Sunday Sitdown with Willie Geist - Kevin Hart

Episode Date: September 23, 2018

After blockbuster hits like “Jumanji,” “Ride Along,” and "Central Intelligence," Kevin Hart has become one of the world’s biggest comedians, living in the rarified air of his own comedy heroes. In this week’s “Sunday Sitdown” Willie Geist met up with Hart at Madison Square Garden on his “Irresponsible Tour” to talk about growing up in the Philadelphia stand-up circuit, his confessional style of humor, and how he became the king of his own media empire. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here with another edition of the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Thanks so much for clicking on us again this week. We've got a good one for you. I got to say, we've got another good one for you. The one and only comedy superstar Kevin Hart. Picture the two of us as you listen to this interview sitting as high up as you can possibly sit, almost to the rafters of Madison Square Garden in New York City. Kevin was getting ready to play a stand-up date to a sold-out arena on his irresponsible comedy tour,

and we sat for about an hour and talked through his life, his career, where he's come from, where he's been, where he thinks he's going. Such a great conversation. I think you know he's funny. I think you'll see how incredibly smart and driven he is, how hard he's hustled to get to where he is. You know, he's been selling out arenas since 2010, 11, something like that. For a guy who grew up in Philadelphia with a single mother and was playing a little place called the Laugh House in Philly, he tells a great story. story about how bad his early act was and how people would often throw things at him to where he is today with another hit movie called night school which co-stars tiffany haddish and a movie for the first time that kevin's company heartbeat productions completely owned he's done it with his comedy specials he's done it with tv shows now this movie kevin co-wrote he produced he stars in it and they

package it together out of his production company and sell it to movie studios in this case universal picture. So just a blast to talk to. One picture I have to paint, this will make sense in a moment. Kevin was wearing some loud, plaid, holiday-looking pants, gray pants with reds and greens, almost a Scottish-looking pant, I'm going to say. And man, did we get off on a tangent about his pants? I think you're going to enjoy the great Kevin Hart right now on the Sunday Sit Down podcast. Thanks for doing this, Kevin. Appreciate it. Thanks for having me. You've done a lot. You've done arena before you sold this place out yes but still what is it like to look up on that big scoreboard and see your picture in your name you know it never gets

old regardless of the amount of times that I played here and the success that I've had at the garden is still an amazing feeling history was made for me in this in this building I actually got emotional with the taping of let me explain at the end of let me explain just you know being a comedian that can now say I want a few to sell out Madison Square Guard and then do it multiple times. It's an amazing feeling. So when you look and you see that, it's like, oh, man, you know, regardless of what's going on, it hasn't gotten to my head.

I still embrace it. I'm still humbled by it and highly appreciative of those that are supported. It's pretty short list of people who've sold out this in terms of stand-up comedians and some of your heroes, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock, guys like that who've done it. Is it crazy to see yourself on a list with those people? It's hard because I don't think about it. You know, when I realize what's going on and how it's happening is mind blowing. And the fact that those that were heroes are now peers is quite an amazing thing.

You know, the days where, you know, I watched Eddie Murphy as a child and was just in complete awe of not just a performance, but just the crowd and how the crowd was on edge of their seats for a man that was telling jokes. You know, when I think about Chris Rocks, and I think about bigger and blacker and just what that special was and what it did. And when I go look at the Kings of Comedy, there's so many different moments.

And when I see my name on the list, you know, in between some of those names, it's just, it's an amazing feeling. But it's one that I don't take for granted, which is why I don't like to stay in that thanking space for too long. You know, I realize it, I see it, and I work hard because I want to maintain a position, but also separate myself from the pack of people that I can't replace or ever be better than. Right. There is no doing better than Eddie Murphy or Chris Rock or Richard Pryor or George Carlin, Seinfeld, the Kings of Comedy. There is no doing better. Those guys are, you know,

seeming as in history. They're on a platform of their own. So it's about me creating my own path and having a story that's unique for this generation and generations to come. But then there's some young comedian at the Laugh House in Philly or someone else like that

who wants to be Kevin Hart. Yes, 100%. That's got to be kind of crazy to you. Well aware of that, which is why I'm just trying to set the bar as high as I possibly can because I think the more the more did I push the envelope and the more that I continue to achieve, the doors that

are opened by my achievements are making it a much easier pathway for that next individual coming to see what so many said couldn't be done be done so that they can push to do more than what I did. Ultimately, you don't want comedy to die. This is a craft that I'm in love with. It's a craft that I put blood, sweat, and tears into. So when you find ways to constantly refresh and, you know, I guess you can say, refresh and make new again and make interesting, time over time, over time, again. The person that's coming up, male or female behind me is going to go above and beyond and go past what I did, and you're going to go, oh, my God, somebody,

performed a comedy special in NASA. Somebody's in the ocean. Somebody just put a stage in the middle of the ocean and put a crowd around them because they said they wanted to do more than what Kevin did. I think you might have to do that. You just gave yourself an idea. I got something stupid that I'm going to have to do for my next one.

At this point, it's getting out of hand. I really don't know what it is. I'm gonna tell you how crazy of a thinker I am. I just tape my special four irresponsible in London. We did three shows of the O2. We did about 46,000 people in London. And I was blown away by it. We did about, in the UK alone, probably close to 100,000 people. So I'm like, God, this is getting insane. What am I going to do next? If there is the next, what is the next? So I really had this real thought. I was like, you know what? I need to do something like where the Romans have.

had a lot of their big battles. What if I got one of those places and turned it into a stage? There's me battling against comedy. Maybe he let a lion out or something. And in the middle of my jokes said, sit. And the lion sits and a tiger on command, get out of here. Eddie Murphy never played the Coliseum in Rome.

