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What Now? With Trevor NoahKevin Hart Gets the Bubble Guts! - What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast
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CHAPTERS
- 0:00 – 3:47
Commutes, Drones, and Comedians' Three Stages
Trevor and Kevin banter about Kevin's long drive from Calabasas and Trevor's claim that people will fly in personal drones. They move on to Trevor's tour and his three stages of a comedian: doubting, cooking, and bored with the material.
- •Kevin's commute takes an hour and 15 minutes in traffic, or 35 minutes without
- •Trevor insists drones people can fly in are coming
- •Trevor describes three stages of a comedian's cycle
- •Kevin says he tapes his special when he feels the set is at its peak
- 3:47 – 7:59
Arenas vs. Theaters and Kevin's Envy of Peers
Kevin explains his touring process from clubs to theaters to arenas and says he sparked the arena bug for Dave. Trevor argues arenas can never feel intimate, and Kevin describes miking the audience. Kevin says he is envious of peers rather than competitive, praising Trevor's political humor.
- •Kevin tours about 160 shows, moving between clubs, theaters and arenas
- •Kevin claims he got Dave Chappelle into arenas
- •Trevor says arena sound isn't built for laughter
- •Kevin mics the audience with eight to ten microphones
- •Kevin calls envy of peers the biggest compliment
- 7:59 – 15:57
The Protest Bit and Being Sucked In by Vanity
Trevor praises Kevin's bit about getting pulled into a Black Lives Matter protest. Trevor connects it to the Devil's Advocate line "Vanity, my favorite sin" and how good intentions turn into addiction to approval. Kevin shares a story of posting a tribute meme and getting called out in the comments.
- •Trevor calls the protest bit more political than people realize
- •Trevor recounts the Devil's Advocate scene and the line about vanity
- •Trevor says online approval can push people to do things they don't believe in
- •Kevin's tribute post drew the comment "You ain't even know him"
- •Kevin says the experience made him stop putting himself in uncomfortable positions over what others might think
- 15:57 – 23:46
Cameo Grind: Fearless Auditions and the Road to Leading Roles
Trevor asks what changed in Kevin's life and notes people see him as an overnight success despite years of cameos. Kevin recounts improvising at a Scary Movie table read and his run of cameos. He says the movies didn't come as expected but the opportunity did, and Trevor jokes that people shouldn't copy his approach.
- •Kevin was seventh or tenth on call sheets for years
- •Improvising at a Scary Movie table read got his ad libs written into the script
- •He did cameos in Along Came Polly, 40-Year-Old Virgin and Drillbit Taylor
- •Nobody knew his name despite roughly 12 cameos
- •Trevor says the moral drawn from success stories is often the wrong one
- 23:46 – 29:57
Preserving Success and the Fear Behind the Stomach Bubbles
Trevor says Kevin's stand-up sometimes felt like he was preserving himself, and Kevin agrees that fear of losing success sets in right away. Kevin describes deleting old material after each special and the pressure of movies during a hard period for Black actors, with the stomach bubbles before releases like Ride Along.
- •Trevor describes a bell curve from having nothing to feeling like you have everything
- •Kevin kills old material immediately after a tour
- •He describes a period of fear around Black actors and international sales
- •Ride Along and its sequel carried major box office pressure
- •Both say the anxiety before a special never goes away
- 29:57 – 36:22
What Changed: Ownership, the Accident, and Fear of the Bottom
Trevor challenges Kevin on what shifted his drive, pointing to the car accident, his upbringing, and the idea of being currently abled. Kevin says the fear is of going back to the bottom. Trevor adds that coming from nothing makes the fall feel like going back to zero.
- •Kevin says his shift was deciding to be a brand and own it
- •Trevor suggests the car accident and fear of paralysis changed him and says Kevin moves on too quickly
- •Trevor shares a disability advocate's idea of being currently abled
- •Kevin says his fear is of going back to the bottom
- •Trevor says people from nothing see failure as returning to zero
- 36:22 – 41:09
Kevin's Scaffolding: Owning Buildings, Brands, and Security
Kevin explains how he builds ownership across businesses so he has things to grab onto if he falls. He says he has watched performers walk away with nothing and wants his kids to see the buildings he built. Trevor calls this scaffolding, which Kevin rejects as therapy speak.
