate about it, so don’t get him started. Or do get him started if you are interested! He actually told PDX monthly that he thinks about exercise as a way to motivate and inspire people, and if he doesn’t work out and keep himself in shape, he’ll be letting a lot of people down and not reaching his potential. He has started the #HustleHart movement where people can get out and “run” with him, and they can actually see how many people have come out to run together.
17. He Got Booed Off Stage
One of the coolest things to know about Kevin Hart’s early career, and something that actually points to why he is so successful today, is the fact that he was booed off stage multiple times early on in his career. While most people would take this as a sign of failure and a good time to switch their career focus, he took it as a challenge and learned from it. Hart enjoyed doing what he did enough to make it worth it for him to fight through the rough patches. He also went for years not being able to land any kind of role on a movie or TV show, so he spent every night hopping from comedy clubs to college campuses to get the experience he needed.
16. Judd Apatow Gave Him is First Break
Not too many people know this about Kevin Hart, but he got his first real break from Judd Apatow’s sitcom Undeclared. The sitcom only lasted one season but it just happened to be full of up and coming stars like Seth Rogen and Charlie Hunnam. Hart was only on it for a few episodes, but he played a Christian student who ends up getting the main character to convert. Judd Apatow’s work may not be what really got these people famous, but it gave them the exposure they needed to get a leg up in their field. It seems to be that Apatow and his team really knows how to spot good characters.
15. MVP Basketball Player
How could this short comedian be named MVP of a basketball team multiple years in a row? Well, it was a celebrity match. Hart has played in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game for a few years and tends to win MVP. Not only because of his comedic value but because he’s actually really good at playing basketball. In his 2012 game alone, Hart was reported to have made 8 points, and he also had about six assists. He was also ejected from that game after throwing a tantrum, cussing at the refs and throwing his tennis shoe – this was all for entertainment's sake of course.
14. He Feuded with Mike Epps via Twitter
The two comedians have butted heads on Twitter in the past and admitted it was all an elaborate publicity stunt. However, the more recent incident of them feuding on Twitter was much more hostile, and they admitted to it being real. Mike Epps was reported saying something about Kevin Hart being overrated and Hart came back with a series of stinging roasts that implied that he could shut Mike Epps’ career down if he booked the same nights in the same towns. He also suggested he could "help" Epps sell his shows by sending out a tweet. The two have since talked, apologized for their behavior and buried their issues.
13. He Feuded with Drake, Meek Mill & Lil Duval on Twitter
The great (humorous) Twitter feud between the stars began when Drake decided to roast Kevin Hart for a leather vest he was wearing in a picture he took on a night out. Lil Duval and Meek Mill jumped on the bandwagon and also roasted Kevin for his choice in attire. Meek Mill suggested they start a petition to get Hart to take off his shirt and Lil Duval likened the vest to a full body waist trainer. Hart took to Twitter later and took his time to call them all out individually. From a picture of Drake smoking hookah in a bathtub to a throwback of Meek looking busted to Lil Duval posing for a picture with two guns to his head. Hart definitely got the last laugh.
12. Hart Started His Career with a Different Name
The beginning to most comedy careers is pretty tough for most people, and Kevin Hart was definitely included in that. He struggled to find his own unique style when she first began performing at comedy nights and open mic nights. He actually went by a different name at first and gave himself the stage name “Lil Kev.” Although Hart ended up going by his actual name for his comedy career, many of his close friends still call him Lil Kev. Thankfully, his career picked up later after he lost that name and found his footing and the unique style that makes him the comedic genius he is today.
11. He Has An Older Brother
Kevin Hart was a younger sibling and the baby of the family. His older brother, Robert Hart is a professional billiards player who travels around the country playing and competing. Rob Hart is actually one of the only black players in the sport, so he has brought a lot more attention from his community to the game. He was also reported to have "sacrificed his mouth" to support breast cancer awareness back in 2013. This sounds drastic but really, he simply sported pink bands on his braces during breast cancer awareness month. It seems that compassion and good humor runs in the Hart family.
10. He Brought His Kids On-Stage
No, this was not in the middle of a comedy routine. Hart was awarded the MTV Comedic Genius award in 2015. He brought his children Hendrix and Heaven on stage with him to help him accept the award that had fans cheering everywhere. Hart has been through a messy divorce which involved his ex-wife publicly announcing that his present fiancée was the cause of their marriage breaking up. Despite the mudslinging, it seems that Hart has always been careful about including his children in his life. Most of the photos that we now see of them are of a happy family with their mother.
