Kevin Hart Gets the Bubble Guts! - What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast

1. 0:00 – 0:00

   Intro

   1. TNTrevor Noah0:00

      [upbeat music]

2. 0:00 – 3:47

   Commutes, Drones, and Comedians' Three Stages

   1. TNTrevor Noah0:00

      Hey, everybody. Welcome to another episode of What Now? with Trevor Noah. On today's episode, I sit down with comedian and international movie star, the one and only Kevin Hart. And I'll let you know now, I always have fun conversations with Kevin Hart, but this conversation may have been one of my favorites, I think. We get into comedy, life, and everything that makes Kevin Hart who he is in some really interesting ways. I really had a great time chatting to him, and so, uh, I think you'll enjoy the conversation too. [upbeat music] This is What Now? With Trevor Noah [upbeat music] .

   2. KHKevin Hart0:53

      He changed my fucking cups too [laughing] . He comes in here with his people, he takes all my shit. Huh? That's sweet, that is. Give me a hug, man. How you doing, big dog? Look at him. Look at him. Fucked up my backdrop. What happened to our stuff?

   3. TNTrevor Noah1:07

      Ugh. Sit down, Kev.

   4. KHKevin Hart1:08

      We've got it, but sure. Sit down. That's nicer. Hi, Mary. How are you? Oh, my God. All right. I've got you. I'm ready, Trev.

   5. TNTrevor Noah1:15

      Is this how you dress every day?

   6. KHKevin Hart1:16

      This? Yeah.

   7. TNTrevor Noah1:17

      Yeah. How far do you live from here?

   8. KHKevin Hart1:19

      I don't wanna talk about it. [laughs] I don't wanna talk about it. They make me drive so far, 'cause I do it 'cause I sacrifice for my team. I'm in Calabasas, so it takes me an hour and 15-

   9. TNTrevor Noah1:29

      You come in every day?

   10. KHKevin Hart1:30

       I come in ... When I'm here, do I come in every day? Yeah. So an hour and-

   11. TNTrevor Noah1:33

       So it's an hour 15 to come in

   12. KHKevin Hart1:35

       ... hour ... Like, 'cause I'm leaving during traffic time, but if I wait, then it's, like, a 35-minute ride. No traffic, 35 minutes.

   13. TNTrevor Noah1:41

       That's terrible. Are you gonna get a drone?

   14. KHKevin Hart1:44

       A drone?

   15. TNTrevor Noah1:45

       Yeah.

   16. KHKevin Hart1:45

       Why would, why am I getting a drone?

   17. TNTrevor Noah1:47

       You haven't seen the drones that are coming out?

   18. KHKevin Hart1:49

       That you can fly inside?

   19. TNTrevor Noah1:50

       They'll be coming out in a few years. There'll be little drones that you can fly in.

   20. KHKevin Hart1:53

       Why do I wanna fly in a drone? What am I-

   21. TNTrevor Noah1:54

       You don't wanna be in traffic, Kev. [laughs]

   22. KHKevin Hart1:56

       Why can't I just ... [laughs] Oh, wait, you talking ... Like, the drones are just like-

   23. TNTrevor Noah2:02

       Yeah, like [imitates drone] and then you fly-

   24. KHKevin Hart2:03

       And you can just go above traffic

   25. TNTrevor Noah2:05

       ... yeah, man. I ... You're gonna, you're gonna be in a drone. I can see you.

   26. KHKevin Hart2:08

       Now, I'm not gonna lie to you-

   27. TNTrevor Noah2:09

       I promise you right now, you're gonna be in a drone

   28. KHKevin Hart2:10

       ... if you're telling me that it's not gonna fuck up my clothes-

   29. TNTrevor Noah2:14

       [laughs]

   30. KHKevin Hart2:15

       ... and I can get in a drone, I'll do it. If you're telling me I can, I can get in a drone-
3. 3:47 – 7:59

   Arenas vs. Theaters and Kevin's Envy of Peers

   1. TNTrevor Noah3:47

      I remember talking to Dave years ago. There's a time when Dave Chappelle, for those listening, um, Dave never used to want to do arenas.

