Kevin Hart is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Hart has played numerous roles in movies such as Soul Plane, Scary Movie 3, In the Mix, Little Fockers, Ride Along, Get Along, Central Intelligence, Captain Underpants: The Epic First Movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, the sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, Fatherhood and more. He also released four more comedy albums, Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, Let Me Explain in 2013, and What Now? in 2016. He is also known for being one of the new cast members in Season 4 of the improv comedy show, Wild 'N Out, on MTV.
Biography[]
Kevin Hart's comedic reputation continued to grow with the release of his first stand-up album, I'm a Grown Little Man (2008), and performances in the films Think Like a Man, Grudge Match, Ride Along and its sequel Ride Along 2, About Last Night, Get Hard, Central Intelligence, The Secret Life of Pets, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Night School.
He also released four more comedy albums, Seriously Funny in 2010, Laugh at My Pain in 2011, Let Me Explain in 2013, and What Now? in 2016. In 2015, TimeMagazine named Hart one of the 100 most influential people in the world on the annual Time 100 list. He starred as himself in the lead role of Real Husbands of Hollywood.
In addition to acting, Hart has also hosted various ceremonies. Hart first hosted the 2011 BET Awards. Hart then hosted the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. His longtime friend Judd Apatow, the director who gave him his first big on-screen break in the TV series Undeclared, was the one who recommended him for the gig. Hart hoped that this will project him further into a side career as an emcee, stating, "Hopefully after MTV, of course we're talking Emmys, Oscars, whatever." He has hosted three episodes of Saturday Night Live. In 2015, Hart hosted the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. In 2016, Hart co-hosted the 2016 MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson.
In 2017, Hart founded Laugh Out Loud, a global media and production company to provide opportunities for top comedic talent of all ethnicities worldwide. Originally partnered with Lionsgate, Hart became majority owner in 2019 after buying out most of the Liongate’s stake. LOL spans the full range of media channels, including digital, audio, linear and experiential, with four divisions: LOL Network, LOL Studios, LOL Audio and LOL X!.
Hart has also hosted on HQ Trivia and gave away $100,000 to 1 person with Scott Rogowsky on September 26, 2018, which had 699K players.
On December 4, 2018, Hart was announced as the host of the 2019 Academy Awards. Two days later, however, he withdrew from hosting duties in the wake of backlash against him over several homophobic tweets he had posted between 2010 and 2011. He characterized the protest as non-constructive and argued, "If you don't believe people change, grow as they get older, I don't know what to tell you". On December 7, he tweeted an apology to the LGBTQ community following criticism for not issuing one the previous day. On January 3, 2019, Hart stated that he was going to reconsider stepping down as host, after openly lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has hosted the Academy Awards multiple times, expressed support for him to do so and said she had contacted the Academy to ask if Hart would be able to reverse his decision if he wished and, according to DeGeneres, they said he would be able to do so. On January 8, following backlash for what was perceived as an insincere apology by critics, Hart confirmed that he would not be hosting the Academy Awards. That year's ceremony was ultimately held without a host.
In 2019, Hart's film The Upside, his first headlining role in a drama, was theatrically released. It also starred Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman.[34] Hart also reprised his role of Snowball in the sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2.
In 2020, his series Die Hart premiered on Quibi on July 20 and had a great first weekend, with numerous households streaming the series. On June 9, ROKU and Hart's multi-platform comedy brand Laugh Out Loud the series' return to Roku with a second season.
On September 9, 2020, executives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association announced plans to relaunch their annual MDA telethon, move it to October 2020, and make Hart its new host, taking over duties that had been previously held from 1966 to 2010 by comedian and former National MDA Chairman, Jerry Lewis. Entitled The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, the new two-hour telethon will be seen exclusively through participating social media platforms; the event was held on October 24, 2020, at 8 p.m. EDT.
Hart has aggressively expanded LOL’s reach since its founding, securing partnership deals with PlutoTV, Roku, Snap, Facebook, Peacock and YouTube, and in 2020, extending his company’s agreement with SiriusXM. The network has launched successful programming, including Cold as Balls which has amassed over one billion YouTube views, Kevin Hart: Lyft Legend, What the Fit and Straight From The Hart. LOL has won numerous accolades, including nominations and awards from the Producer’s Guild, Critic Choice Awards, Realscreen, Streamy, and Webby.
Known for content such as Cold As Balls, What the Fit, Die Hart, and more, the company has amassed more than 1 billion video views across its digital platforms and has worked with brand partners such as AT&T, Headspace, Lyft, Old Spice, P&G, Viacom, and more.
In 2021, Hart starred in Fatherhood, a drama about a man whose wife dies shortly after childbirth, leaving him to raise their daughter on his own. It premiered on Netflix on June 18, 2021.
In addition to returning to his starring role, Hart will also executive produce the second season; Laugh Out Loud CEO and Hart’s longtime business partner, Jeff Clanagan, will serve as a producer on the project.
Hart is set to play Arnold Drummond in the Diff'rent Strokes portion of the third edition of Live in Front of a Studio Audience.
In 2022, Hart starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the comedy film, Me Time. The movie shows how Sonny experiences a wild journey with his friend after finding a much-longed free weekend.
Trivia[]
- He is the first cast member to be a Team Captain in a previous season.
- He has appeared in 2 episodes in Season 4.
- Him, creator and host Nick Cannon and former cast member James Davis have starred in Real Husbands of Hollywood on BET and revival series Real Husbands of Hollywood -- More Kevin, More Problems on BET+.
- He was in a past feud with cast member DC Young Fly.
- He returned to the show, guest starring as a "Team Captain" in Season 5 and Season 20, and as a "Special Guest" in Season 7.