I think that's you. I have to do something. I just don't know what, but it has to be, it has to be big. Either it's going to be a just completely ridiculous level of big, I'm going to go back to a comedy club with 30 people. It's either going to go all the way this way, or it's going to come completely backwards the other way. And I'm just going to go back to the art

and make people go, oh man, still in touch with his roots. That guy's a genius. And then to do the lions after that. Then after that, I want to introduce you to my comedy lions. On all my punch lines, the lions roar. And that's when I said, put it in the bag. That's it. Yeah, good, good.

Did he train, lions? I love that this even crossed your mind. You're joking about it, but I know the way your brain works a little bit. That's coming. On a serious note, I'm just, I love creativity. I love the definition of creativity. I love that the sky is to limit when you truly believe it's whatever you wanted to be. And if you're a person that's a visionary, that's a dreamer,

then that means you're a person that's never content with what people say can't be done. Or that is completely absurd. If you're an outside-the-box thinker, that means you'll forever create boxes that nobody else can step on. That's the type of person I am. Well, one of the boxes you created is Heartbeat Productions. Yes. Your company, which put out its first movie now in conjunction with Universal. Yes.

Night school. This is a great time for you with the tour going on and this movie coming out with Tiffany Haddish. Yes. How cool is it for you? We were talking a little bit earlier to see the name of your production company that you built from the ground up up there on the big screen going into a major movie. It's the best feeling in the world, and I'll tell you why. A company is made up of people that buy into your vision, and a successful company is made up of people that not only bought into your vision. and a successful company has made up of people that not only bought into your vision, but believed it and gave their all in helping to make that vision become a reality. Heartbeat Productions is full of people that are not your typical quote-unquote industry individuals.

Everybody doesn't have the background and the training to be underneath your said company umbrella. We developed people from the ground up and kind of guerrilla that way into learning and understanding the business by taking full advantage of being on movie sets and simply becoming a sponge, soaking up as much information as we possibly could over all the years. And then after I felt there was time going out and putting important pieces to the puzzle together, John Chang, Dave Becky, you know, two. very, very strong pieces to the puzzle and allowing others to grow, leading Wigington, you know, Carly, who's an amazing executive. Right now we're about to implement a TV executive that we're bringing in, taking the writers that were a part of the grind and every day, wear and tear of simply thinking of ideas, trying to create,

and figure out how to get them done, and staffing them as heartbeat production writers. writers, building just a creative bubble where we said, this is our wheelhouse and this is where we should create an identity that we can put a stamp on that can be identified as heartbeat. And we went and created a movie concept of night school. Pitched it to my guy Will Packer, who I've done, this is my seventh movie with. Four number ones, two of them have been number two's and night school being the seventh will hopefully be another number one. He said, dude, this is a great time for you. Go develop it. and come back to me and I'll help you get it done. I said, say no more. I went, gave my team the ball.

We all did what we were supposed to do. Brought it back as a finished product. Universal bought into it. I said, Will, you've helped me get to this point, so I want you to be a part of it. And now you're looking at a finished product of the first thing I can say that I helped build from the ground up.

This is the first clear definition of what Heartbeat Productions is and what we are going to be. So it's a big deal. You know, this movie coming out working and becoming number one is a major thing. It's my priority right now. So you wrote it. You're starring in it.

Your company's producing it. You got a great co-star and Tiffany Haddish. Does it feel like pressure to have your first movie out there? Are you just excited to see what it can do? There's no pressure because this is what you work hard for. And like I said, there's a team. You know, I don't like to take credit when I have an amazing team with me. So within the writing, you have myself.

You had Joey Wells, Matt Keller, Harry Ransford, Glinda Richardson helped, who are underneath the Heartbeat Umbrella. John Hamburg came in and did some work. Nick Stola, we had a team of people that know and understand funny to help us get it to where it is. And when you truly know that 100% of your effort has been given to a project, there is no regret. I left it on the table, so it doesn't matter

because I'm not walking away saying, I wish I had of. Damn it, I should have came to work on that day when I didn't. Oh my God, I was late 13 days out of the 45-day shoot. Man, I had an attitude on some of those days. I have no regrets. You got 100% of me. You got my all.

You got my team's all. In return, the studio is giving me their all. My other producing partners gave their all. From a marketing standpoint, the marketing team is giving their all. everybody comes to the table wanting to give 100% because the guy that's at the top doesn't take anything less so there is no pressure

I did what I was supposed to do this is what I was destined to do this is why I work hard hard work pays off truly believe that there's no in between you work hard you're going to get great results it's that simple it's that simple

hard work pays off and there's a timeline within that hard work. Some hard work has to be a much harder struggle than other situations. But eventually, at the end of that hard work, at the end of that labor,

there is success. Regardless of what level that success is measured on, there is success. There is a payoff. It's just who lasts to see it. Some people don't last. It's interesting here you talk that way Because I read a bunch of interviews with you where you talk about patience, like patience in your career,

patience for the right thing to come along and do it the right way so that it's done well, putting in the work to get there. I think there are a lot of comedians, and maybe you'll agree or disagree with me, who are just happy to be funny and go to the next gig, and their booking manager sends them out on the road. But you are a businessman, and you want complete control of that content. Why is that so important to you in a way that maybe it isn't to other comedians? I think it's an understanding, you know. I don't want to take a shot at the other comedies because I think it's understanding and having the knowledge to know how much you can actually do. Some people come, some people become content with levels of success that they look at as good levels, as the ultimate level, as comfort. I make money, I don't have to do this.