   2. KHKevin Hart3:56

      I did it.

   3. TNTrevor Noah3:57

      And then he, and then he ... I mean, obviously everyone wants to see him, so now he has to, he has to do bigger venues.

   4. KHKevin Hart4:02

      No, I, I did-

   5. TNTrevor Noah4:02

      But you, you, you, you definitely lose something.

   6. KHKevin Hart4:05

      I, I sparked, I sparked the arena bug, and I'm coming-

   7. TNTrevor Noah4:08

      Wait, you d- you, you did that?

   8. KHKevin Hart4:09

      With Dave? Absolutely. I sparked it with Dave and Chris, right? I said-

   9. TNTrevor Noah4:14

      So I, I blame you-

   10. KHKevin Hart4:15

       For Dave doing arenas

   11. TNTrevor Noah4:17

       ... is what you're saying. Yeah.

   12. KHKevin Hart4:17

       And, and Dave not only-

   13. TNTrevor Noah4:19

       Do you prefer arenas? [laughs]

   14. KHKevin Hart4:23

       I gotta be honest with you, Trev. I gotta be honest with you, man. I do. But let me-

   15. TNTrevor Noah4:29

       Wait, what?

   16. KHKevin Hart4:30

       Let me tell you, let me tell you why. Hear me out.

   17. TNTrevor Noah4:32

       Go.

   18. KHKevin Hart4:32

       Hear me out why, and I bet-

   19. TNTrevor Noah4:33

       Go

   20. KHKevin Hart4:33

       ... when I say this, you go-

   21. TNTrevor Noah4:34

       Go

   22. KHKevin Hart4:34

       ... you agree.

   23. TNTrevor Noah4:35

       Go.

   24. KHKevin Hart4:35

       And here's how I got Dave, this is how I got Dave bitten-

   25. TNTrevor Noah4:38

       Mm-hmm

   26. KHKevin Hart4:38

       ... with the bug. I said, "Listen to me, Dave. The beauty of doing the arenas when you're a good comic-

   27. TNTrevor Noah4:46

       Okay

   28. KHKevin Hart4:46

       ... is turning the arenas into a intimate environment."

   29. TNTrevor Noah4:51

       Okay.

   30. KHKevin Hart4:52

       You can turn it into-
4. 7:59 – 15:57

   The Protest Bit and Being Sucked In by Vanity

   1. TNTrevor Noah7:59

      I, my favorite political bit of yours, and I know it, it wouldn't be considered political, but I think it was way more political than anyone would ever think, is the bit where you were talking about being sucked into a Black Lives Matter protest.

   2. KHKevin Hart8:11

      Oh, my God. Black man in the middle with a bullhorn going off. "Black lives matter. And if you don't think they matter, then you're a part of the problem. And today we find a solution. The solution is death. Every Black person that showed up here today is willing to die. We will all die today. We don't give a fuck about life. If you Black and you here, it's 'cause you came to die. If you Black and you in this circle around me, it's 'cause you ready to die first." I look down, I'm in the fucking circle. I said, "Wait a minute."

   3. SPSpeaker8:36

      [laughs]

   4. KHKevin Hart8:38

      "That's not why I came. I didn't come for that. That's not why I'm here."

   5. SPSpeaker8:40

      [laughs]

   6. TNTrevor Noah8:41

      That, can I tell you something?

   7. KHKevin Hart8:42

      It's a true story.

   8. TNTrevor Noah8:42

      That ... Yeah, but what I loved about that bit was, whether it was intentional or not, it told a very true story about how so many people get sucked into the allure of-

   9. KHKevin Hart8:51

      Yes

   10. TNTrevor Noah8:51

       ... appearing to be-

   11. KHKevin Hart8:52

       Yes

   12. TNTrevor Noah8:52

       ... what they're not. And now you just, that speech that you-

   13. KHKevin Hart8:55

       You're in it

   14. TNTrevor Noah8:55

       ... that speech that you gave [laughs] .

