Part of From Stand-Up to A-List featuring Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams, and Scary Movie with Anna Faris and Regina Hall.
Rise to Fame
He got booed offstage at his first show in Philadelphia under the name Lil Kev, which is where every great comedian is supposed to start. A veteran comedian named Keith Robinson pushed him to drop the Chris Tucker impressions and find his own voice. The Undeclared role in 2001 got him into Hollywood. The Laugh at My Pain tour made over $15 million across 90 cities and reportedly broke Eddie Murphy's two-day ticket sales record. That tour stopped being about comedy and started being about scale.
In the Spotlight
He stepped down as 2019 Oscars host after old homophobic tweets resurfaced, got caught cheating on his pregnant wife in 2017, and in September 2019 was in a Malibu crash that required back surgery. He turned all three into a Netflix docuseries. HartBeat Productions raised $100 million in private equity and became a company reportedly valued over $550 million. Gran Coramino Tequila is still running. His vegan fast-food chain Hart House opened in 2022 and closed all its locations by September 2024. The restaurant business is harder than it looks.
Side Notes
Before comedy took hold, he nearly became a male stripper. He'd worked out a routine to Ginuwine's 'Pony,' bought a bow tie and baby oil, and was ready to start before deciding against it. His father was a cocaine addict who was in and out of jail for most of Hart's childhood, which Hart has said drove him toward humor. He grew up playing basketball at a La Salle camp with Kobe Bryant. Butterflies genuinely terrify him.