My family's okay, I'm okay, I don't need anything else, which is fine. That's a good life if it's good for you. You don't judge your success by another man's success or woman's success. It's about what you want. I like the word partner. I'm going to ask questions. So if a studio has the money to hire me as an actor, I'm going to work for hire. It's not that that's a bad thing, but it means that I have to have a lot of it.

to be hired in order to make this money. If I'm not hired, I can't make this money. How do I put myself in a position to where I don't have to be hired? I have to be in a position of control. How do you become a person that's in a position of control? You have to be a boss. You have to be a CEO. You have to be a decision maker.

You have to be somebody that's respected on a level to where you see you see. say, I want to be your partner so we can do things together. Within these movie studios, I'm an asset, I'm valuable, not just because I'm a star, but because I've been patient in proving my worth. I put people in the movie theaters. Kevin Hart equals box office success. In return, instead of me waiting for you to bring box office success to me, I now have a system where I can create content

that is good for me or good for anybody else that can bring you that box office success whether it's for the other talent that's underneath your umbrella or whether it's for me I can create, I can sell. You now knowing that,

be my partner and let me develop for you. Oh my God, he gets the business. How much do you want? I don't want a crazy amount of money because I want you to make money. When you make money, I make money because now you know the guy that you're a partner,

with understands the upside of the business. Big business for you means big business for me. So if I don't bring big business, then there is no win. Now when you have that relationship and you start to spread it around, everybody hears that he's not just a talented actor, he's not just a talented comedian, he's not just a guy that treats everybody with the highest level of respect. He's a guy that's going to be around for a long time

because he understands the business. It's a business. And then the business is about relationships. It's about opportunities. opportunities, but it's about leverage. How do I take the star talent that Kevin Hart has and leverage and make it make sense for the business that Kevin Hart wants? You got a brain.

So with that brain, I choose to use it, and I choose to put myself around people that understand my will and my wants. So you've had these instincts, though, well before you were rich and famous and before you were Kevin Hart. People famously talk about you when you were a stand-up comic, just scrap it. just scrapping and hustling and doing things that other comics weren't doing like going around the room and collecting email addresses from the people who would come to your shows what was that about for you what were you trying to do with that in your earliest days of stand-up well you know at that point it was this is going to be amazing how I wrapped this around okay night school is a movie about second chances

yeah the whole development behind the movie was for people like myself that didn't get it right the first time. School, education, we are instantly thrown into a situation where you got to do this and this is the only way you're going to make it. Just go to school get your education. That's correct, you need education. But everybody doesn't respond in the same way. Some people go, I wish I would go back to that school. I'm done. Whether it's at the high school, whether it's in the middle of high school. And as you become an adult, you realize, oh my God, I needed that.

I wish I had it did it correctly. Within stand-up comedy, in the beginning, it wasn't what it was supposed to be. When it wasn't what it was supposed to be, I figured out that acting wasn't what I thought it was going to be. This isn't easy. You don't get thrown jobs. You don't get thrown opportunities.

I'm sitting, I'm waiting. I'm by the phone. waiting on a call, what call, who, why, what makes me think that it's coming to me. Oh my God, I moved out to L.A. I spent all a little bit of money I had because I thought I would come out here and it would be easy. I didn't get it right. I got to go back and I got to figure out a way to do it correctly. I'm going back to stand-up comedy because that's what it started as. I thought that I started as a comedian, I could leave and just become an actor and forget all about comedy and it would be there. It doesn't work that way, Kevin.

Go back and do it right the second time. So doing it right, I started from Ground Zero. I went back to all the comedy clubs and I booked myself on every domestic platform that you can think. of and I did it for about three years, round and round. Dane Cook at the time was popular in these college circuits because he took advantage of grabbing the information from his audience. Everybody laughed, everybody clown. I didn't. I took notes and I said that makes so much sense

because as he continues to grow, these people are going to grow with him. So I did the same thing. I created my little cards. I made relationships as I went back to the these cities, I saw the people grow and I created the familiarity. People were, oh my God, I can't wait to come back. And I'm communicating and I'm emailing back and forth and I'm MySpace messaging. But it's me. It's me and my little team of two guys with me were on a computer sending out messages.

And after the show, we're passing out cards and we're taking pictures and we're doing everything. Because I said I need to do it correctly. After realizing that this was the way it was supposed to be done, my audience started. to become bigger and bigger. I realized the reward for my hard work. I didn't become content. I didn't ask for anything. I said, I'm not done.

I should do the same thing again. And then it got bigger. And then I say, maybe now I'm ready for theaters. You know, I don't want to chance it. I did the comedy clubs again. And then I did the theaters. Then I said, maybe now I can go to Arinas. No, I'm going to do the theaters again.

Then I saw the results and I said, I'm still not ready for arenas. Let me see if I can add shows and theaters. I added, people came. Now I'm going to do arenas. Let me just do one. Oh my God, I can do all arenas. I don't want to go too big. Let me do all arenas again and see if I can add shows.

I look up, you're looking at seven, eight years that have passed where you have just slaved the road. But now Hollywood has no choice but to go, hey, who's that guy? Word on the street is this guy is selling tickets left and right. Now you have to come and talk to me because you don't want to be the guys that missed out on an opportunity that everybody knows to know about that you did. Hence, now movies are being bought up, conversations are being had, and I just so happen to attach myself to a guy that, that believed in me and my talent, Will Packard. And the movies that we did turned out to be amazing movies.