   15. KHKevin Hart8:57

       You're in it.

   16. TNTrevor Noah8:57

       [laughs] I don't even remember. I just remember trying to, trying to repeat it to my friends.

   17. KHKevin Hart9:02

       Yeah.

   18. TNTrevor Noah9:02

       Yeah.

   19. KHKevin Hart9:03

       Yeah.

   20. TNTrevor Noah9:03

       It, it ain't go- what did you say? It ain't, it ain't go-

   21. KHKevin Hart9:05

       You already know what it is.

   22. SPSpeaker9:06

       [laughs]

   23. KHKevin Hart9:07

       Now I gotta give a speech. You ever say something, and while you're saying something you realize you're not saying nothing, but you gotta keep trying to say something even though you know it's nothing?

   24. SPSpeaker9:14

       [laughs]

   25. KHKevin Hart9:15

       That was my fucking speech. This is my speech word for word. Verbatim, this is my speech.

   26. SPSpeaker9:19

       [laughs]

   27. KHKevin Hart9:22

       "All right."

   28. SPSpeaker9:25

       [laughs]

   29. KHKevin Hart9:25

       "Y'all already know what it is. And what it is is what it's gonna be."

   30. SPSpeaker9:29

       [laughs]
5. 15:57 – 23:46

   Cameo Grind: Fearless Auditions and the Road to Leading Roles

   1. TNTrevor Noah15:57

      what do you think changed in your life? I, I could be completely wrong. I'm taking a shot here.

   2. KHKevin Hart16:02

      Okay.

   3. TNTrevor Noah16:03

      Every, every artist has a moment in their lives where something happens, something shifts, and you see that shift apparent in their work. There is no denying that you came out with two of, I would say, the seminal specials when you first, when you first came out, right?

   4. KHKevin Hart16:21

      Mm-hmm.

   5. TNTrevor Noah16:21

      Was, was Laugh at My Pain, Little Grown Man.

   6. KHKevin Hart16:24

      Mm-hmm.

   7. TNTrevor Noah16:25

      I mean, they were, they were... You remember. We all know what they were like. In comedy, we all know what those specials are like. There are specials where you can go like, "That, that was it. That's a timestamp." That, that right there, you can't... Kevin Hart becomes a movie star. You kill it in everything. I mean, I remember in 40-Old Virgin, you, you were honestly I think one of the top cameo performers pound for pound-

   8. KHKevin Hart16:51

      Mm-hmm

   9. TNTrevor Noah16:51

      ... I've ever seen.

   10. KHKevin Hart16:52

       It was, it was a real similar-

   11. TNTrevor Noah16:53

       You would step into a movie, and everybody in the theater would be killing themselves, and nobody would know your name.

   12. KHKevin Hart17:00

       Mm-hmm.

   13. TNTrevor Noah17:00

       Nobody would know who that guy was. They would just go, "I love..." Every time I tell people movies you've been in, they'll be like, "He was in that?"

   14. KHKevin Hart17:05

       Along Came Polly.

   15. TNTrevor Noah17:06

       And then I go, "That scene."

   16. KHKevin Hart17:07

       Along Came Polly.

   17. TNTrevor Noah17:07

       Yeah. And then they go, they go, "Oh, that was... Oh, shit, I remember."

   18. KHKevin Hart17:10

       Mm-hmm.

   19. TNTrevor Noah17:10

       "Oh, I didn't even know."

   20. KHKevin Hart17:11

       Uh-huh.

   21. TNTrevor Noah17:12

       And I, I wanna, I w-

   22. KHKevin Hart17:12

       Cameo man

   23. TNTrevor Noah17:13

       ... I wanna... So in a weird way, I sometimes think some people feel like you were this immediate overnight success, because in a strange way, they didn't remember all of these characters you were playing in all of these movies. Do, do you get what I'm saying?