9. Happily In Love
Hart proposed to his beautiful girlfriend, Eniko Parrish, a year ago in a very public way - in the middle of her thirtieth birthday celebrations. Not only that but he also hired someone to take a video of the special moment. Soon after that, he published the video on his Instagram account, declaring his joy and love for her with a captain that read - “She said Yessssss…” It definitely melted a lot of hearts to see this macho funnyman wear his heart on his sleeve in such a public display of affection. Guys take notes because this is how it’s done.
8. He Has His Own App
Yes, you read that right. You can now have Kevin Hart’s face in the palm of your hand and on your smart phone screen at all times. Available now in the Apple App store, the app game that was released recently is called Little Jumpman, yet another joke about his diminutive height! The game is more like the popular Doodle Jump game, where the player has to guide Hart through a series of obstacles and collect points. Truly a fun game for all ages and skill levels, this might be the most adorable and addictive game available – watch out, Angry Birds.
7. Roasted Justin Bieber
Kevin Hart was the Roast master for Comedy Central’s epic event that was held to roast Justin Bieber. While many claim that the jokes were a little too harsh on the infamously "good boy gone bad" pop singer (and Bieber definitely did look a little teary-eyed), you just have to love Kevin Hart when he comes up with silly lines such as this - “He’s got a perfume called Girlfriend. That’s not Gangster, Justin.” Hart’s theme for roasting Bieber for the night was based on the many ways by which he could prove that Bieber isn’t “gangster” (based on the way Bieber dresses and acts).
6. Learned The Most Important Lesson From His Mother
It is very clear that Hart was close to his mother and when he lost her to cancer, he turned to comedy as a coping mechanism for the pain of the loss. He has also related how he learned the most important lesson of faith from his mother who had given him a year to prove to her that he would be able to survive with a career in comedy. Her only advice to him had been “read your Bible” and when the day of his eviction neared, Hart found six rent checks to his name tucked into his Bible that his mother had left for him.
5. Donated Large Sums Of Money For Education
Honoring Philadelphia, which was his hometown, Hart handpicked four high school students in the city based on their GPA scores and has now donated $50,000 in scholarships towards their educations. He has very candidly stated that he did this because he believes that it is a better use of the money that he makes than spending it on a “strip club” or other unimportant and nonproductive things. It is clear that Hart intended to relieve the financial stresses of good students and wanted to initiate a system of educational support in his native city. Hopefully, we will see this become a trend amongst celebrities.
4. Had A Tough Childhood
Behind every comedian or jokester, there’s always a darkness that they are either hiding or overcoming. In Hart’s case, it’s the latter. It might be hard to see through the surface of the rib-cracking jokes and silly demeanor, but it is quite evident that Hart had a pretty rough childhood. This is especially true given that his father had a very severe cocaine addiction that led him to be in and out of prison consistently throughout Hart’s entire childhood and was rarely around to raise his sons. This might be the reason his mother is always portrayed as a strong and loving woman in all of his comedy acts.
3. Height Is Just A Number
We may not have all realized this since often he is seen on a stage by himself with nobody to compare him to, but Kevin Hart is in fact quite short. Standing at 5’4” tall, he is probably one of the shortest celebrities in Hollywood. He faced some ridicule when he became the butt of jokes during Oscar night in 2015 when his fellow presenters decided to use Hart’s height as a prop for their jokes. Especially given that even his co-presenter Ana Kendrick, who herself is quite short (5’2”) appeared to be taller than him in her heels. But does Hart care? No, he doesn’t.
2. Someone Threw A Chicken At Him
Hart definitely didn’t have it easy growing up or getting his career started. Having just quit a job that was going well and having ventured into the comedy industry, it must have been extremely painful to be faced with unsuccessful comedy shows. Comedy audiences can be unusually cruel and picky which makes it a hard career to get used to. Among his bad experiences in his early comedy career, there was apparently a situation when somebody threw a chicken at Hart while the rest of the audience booed him. Not that it slowed him down; he stuck to comedy and had demonstrated great perseverance.
1. Worked As A Shoe Salesman
It is fascinating to learn about the jobs and positions celebrities were in before they became famous - it gives us a unique peek into who they were before fame. After graduating from community college, Hart found job as a shoe salesman and he has admitted himself to have been “one of the best in the business.” He definitely had humble beginnings and his previous employment as a shoe salesman goes to show what an impact life-changing decisions such as quitting your job to follow your dreams can have. He claims to know all there is to know about shoes and yet decided to follow his dream of becoming famous by using his number one skill set - comedy.
Sources: perezhilton.com, biography.com, philly.com, oprah.com, rollingstone.com, latimes.com
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