This was with Screen Gems at Sony. And we were doing them for a respectable number. And the movies made money in return. And then we went to Universal, and Universal gave us a bigger number. And me and Q teamed up. Those movies made a... Sorry for a cousin.

No, go for it. of money and then it was oh my god wait a minute am I becoming like a movie star? Am I in it? Wait this is it am I in it? Is this happening? Yeah but I can't forget about comedy because I did that once so in between I just kept touring so now I said I'm never going to give power back by becoming a work for hire. I need to make sure that I have as much control as possible so then I started to take my finances and invest my money in me to own me and to own my entities my biggest entity was stand-up comedy so all my specials I shot I own I released so now now I got liquid

now I got money so now when the studios come if you don't come correctly I don't have to do it right because I have another world that I'm doing very well with now I can invest in me I hired all my people I created salaries I paid those bills I'm the one that started it from the ground up. Now I have another network, Laugh Out Loud Network. That was the idea that started with me. We went to the Lionsgate, partnered it up.

Now I got a digital platform, a digital network. Now I got a radio channel on Sirius XM, Laugh Out Loud Radio, because I said I want to own it. I want to be in a position to have it. There should be another entity. Everything should make sense. Kevin became a guy that could go into rooms and demand.

In return, I'm a good, a hardworking effort. But it all started with me going back and doing what I didn't do right the first time. I had to go back to comedy and not have it s' it and give it 100% of my time. Was there ever a moment though in that stretch, Kevin, where you're doing the MySpace and you're emailing with fans where you said, I don't know if this is going to work. I don't know if I'm going to do it. Were you ever deterred? Did you ever think this isn't going the way I imagined it would go? The only one incident happened that really gave me a question mark.

I got hitting a face with a piece of chicken. I talked about this. This is a good story. Atlantic City. Somebody threw a buffalo wing at me in the middle of a joke. And I don't know. You're on stage? I'm on stage.

I don't know how bad this joke was that caused this person to throw that buffalo wing at me. Had a little bit of sauce on it. Got my eye. You know, I didn't cry, but I definitely made the face to show that I was a little sad about what just went down. I heard a lady in the front say, oh no, baby. And I remember getting on stage and I was like, look, if this is what it's about, then I don't know if this is it.

But then another piece of me was so competitive, I was like, I gotta go back. I gotta go back. I can't live more myself and not get out that moment. So then it was about me going back and making sure that I beat that moment. And there was another moment at the comic strip where I got in Lushin, who ran He ran a comic strip at the time. He was known for like passing comedians and giving comedians advice, but this guy was destined

to, you know, determine what your career could be. You got what it takes or no, mm-mm. Or hey, you're gonna be the next guy because he discovered so many. He was said to be the guy to discover Eddie Murphy. There's legends about the people that he pointed to that became stars. I perform and lose.

And Lucia told me maybe comedy isn't for you. Really? Yeah. Maybe you should go get a regular job because this isn't it. Oh, you're not playing. You're serious. That's not a bit. You really mean what you're saying.

Oh, okay. Wow. That was a shot. I took this as like, I'm home with the Jedi. I'm about to hear some crazy stuff and it's going to make or break me in this business. I was hitting the stomach with a supposed to be break me moment. When I shoulder shrug that, nothing else didn't really matter.

Other managers told me stuff that didn't really matter. Other people that I thought were the people that were determined what I could do or would do, didn't really matter. Because at a young age I realized nobody knows what I'm capable of more than me. So if I don't know, if I don't know, That means I'm in a wrong business. If I'm looking for someone else to tell me what I'm supposed to be or what I can do, then I have no knowledge of who or what I am.

I'm waiting for somebody to tell me. My mom didn't raise me to be that guy. Kev, you smarter than that, you better than that. Put your middle finger up. Put it high in the air, turn your back, and go do what you're supposed to do. That's the attitude that I was able to form at a young age. So now when you look at me 39 years strong, about to be 40, I didn't seen it. I didn't been through it.

And it took all my punches, still standing, still smiling, still one of the happiest guys ever. And I didn't took punches. I'm all right. I'm going to be all right. Because I'm smarter than the business. The business doesn't dictate who. who I am or what I am or why I am where I am.

It's because I know who I am. And that comes from your mom, which you talk about. Nancy Hart, 100% at a young age. Where does the humor come from? When did you start to be funny? What was the first time you said, I like making all these people laugh?

The humor comes from my dad's high level of ignorance. My dad is funny without knowing that he's funny. He's ignorant. It's just a high level of don't care. that merged with my mother's high level of care. Like there is no in between. It's like my mother was so high-strung, there was no time to play, there was so much they had to be done.

We're not relaxing. I got stuff to do. I gotta go school. I'm working on my education. I gotta feed y'all, I got stuff to do, got to work. Y'all gotta go to school, I gotta pay for this, I don't have the time. That was my mom. My dad on the other side was, I ain't got to go to school every day. Like this.

There was no balance. What do you mean? Ain't nothing wrong about take them boys to the bar? It's, oh what? What's the big deal? It's 12 o'clock. They ain't gonna be up. That was my dad.

So it was me seeing both sides of that and somehow finding a balance. Like that personality was developed. Like my brother isn't the funniest, most outgoing guy. My brother's a serious guy too. So it was just developed from watching both sides. And the only way to deal with how ridiculous the balance was was to make fun of it, was to find reasons to laugh. So that's what I did.