   24. KHKevin Hart17:27

       I mean, I, not only do I get it-

   25. TNTrevor Noah17:28

       'Cause it, 'cause it did, it did seem like all of a sudden you were just the face of a franchise-

   26. KHKevin Hart17:31

       Yeah

   27. TNTrevor Noah17:31

       ... and the face of a movie. But I go, like, Kevin Hart was grinding away-

   28. KHKevin Hart17:35

       No, I was-

   29. TNTrevor Noah17:35

       ... in three-minute segments in different people's movies

   30. KHKevin Hart17:36

       ... I was number seven and 10 on a call sheet for years. For years.
6. 23:46 – 29:57

   Preserving Success and the Fear Behind the Stomach Bubbles

   1. TNTrevor Noah23:46

      So y- you have these seminal moments in your stand-up, and then I feel like, could be completely wrong, and don't be offended when I say this, but I feel like there's moments in between in your stand-up where it almost felt like Kevin Hart was preserving Kevin Hart more than Kevin Hart was just being and doing Kevin Hart.

   2. KHKevin Hart24:03

      Oh, my God, absolutely.

   3. TNTrevor Noah24:04

      And, and, and I say this as a comedian who's experienced it.

   4. KHKevin Hart24:07

      Yeah, that's not-

   5. TNTrevor Noah24:07

      I say that like-

   6. KHKevin Hart24:08

      ... that's not offensive at all. That's truth

   7. TNTrevor Noah24:09

      ... so every comedian starts off in what I argue is the best place.

   8. KHKevin Hart24:13

      Mm-hmm.

   9. TNTrevor Noah24:13

      You have nothing.

   10. KHKevin Hart24:14

       Mm-hmm.

   11. TNTrevor Noah24:15

       You get on stage. The only thing you have is your comedy, and the only thing you receive is a laugh You don't even get money.

   12. KHKevin Hart24:23

       Mm-hmm.

   13. TNTrevor Noah24:23

       People, people don't realize. In the clubs, we were getting $5, $10. Pookie still owes me $15.

   14. KHKevin Hart24:29

       Yeah, you gotta get it.

   15. TNTrevor Noah24:30

       Do you know... That, it'll never happen.

   16. KHKevin Hart24:31

       You gotta get it.

   17. TNTrevor Noah24:32

       I've accepted this, Kevin. I've accepted this.

   18. KHKevin Hart24:33

       You gotta get it, bro.

   19. TNTrevor Noah24:34

       So-

   20. KHKevin Hart24:34

       I'ma get mine.

   21. TNTrevor Noah24:35

       [laughs] So you, y- y- that's all you're getting, is the laugh and the confirmation of a joke working or not.

   22. KHKevin Hart24:42

       Mm-hmm.

   23. TNTrevor Noah24:42

       That's it.

   24. KHKevin Hart24:43

       Mm-hmm.

   25. TNTrevor Noah24:44

       Something clicks. You start to become successful. Now there's a moment where on this bell curve you have nothing, you reach the peak, and now it feels like you have everything. You don't have everything-

   26. KHKevin Hart24:55

       [laughs]

   27. TNTrevor Noah24:55

       ... but it feels like you have everything-

   28. KHKevin Hart24:56

       Mm-hmm

   29. TNTrevor Noah24:56

       ... 'cause it's more than what you had.

   30. KHKevin Hart24:57

       Mm-hmm.
7. 29:57 – 36:22

   What Changed: Ownership, the Accident, and Fear of the Bottom

   1. TNTrevor Noah29:57

      What changed?

   2. KHKevin Hart29:58

      What changed for me was I got to a place of not just success, but understanding. So my understanding now is, yo, I built a fan base. I built a global fan base of people that no matter what show up- Because they go, "I like that guy." And in that-

   3. TNTrevor Noah30:28

      But how did you develop the understanding?

   4. KHKevin Hart30:30

      Th- the understanding comes where the noise from the outside, you realize is not noise. The things, the things that you think-

   5. TNTrevor Noah30:37

      Can I, can I throw something at you?

   6. KHKevin Hart30:38

      Go ahead.

   7. TNTrevor Noah30:40

      I could be wildly wrong. I noticed the shift, or I noticed the shift happening most apparently after the car accident.