- •Kevin says he refuses to end up with nothing after giving his all to the business
- •He owned his special, then expanded into real estate and companies
- •Security comes from a brand that stands without Kevin Hart
- •Touring becomes a bonus rather than pressure
- •Trevor jokes that Kevin is a scaffolding brother
- 41:09 – 45:09
Trevor's Half-Empty Arena in Springfield
Asked if he's ever played a half-empty arena, Kevin says no, while Trevor tells of a Springfield, Missouri show with 3,000 to 4,000 tickets sold. His team was ashamed, but Trevor says the audience felt like they had chosen him and the show was more intimate.
- •Trevor's team looked like they were at a funeral backstage
- •Trevor reframes it by noting more people are always not coming than coming
- •He says he once dreamed of selling 300 tickets
- •A half-empty room brings doubt, then a sense of specific choice
- •Trevor says he had more fun than in a long time
- 45:09 – 50:20
Scaffolding Explained and Kevin's Fumbled Early Years
After a back-and-forth over whether scaffolding is therapy speak, Trevor explains his version of diversifying so you don't go backward. He encourages Kevin to value what he builds with his kids. Kevin says he fucked off school, swimming and everything early on, so he now refuses to waste opportunities.
- •Trevor defines scaffolding as holding things in place while building up
- •Trevor says Kevin's kids may value time with him more than buildings
- •Kevin says he fucked off school, SATs, community college and swimming
- •He claims he was a phenomenal swimmer but cheated in practice
- •Kevin's fear now is fucking off the opportunities he has
- 50:20 – 55:34
His Mother's Lessons and Forgiving His Father
Trevor asks when Kevin realized his mom was right and whether he got to reward her. Kevin says no and that her guidance still lives in how he processes things. Kevin says he forgave his father fully, encouraging him to be a grandfather.
- •Kevin realized his mom was right when friends left for college
- •His mother was sick during Fool's Gold and never got the full benefits
- •Kevin feels guided by his mom's hand on his shoulder
- •He says there's no reservation toward his father
- •He uses his father's mistakes as examples of what to avoid
- 55:34 – 59:01
Family, Uncle Duties, and Building a Fallback
Kevin talks about his brother stepping in with his kids when he travels, then returns to why everyone should build something to fall back on. He cites the pandemic and says people who never think about the fall may not get back up.
- •Kevin's brother fills in at home when Kevin is on the road
- •The uncle teaches the kids activities and old movies
- •Kevin says the pandemic should give everyone some fear of it happening again
- •Kevin says people who never think about falling won't get up
- •Trevor dubs him the Scaffolding King
- 59:01 – 1:03:57
Bill Cosby in Montreal and Loving the Craft
Kevin warns Trevor and tells a story of seeing Bill Cosby sell out a show in Montreal at 70-something, saying he envies that late-career joy. Trevor jokes about the moral. He says he wants to feel that joy off stage too, tying it to his reasons for leaving The Daily Show.
- •Kevin sets personal matters aside and recounts a sold-out Montreal show
- •He hopes to still love performing at that age
- •Trevor teases that the moral is to be like Cosby
- •Trevor wants that fulfilled feeling regardless of stage
- •Kevin praises Trevor's answer on leaving The Daily Show
- 1:03:57 – 1:07:47
What Now: Don't Screw Us Over, Vida Hustle, and Passing the Baton
Trevor asks his closing question and warns Kevin not to release a predatory credit product. Trevor tells of his dream about a fitness drink and his honest reaction to Kevin's tequila. Kevin says he is finishing incomplete sentences and wants Heartbeat to open a door for tomorrow's stars.
- •Trevor urges Kevin not to release a credit product that hurts Black and poor people
- •Kevin says he has no credit card coming out and his financial partnership is built on financial literacy
- •Trevor dreamed Kevin wanted a drink that didn't have to be good
- •Kevin says he wants to make the best product, not the best-selling
- •Kevin's what now is Heartbeat as a platform for future stars
- 1:07:47 – 1:10:08
Wrap-Up: Gaslighting Jokes and the Security Guard Story
The two trade thanks, with Kevin joking that Trevor gave him a therapy session. Trevor credits Kevin as the first guest on The Daily Show and then ends with a story about a security guard asking about the Katt Williams thing.
- •Kevin jokes Trevor gasbombed him with therapy
- •Trevor says Kevin was the first to open his Daily Show
- •Kevin asks to edit out Trevor's awkward closing joke
- •Trevor describes a security guard asking if the visit was about Katt Williams
- •Both say they love talking to each other