I found ways to laugh at what we were going through in the situations that we were in. I find humor in anything. There's nothing that I can't find humor in. Darkest moments only dark because you only focus on the dark side. There's something that you can pull. Something. Every death that happens, oh my God, we've lost somebody that we love and that we care about.

But you're only focusing on the bad. There's so many positive moments that were within that life that you remember, but you only choose to embrace the bad at that moment. So if you find ways to celebrate your angel that was born, you find a way to realize that within that death comes a level of positive. So my mom passed away. Oh my God, toughest thing ever. But that just means that now I have an angel.

I just have a different outlook on life and the way I see things, which is why I find humor and a lot of stuff. What did your mom think? She passed away before you fully blew up. Yeah. I think it's fair to say, but she saw your early success.

She never came to a show. She never saw a show? No, my mom never came to a show. Why is that? Highly religious. Okay. Some people were drinking and smoking in there. Oh.

Didn't want to be around it. Okay. That's not a cup of tea. But she would say, I love you and I know you did great. Oh, you don't. I know you were great. No, you don't.

You don't know that, Mom. Shut up. I know what I'm saying. She watched the movies? My mom, what was she? My mom never watched paper soldiers. No, she watched the big house. Okay.

And that's because I flew her and my family out to taping of the pilot. And that was when I did the big house. But when she passed away, here's a crazy thing. We found, like, a box that my mom had. And it was newspaper clippings. and like she taped every episode in a big house. She had like articles and, you know,

statements from like me and my comedy club achievements. I had won like a Def Jam competition. She had to cut out of it. Like there was nothing that she didn't know or that she wasn't aware of. She was a parent at the highest level. At the highest level. But she did her way.

But what she did implement into me and into my head was hard work. and that you don't start things not to finish. What you put your mind to is what you would do. Is that simple? One of the reasons you've been so successful with your stand-up career is because, as you've said, there are no secrets. Your life is an open book.

You spill it all out on the stage. Was that a concerted thing when you started your career because you knew that would give you an advantage or are you just comfortable getting out there and talking about whatever's happened in your life that day? Well, when I look at the people that are unbelievably talented, comedians, you know, and this is male and female, because there's so many talented comedians. There are people who you feel like you know. When you talk about Eddie Murphy,

and Eddie Murphy paints the picture of his drunk dad. Yeah. How his dad to get drunk and start cussing everybody out of the house. I don't care. This is my house. You don't like you kiss my, he's doing the characters and he's talking about his brother and he's talking about. He's talking about, when he met Michael Jackson and his incident with Mr. he's talking about so many things that were only seen clear because of the vision that he gave. Like he gave you guys a clear perspective into his world as to what he saw from when he was younger

to when he was older. Richard Pryor talked about doing drugs and embraced something that was a problem. and was open about him and an addiction and how he got it and how was his grandmother felt and when she flushed the cocaine in the toilet, I set myself on fire, this is me, running the, he addressed everything.

Yeah. And when you do that, you're vulnerable, but you're human. You're not a superhero. I'm a person. I just got lights and cameras on me. There's nothing that separates you outside of my profession. I'm a person. So when you're a person and you have no problem in sharing the problems that you're going through that people go through.

That means that I'm not trying to separate myself. If anything, I'm trying to show you that you can relate because I can relate. So I don't care if it's my relationship, it's my marriage, if it's me parenting, if it's me going through financial woes, if it's family ups and downs, I'm talking about what everybody around the world can relate to. I'm not going to become a global phenomenon if people don't feel like they can relate to me. If I give you the perception that I'm perfect and that I walk this straight line and nothing happens, eventually you want to call bull-h-h-h-h-ha-ha-ha,

because nobody's perfect. So when I look at the comedians that I respect the most, these are the comedians that had no problem in sharing that they were not perfect. Some of the darkest souls come from stand-up comedy. If you really go back and look at it, some of the darkest souls and rest in peace to all those that suffered from things that we will never know how truly deep they were that embrace the craft of comedy, that comedy act as an outlet. This is my therapy. Not crazy.

I don't have addictions. I don't have anything that the world doesn't know about. What you see is truly what you get. Take it to leave it. I'm a shoulder shrugging. at the end of the day because I have no problem sharing what I'm sharing because I know that I'm not the only one. I'm human. I put on pants and tie my shoes up the same way anybody else does. Put on those pants especially. These are amazing pants. Come on. These are amazing.

They are amazing. They are jealous of the pants today. Well, these are good pants. Those are great pants. I don't like to talk about pants all the time, but if I were to talk about pants, these are a great pair of pants. That's a great pair of pants. I wore pants like this one other time. You know what I heard when I got out the elevator? those are some nice pants. I just turned around and I was like, thank you. When I heard that instantly in my head, I've been chasing that same comment

literally for weeks. Well, if it makes you feel better, I was thinking that exact same thing. These are great pants. There's not even the holidays and I'm wearing these pants. That's the thing. You can wear those anytime because you're Kevin Hart. Normally people would just put these on in the holidays. Not me?

Not me? It's not snowing outside. It's sunny. This is where I'm at with my success. I wear holiday pants when I want. You've got to have Kevin Hart money to walk outside in Christ's pants in September. That's where I'm at with it. That's exactly where I'm at with it.

What's Kevin's deal? You heard me? I like to wear holiday like paraphernalia whenever I want. Okay? You know what people stay away from when it gets cold? Pastel colors. You know what I embraced? Pastel colors.

That's right. The only Christmas trees you've ever seen like that. Come to my house if you don't believe me. I want to get to that point in my life where I can just do that. Just walk out full Kevin Hart. It's all confidence. It's all confidence, man. It's all confidence.