   8. KHKevin Hart30:53

      That was a, that was a, that was a different shift. Shift number one came with the understanding of I wanna be a brand.

   9. TNTrevor Noah31:01

      Mm-hmm.

   10. KHKevin Hart31:02

       I wanna be a global brand. I wanna own my brand so that my worry attached to the craft goes away because I control it. So once I saw that the idea of control is something that I could dictate if I owned it, and I did that, and I was like, "It's kinda like dope."

   11. TNTrevor Noah31:21

       You think that changed your level of fear?

   12. KHKevin Hart31:23

       1,000%, 'cause I control it. So I'm using stand-up to set up the movie. The movie-

   13. TNTrevor Noah31:30

       I don't know.

   14. KHKevin Hart31:30

       Listen, listen.

   15. TNTrevor Noah31:31

       I don't know.

   16. KHKevin Hart31:31

       Listen to me.

   17. TNTrevor Noah31:31

       I hear you, but I, I don't know.

   18. KHKevin Hart31:33

       Trevor-

   19. TNTrevor Noah31:33

       'Cause I, 'cause I feel like you had that drive before. I disagree.

   20. KHKevin Hart31:35

       No, the drive-

   21. TNTrevor Noah31:36

       I disagree

   22. KHKevin Hart31:37

       ... listen, drive is drive, right?

   23. TNTrevor Noah31:39

       I don't, I don't, I don't... Yeah, but, but what I'm saying, what I'm challenging you on is this, is, like, and I say this as an observer and as a fan of yours. I think there's something you might take for granted, 'cause don't get me wrong, there's Kevin Hart the businessman, and you, you, you're very apt at doing that. But sometimes, like, as Kevin Hart the human being, you, like, you have moments where, and not to get too deep, but you have moments where, you know, because of how you grew up, because of your family unit, because of, you know, what it was like growing up with your dad as an addict, because it was like seeing your mom in her grind and everything, I think there are moments where you forget how much you push and drive because of the fear of losing all of the things that have helped you and your family to get to where you've gotten to.

   24. KHKevin Hart32:25

       The fear, the fear is what motivates-

   25. TNTrevor Noah32:29

       Yeah

   26. KHKevin Hart32:29

       ... the complete sentences behind the drive. In other words, like-

   27. TNTrevor Noah32:32

       But what I'm saying is, what I'm saying is that fear has slipped, and something happened, and it cannot come from... I do not believe that the drive can be the reason for the drive. I believe, and I, I could be wrong, but I will fight you on this.

   28. KHKevin Hart32:44

       Okay.

   29. TNTrevor Noah32:45

       There's something that comes. There is, there is... You know, you know when human beings are injured, Kev, there's something that happens. I remember talking to, um, an amazing woman who's a, a disability advocate. And she, she was one of the people who led the revolution in America on just getting, like, wheelchair access into venues, things that you don't think were, were, like, you think of today as common.

   30. KHKevin Hart33:08

       Mm-hmm.
8. 36:22 – 41:09

   Kevin's Scaffolding: Owning Buildings, Brands, and Security

   1. KHKevin Hart36:22

      you fall-

   2. TNTrevor Noah36:23

      Okay. You need to go to therapy, Kev

   3. KHKevin Hart36:24

      ... or if you, if you attempt a fall-

   4. TNTrevor Noah36:25

      You need to go, you need to go to therapy

   5. KHKevin Hart36:26

      ... no, I'm not going to therapy.

   6. TNTrevor Noah36:27

      You need to go to therapy.

   7. KHKevin Hart36:28

      No, and you just used the therapy word on me.

   8. TNTrevor Noah36:30

      You need to go to therapy.

   9. KHKevin Hart36:31

      Listen, here, here's where-

   10. TNTrevor Noah36:31

       I see who you are. You're a scaffolding brother.

   11. KHKevin Hart36:33

       Listen, here's where-

   12. TNTrevor Noah36:33

       I know you very well

   13. KHKevin Hart36:34

       ... here's where you have to think. Here's where you have to go with think, right?