Was there ever anything you were talking about open up your life where anybody in your family, maybe your kids or your wife or somebody said, Kevin, too much? Yes. You hear from them? I can give you the day. The biggest, what the hell moment that I've ever had in my life. So, by far, the darkest time was like, you know, when I went through what I went through with my wife today, you know, it's like a public debacle.

I've never felt worse. It's like the biggest mistake ever. And I embraced it. I fully decided to embrace it. Talk to my wife. Me and my wife said, we're going to deal with it. We're going to get by and we're going to beat it. Okay.

This is a true story. My dad calls me. My dad goes, you by yourself, I'm going to talk to you. Oh, uh-oh. I'm like, what? I'm about myself. He goes, you know you're wrong, Craig. I'm like, what?

You know what you're doing is wrong. I've raised you better than that. Are you f***ed dick? You're not even here. What are you talking about? As I said it, he's like, this is how much of a... My dad is. my dad calls. You're right. I just wanted to say what I thought was right. I just wanted to say what I thought was right because I thought you needed to hear it. I call you back. What? You get a hurt. What? It's like he took the moment to attempt to say something as if he.

Like what a dad would say in that situation. Immediately said, yeah, he right. I know he didn't. I just want to say what I knew. I shouldn't say I want to see you go with it. I call you back. You all right, though? Anything good would you? That was it. I'm telling you, people who think that I make these stories up about my dad,

they are a hundred, a hundred percent accurate. A hundred percent. We go to a funeral. My aunt passed away. And my dad shows up at the funeral with a white linen suit on. And it's like, you know, we're mourning.

This is a, It's a tough thing. People are sad. My dad shows up. He goes, we start to drop like flies, Amy. Dad, you don't? You don't say that, what? We're dropping like flies. I hope I ain't next.

It's like there's a group of older people. I'm just in the middle. He's like, where are we sitting? Where did we got me sitting? He's one of a kind, man. One of a kind. It sounds like you're at a good place with him, though. For a guy who wasn't around when you were growing up.

He's my father. Yeah. He's my father. That doesn't change. There can be grudges that you hold on to forever, but they're pointless. It doesn't change what he is. He's my dad. And what I discovered is that, do you know how much energy it takes to keep an attitude?

Do you know how much energy it takes to be angry? Do you know how much energy it takes to say, I don't like you, and I'm going to make sure you know it every time I see you, or whenever somebody brings you up, I'm going to make sure that I express how much I don't like you. That's what I'm going to do. That's energy. That's a conscious effort.

You've got to remember. You've got to consciously conjure up a high level of hate and anger. I don't have that time. I don't have the time to be angry. I don't have the time because there's so much. stuff that I have time to be thankful for. There's so much stuff that I want to do in life, and I'm happy at the opportunity to do them. I'm not unrealistic about life. Life is not guaranteed, and life should not be taken for granted. So what I'm not going to do is spend my time breathing,

being angry or being negative, because I want to enjoy as much as I can within the one life that was given. I don't have time to be upset with my dad. That's my dad. Brought my dad a house, bought in cars. Dad, enjoy your life. I want to make up for lost time. Dad, you don't have to. Enjoy your life. See your grandkids. I'm fine. I'm okay. Now, my dad and my brother, they're different. My brother's a grudge holder. He's like my mom. But that's his thing. They got to work it up. It's not my to do. I love you both. Y'all not okay. Hey, man, that's your business. I'm going to go. piece piece that's what I'm gonna go do I'm gonna go take the kids somewhere I don't have time

and I think when you had that type of attitude and you're able to shrug negativity off you'll find yourself doing so much more positive than negative it's liberating in a way right it's the best thing ever it's the best thing ever I don't have time to worry about what other people think what other people feel what other people suggest I don't have time I don't have the time to embrace negativity. Look at my pants. Let's get back to the pants. Do you think a negative person can wear pants like this?

No. You know why? Because they would be worried about what everybody else is thinking about their pants. What'd you say about my pants? They'd be constantly justifying their pants. Let me tell you something about these pants. I don't give two-s-should you think about my pants. Because I'm happy. I'm happy. You understand that?

He's a happy pants. Can't wear pants like this if you're not happy. He's a happy man. What would your brother think about those pants? He'd have the grudge against the pants? My brother would have a 20-minute conversation with me if I say, hey man, you should wear these pants. I want to wear them, but my thing is, if I wear them,

am I saying, like, am I giving off the wrong energy? No, can I think you should just wear the pants. I just feel like people will not take me serious. where to be it's my brother's a deep thinker man he's a deep deep think he's a deep thing he's a deep thing I love the fact that everybody within my immediate family are so different we're all so different my mom for me from my brother to my dad there's such a separation in all of us and I think that mixture is how Kevin Hart got to be what he is it was this mixture this pot of positive negative and

overworked and ambitious and relaxed, but too relaxed. And who do I want to be? What I'm going to do? I hate this. I hate that. It was so much that I was the kid in the middle. I was like, mm-hmm. And I was always okay.

I always found a way to be okay. So in life, I'm okay. My kids get this energy. My kids feed off on this energy. I have amazing kids. Good kids, good-hearted kids. Kids that understand you treat people how you want to be treated. Kids that understand that we're fortunate, we're blessed,

but let's not take it for granted. How do we make this last name live on? To get it, man, that's the best feeling in the world. That's liberating. That's, oh, my God. They understand, so I'm doing something right. When my kids mimic me and imitate me, I'm doing something right.

Yes. They got Kevin Hart impressions? My daughter's impression to me is the best. My daughter's impression of me is the best thing I've ever seen. What does she emphasize in the impression? Just the energy of it all? She's got two of them. She's got two.

She's got me like on a talk show. She's like, my daughter is 13. She's like, I'm Kevin Hart. I work real hard. I work real hard every day. It's always, you know. No days. Hustle Heart.

Oh my God, that's amazing. It makes me laugh. She says like, all my quotes. Everybody won't be famous. Nobody want to do the work. It's so good. That's incredible. I got tears in my eyes.

It's so good. Dinner table. She's like, I'm kept my heart. Word for heart. No days off. Hustle Heart. Move for heart. Motivation, inspiration.

You think you can do it? Oh, God. She's brim. She's going to come up. gonna come up. She might be the next comic in the family. She wants to, my daughter wants to be a business. Yeah, I won't learn to do anything until she's done with school. Yeah.

Oh, man. My son is just, my son is just silly. My son, my son is the kid that you might catch licking a wall. Like, you know, we gotta do. Get your tongue off the damn wall. Nobody was talking to me. Like he's, he's that guy, but he's such a good, he's such a good kid, but he, he's more,

about lifestyle. Like he's into boxing. He's into working out. He's into running. Like all of the things that he sees, he sees and identifies. Dad does, I want that. Dad, can I get a shirt like that or that? Dad, I want to wear my pants like that. He's whatever his dad's doing. So he's watching. He's a, he's a, he's a parrot in a sense of I want to become the man like my dad, which is a, which is a great thing and you know my youngest isn't really doing anything yet he's got a big head literally like physically yeah he's got a huge head you know my my wife is a massive head and um I used to tease her about a head all the time and my baby got that head which is why he's having trouble crawling he'll get the first three and that head take over ways he's going down

he's going down and uh you know so you got to grow into it which is fine a little top heavy um definitely definitely I'm scared for the walking days. So we went and we just padded everything up around that house. My house, my house looks like a martial arts facility right now. It's just pads on everything. Why is that there? My baby's got a big head.

You'll fall. So we got pads gone. Everything around the house. You had a dojo in your house. The kids are very happy. They're happy with having a younger brother. You know, they're in love with the family. They're in love with, you know, what we have and what we represent.

And another example of finding a positive and a negative. You know, I didn't have the family dinners every night. I didn't have the shut the TV off and let's talk about your day and let's figure it out. You know, the quote-unquote television family, like, lifestyle. You know, it's almost a fairy tale. And because of what I didn't have and because of what wasn't. done, I'm able to go above and beyond and doing it differently. So those dinners, those taco nights, the movie nights, the let's take a walk, the, hey,

it's the holidays, get a card, write a card, let's go take all your old toys, let's give them to the show, I'm able to do things that I didn't do, but I now have the ability to do and I have the ability to do it correctly. Just because it didn't happen right the first time, doesn't mean that you can't do it right the second time. That's progress, right? It's not only progress. It ties back to what I'm talking about and promoting,

which is why I'm so passionate about night school. It's a movie about second chances. The only reason why I'm able to grasp that concept is because I live it. I truly live it. Every story that I can tell you is going to revert back to me going, Oh, no.

The second time I was amazing. The first time, oh, bad. Me with taxes. The first time, holy shit. Oh, they're going to rest me. Oh, it's over. God, if you give me one more chance, I promise, please. Second time I got a chance, oh, it never happened again.

Yeah. I got a DUI. Oh, my God. Drang and driving is serious. I bet I'd never do it again. I bet that. It'll never happen again. Now you can't catch me.

drinking and driving. If I'm going to go out and drink, I got a car service, I have a driver, I have people that I'm with, I've never put myself in a position again. People are so afraid to make a mistake. Sometimes mistakes have to be made for you to understand the importance of walking correctly. I'm living proof that it's okay. You'll be fine. Learn from it. Learn from it, grow from it. And you were like you were saying a minute ago, you embraced these things and you talk about them. You were talking about your situation last year. I was watching this morning. I was watching the J. Cole video. And I was like, wow, he's not just talking about it in an interview.

He's proactively going and doing a video about it. Was that a hard thing for you to do or is it the way you wanted to handle that situation? You have a choice to make. And within that choice, you can say, I'm going to run away from it. I'm going to hide. I'm going to address it. I chose to address it because I understood what my wife was going. through and I don't want to be the guy that ignores a feeling that I'm dealing with directly.

So I want to wear the blanket. Put it on me. Hit me with all the stones and rocks. Give it all to me. I did it. I deserve it. I'm staying in front of it. I'm going to take my bash and I'm going to take my beating.

Give it all to me because that's what I deserve. In return, is now my job to fix and correct and make right. That's what I chose to do. I chose to address it, and I chose to fix it from within my house. I addressed it, and I addressed it. I don't need to say anything else to anybody. I'm focused here, I'm focused on my household. When that's intact and that's right, nothing else matters.

That's what I chose to do. Not everybody can do that. Not everybody will do that. I'm not saying that if you do get in a situation to do that. I'm promoting do things right. Don't do what I did. But because my mistake was one that I was so disappointed in myself with that I know so many else were or so many others were,

that's how I chose to handle it. With anything in life, I can't give my kids lessons and not be an example of what I preach. I'm never going to allow you to be able to say, but what about you? I'm going to practice what I preach. You make a bed lay in it. It's that simple.