   14. TNTrevor Noah36:38

       Man, everything Kevin Hart's about to say, I advise every listener to, to... I mean, listen to, but don't-

   15. KHKevin Hart36:42

       Listen to

   16. TNTrevor Noah36:42

       ... don't follow it.

   17. KHKevin Hart36:43

       All right.

   18. TNTrevor Noah36:44

       Don't follow it.

   19. KHKevin Hart36:44

       Okay.

   20. TNTrevor Noah36:44

       It works, but it is-

   21. KHKevin Hart36:45

       Trevor is saying-

   22. TNTrevor Noah36:45

       ... it's not a permanent solution

   23. KHKevin Hart36:46

       ... what Trevor is saying, Trevor is saying, "Hey, some people fall and they go, 'I'm not gonna use my hands to break this fall.'"

   24. TNTrevor Noah36:54

       [laughs] No, that's not what I'm saying.

   25. KHKevin Hart36:54

       Wait, let me finish. Some people, some people go-

   26. TNTrevor Noah36:56

       Tell people, tell people about the scaffolding that you're gonna... Tell them about this. Tell them what you-

   27. KHKevin Hart36:59

       Some people go, "I'm gonna fall on my face."

   28. TNTrevor Noah37:00

       I'll, I'll even say it to you, and you tell me if I'm right about-

   29. KHKevin Hart37:02

       No

   30. TNTrevor Noah37:02

       ... what you're about to say.
9. 41:09 – 45:09

   Trevor's Half-Empty Arena in Springfield

   1. TNTrevor Noah41:09

      Have you, have you ever done a half-empty arena, by the way?

   2. KHKevin Hart41:12

      No.

   3. TNTrevor Noah41:12

      I've done one.

   4. KHKevin Hart41:13

      No.

   5. TNTrevor Noah41:13

      And can I tell you-

   6. KHKevin Hart41:14

      Now I shouldn't have said it that fast. That sounded really, that sounded really asshole.

   7. TNTrevor Noah41:17

      Oh, no.

   8. KHKevin Hart41:18

      Absolutely not.

   9. TNTrevor Noah41:18

      That's fine. That's fine.

   10. KHKevin Hart41:18

       Yeah, I know, but let-

   11. TNTrevor Noah41:19

       I've done, I've done one-

   12. KHKevin Hart41:20

       ... let me take, ask me that question again.

   13. TNTrevor Noah41:22

       Kev, have you ever done an empty arena, a half-empty arena?

   14. KHKevin Hart41:25

       Have I ever done... Let me think. Have I done an empty arena?

   15. TNTrevor Noah41:26

       [laughs]

   16. KHKevin Hart41:27

       Um, I don't know, Trevor. I don't know if I have. I would have to think about it. I mean, I'm quite sure there's probably been some.

   17. TNTrevor Noah41:36

       We're gonna go with the first take.

   18. KHKevin Hart41:37

       [laughs]

   19. TNTrevor Noah41:37

       I like that better. Um, so I've, I've done, I've done one before. This was in Springfield, Missouri. It was really the only venue that we could go to. Deep Republican, um, like, little, you know, enclave. And my team said, "This is it. We, we don't know the promo- You've never been. We don't even know what's gonna happen here."

   20. KHKevin Hart41:55

       Yeah.

   21. TNTrevor Noah41:56

       "We don't even know if you have fans in this place. Let's see what happens." I said, "Well, let's, let's go." We went there. I think the arena, this is, like, a cut-down arena. Could... I think it could... The capacity was 6,000 people maybe.

   22. KHKevin Hart42:07

       Okay, 5, 6.

   23. TNTrevor Noah42:08

       Yeah, I think we sold 3- or 4,000 tickets.

   24. KHKevin Hart42:11

       Okay.

   25. TNTrevor Noah42:12

       Everybody, when I walked in, everybody looked like we were at a funeral. Not the audience.

   26. KHKevin Hart42:17

       Yeah.

   27. TNTrevor Noah42:17

       I mean everyone backstage.

   28. KHKevin Hart42:19

       No, on your team. Yeah.

   29. TNTrevor Noah42:19

       You know when the promoter can't look at you?

   30. KHKevin Hart42:21

       Yeah.
10. 45:09 – 50:20

    Scaffolding Explained and Kevin's Fumbled Early Years

    1. TNTrevor Noah45:09

       What I mean by a scaffolding, a scaffolding brother is there are two ways, or there are multiple ways, but I think two of the, of the, of the, of the prominent ways for us to deal with the idea of having less or going backwards or, or diminishing in life or whatever it might be. The one way is to build scaffolding in our lives, and what that scaffolding is, is we go, "Okay, if as Kevin Hart I'm not a movie star, oh, okay, what do I have? If as Kevin Hart I'm not a comedian selling out, what do I have? Okay, so let me diversify. I'm gonna build up these companies. I'm gonna build up these institutions. I'm gonna own that. I'm gonna own this. I'm gonna own this. I'm gonna own that. I'm gonna own that. I'm gonna own... That way, I'm in a situation where my eggs are not in one basket, and that means that if in one space I am, you know, unceremoniously kicked out, I still have everything else that I can go back to."

    2. KHKevin Hart45:57

       Mm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah45:58

       "I have basically created the scaffolding."

    4. KHKevin Hart46:00

       Mm-hmm.

    5. TNTrevor Noah46:00

       You know, that's, that's why they use scaffolding in construction, so that they don't go backwards from that p... It's like, "All right. Let's build around-

    6. KHKevin Hart46:06

       Mm-hmm

    7. TNTrevor Noah46:06

       ... this thing-

    8. KHKevin Hart46:06

       Mm-hmm

    9. TNTrevor Noah46:06

       ... to at least enable it to get to a certain place-

    10. KHKevin Hart46:08

        Mm-hmm

    11. TNTrevor Noah46:08

        ... and then we can sort of move back." But, but it, it, it holds everything where it needs to be-

    12. KHKevin Hart46:12

        Mm-hmm

    13. TNTrevor Noah46:12

        ... while it is being built up. Right?

    14. KHKevin Hart46:14

        I, I think that's a great breakdown.

    15. TNTrevor Noah46:16

        Y- right. And I would encourage you to try it a little bit more. I know it's hard, don't get me wrong, 'cause you're Kevin Hart and you, you have this mountain that you've built. But I would encourage you as Kevin Hart to also realize beyond the brands, beyond the buildings, beyond all of those things, and I would even speak on behalf of, of your kids, I think you take for granted that the buildings may not have as much of an impact on your kids as the building that you've done with them.

    16. KHKevin Hart46:42

        I, I would say you're probably correct. It's not until-

    17. TNTrevor Noah46:44

        Not probably.

    18. KHKevin Hart46:45

        Well, yeah, here's where you probably are correct, right?

    19. TNTrevor Noah46:47

        Oh, you said probably again.

    20. KHKevin Hart46:48

        Well, I'ma tell you why.

    21. TNTrevor Noah46:49

        [laughs]

    22. KHKevin Hart46:50

        I'ma tell you why, all right? So, the idea of follow through early on, it presented itself and I never took it serious, right? Uh, school, I fucked it off. High school, SATs, fucked it off.

    23. TNTrevor Noah47:07

        Mm-hmm.

    24. KHKevin Hart47:08

        Didn't take it serious. Abacadaba the whole way down. I'm going to great adventure to go be with my friends. You know, applying to college, trying to get into college. For what? Like, everybody, are y'all doing it? Fucked it off. Community college, two weeks. I'm out of here. This ain't for me. Sneaker store, I guess this what it's gonna be. Everything-

    25. TNTrevor Noah47:28

        'Cause you worked at... Where w- did you work at Foot Locker? Where did you work?

    26. KHKevin Hart47:31

        City Sports. City Sports Foot Locker.

    27. TNTrevor Noah47:32

        City Sports. Okay.