My kids mess up around the house. Address it. Don't let me find out. Address it. Man up about it. Cowboy up. Take whatever it is and deal with it. You come home and you got an F. Don't let me go through your book bag to find it.

It should be the first thing that you get off your chest when you come in that house. Address it. Don't allow it. Don't allow it. to come to you when you can bring it to me. I can't practice stuff like that when my kids can go and throw any and everything in my face. Social media is that much of a monster now.

You have to think about that. And with the chair that I sit in, any and everything can come up, can come back. So I have to be open. Have to be transparent. I could talk to you for another hour, but you have to go flash those pants around New York. Well, I'm thinking about taking a lap around this ring real quick before I get out of here. You're a big skater, are you? Big skater are you?

Well, no, I'm not, but these pants are, these pants are wool, so I'm not going to fill the cold air when I go around. So it's pretty much probably just to get some footage. That'll be our walking down. Get some footage. Man. Selling out places like this, you got a movie that's going to be a hit. Yes.

You've done music, you've got your production company. You're the kind of guy I know who thinks about what's next. Yes. What do you think about that we don't even know it's coming down the road for you? My biggest thought right now is the road to becoming a billionaire. And not because of the money, but because of what I will be able to do within achieving that level of success. I've now tapped into the give back. You know, this year I sent 18 kids to school.

Gave 18 kids a college education. And I said, if I can double this number next year, that'd be great. And the year after it, if I can triple it. Then a year after that, quadruple it. Then the year after that, change it from education and go to building educational centers. When it's all said and done, the last name Hart will mean something, but what am I leaving behind? What would be the visual effects from what Kevin Hart left behind?

There are Kevin Hart Library, is there a Kevin Hart Study Center? There are Kevin Hart Boys and Girls Club in Philadelphia. Heart Youth Centers, whatever it is, I'm now tapping into a different realm and a different space of what I can do because of the relationships that I have, because of the partnerships that I have. And I'm inspired by my peers that are doing it on an amazing level. LeBron James, opening up a school, pit bull, having several charter schools, people that have taken their success and turned it into something much more powerful. much more meaningful.

When you grasp the concept of you winning should mean opportunities for other people to do the same, it means you're doing it correctly. I've now grasped that concept and ultimately that's the goal. So within my success, it's about creating more opportunities

for others to share the success. A lot of people can complain about things that we want and that we need and some people can choose to be quiet and make change. I'm going to quietly make change in a way that only I can use my powers for good. That's the goal. That's the end game. I have no doubt you do all those things. And I'm thinking about creating a pants line. Well I was going to suggest it. Yeah. And this is the first look. It'll be much louder. Much louder than this.

Some pastels for winter. Yeah, yeah. So after we had our sit-down conversation, Kevin and I went downstairs and walked around the hallways deep in the bowels of Madison Square Garden to look at the pictures on the wall, all-time greats, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, all the people who played in that building, and then bam, there's a picture of Kevin Hart. So Kevin, as we walk through the bowels here of Madison Square Garden. The bowels. The bowels. I like that. You got the Rolling Stones. McCartney right here, John Lennon, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, Timberlake. Kevin Hart.

Kevin Hart. What's it like to be on this wall? First and foremost, I mean, that's amazing company right there. That's amazing company. Eric Clapton, Belly Joel, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and then you pop up and the funny guys at the end. That's pretty damn amazing. That's pretty amazing.

But you know what I mean? It's one of those things where you just gotta soak up the amount of history that's been established in this building. So to be a part of it in any way, shape, or form is definitely a part of it. a bonus, once again, something I don't take for granted. It's also an amazing jacket. Yeah, I was going to say that. It's a good jacket for you.

I like the shoes. They got you on a good night. Put a lot of thought. Put a lot of thought into that. I remember that outfit right there. Do you still have Kevin a lot of pinch me moments, a guy who came from Philly from where you came from and being on Forbes lists and time 100s and all the things you've done?

Do you slow down ever and say, wow, I can't see what's happening? This is a pinch me moment. Let me tell you with this way. So I know there's probably another picture here of when I did to let me explain special here at the Garden. But this moment, Dave Chappelle was doing like this crazy runner shows. And he said, yo, I want to do something where I don't tell the audience that you and Chris Rock are going to come. Do you want to just pop up and we do like a surprise announcement? And he did it with me and Chris and it's one of the best.

nights in comedy that I've ever had in my life just because I'm I've never shared the stage or any stage with those guys and to have that to have that moment and have it like in my mental role of death that was a holy holy guy like Chris and Dave or to have a couple of your idols call you and say can you come help my show it was the it was mind blown like mind blowing so this this is that moment that moment that you're talking about a pinch me moment. You know, this is, I, I can't believe it. Like, Dave's like, come on, Kev, come down and let's have some fun.

And I call Chris, and Chris like, yeah, if you do it, I do it. And it's like, we go down and do it and make some history. So that's a moment I definitely won't be forgotten. This is a dope picture right here. I'm going to steal it. You should. Yeah, it's not stealing when you say it out loud. If you address it.

Yeah, if you address the theft. If you address the theft, it's okay. Because you're not aware of it, which is good. My thanks again to Kevin Hart. Man, what a fun conversation. His new movie Night School is in theater, September 28th, and you can catch him on the irresponsible tour doing stand-up now through the end of the year. Thanks as always for tuning into our podcast every week.

Make sure you click subscribe if you haven't already for more of the full-length, unedited conversations with my guests every Sunday. And don't forget to tune in to Sunday today every weekend. on NBC. I'm Willie Geist. Thank you for listening to the Sunday Sit Down podcast.