    28. KHKevin Hart47:32

        City Sports.

    29. TNTrevor Noah47:32

        Yeah.

    30. KHKevin Hart47:33

        Everything that was positioned in front of me for me to take serious-
11. 50:20 – 55:34

    His Mother's Lessons and Forgiving His Father

    1. TNTrevor Noah50:20

       When did you, when did you first, first start realizing how right your mom was in life?

    2. KHKevin Hart50:23

       When you realize how much you fucked off. [laughs]

    3. TNTrevor Noah50:26

       [laughs]

    4. KHKevin Hart50:27

       When you, when you look up and all your friends moving on and going away-

    5. TNTrevor Noah50:30

       Oh, man

    6. KHKevin Hart50:30

       ... to college. They got scholarships. And you saying, "When did y'all apply? When did y'all apply to do that?" Kev, you didn't apply.

    7. TNTrevor Noah50:37

       Damn.

    8. KHKevin Hart50:38

       And now you realize you're the ignorant child.

    9. TNTrevor Noah50:39

       Damn.

    10. KHKevin Hart50:40

        You're realizing you're the dumb child.

    11. TNTrevor Noah50:41

        Do you feel like you got to the place where you got to reward your mo- your mother for the investment that she made in you? 'Cause I, 'cause I know how hard it was, you know, for you losing her.

    12. KHKevin Hart50:53

        Absolutely not.

    13. TNTrevor Noah50:54

        You, you, you didn't feel like in your-

    14. KHKevin Hart50:55

        No

    15. TNTrevor Noah50:55

        ... lifetime you ... No.

    16. KHKevin Hart50:57

        No.

    17. TNTrevor Noah50:57

        You don't think she was ... Like, 'cause she, just as you were rising-

    18. KHKevin Hart51:01

        Mm-hmm. Fool's Gold, I wanna say this was, like, my-

    19. TNTrevor Noah51:07

        Were you in Australia? Where were you shooting this?

    20. KHKevin Hart51:08

        I was in Australia-

    21. TNTrevor Noah51:08

        Yeah

    22. KHKevin Hart51:08

        ... but I'm just trying to think of where this movie ... You know, this was, this was basically, like, you know, a big role for me-

    23. TNTrevor Noah51:14

        Yeah

    24. KHKevin Hart51:14

        ... 'cause I was number three or four on the call sheet.

    25. TNTrevor Noah51:17

        It was, like, Matthew McConaughey or something, right? Yeah.

    26. KHKevin Hart51:18

        Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson.

    27. TNTrevor Noah51:19

        Uh-huh.

    28. KHKevin Hart51:20

        And this is a big role, so I went away to Australia. But this is, like, one of my, like, big roles.

    29. TNTrevor Noah51:25

        Yeah. And your mom was sick at the time.

    30. KHKevin Hart51:26

        She was sick at the time. So she didn't get to ... Like, the world of benefits came way after-
12. 55:34 – 59:01

    Family, Uncle Duties, and Building a Fallback

    1. KHKevin Hart55:34

       My, my brother and my dad's relationship was a little rougher. They figured their shit out. My brother is, pound for pound, the best thing that ever happened to my kids. My brother has taken the role, if I have to go, he comes.

    2. TNTrevor Noah55:52

       Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

    3. KHKevin Hart55:54

       I gotta go on the road, my brother comes to the house. I gotta go do movie or promo or whatever, my brother's out there. The feeling of love is never a void-

    4. TNTrevor Noah56:05

       Yeah

    5. KHKevin Hart56:06

       ... or never a missed opportunity. He have four kids. Four kids that all stand on, "Oh yeah, when Dad's not here, Uncle come out and Uncle helps us do this and that."

    6. TNTrevor Noah56:15

       Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

    7. KHKevin Hart56:16

       My brother is the, "Hey man, let me show y'all how to fly a kite. Let me show you, you never threw a boomerang? Y'all never seen these old movies, Rascals?"

    8. TNTrevor Noah56:23

       [laughs]

    9. KHKevin Hart56:24

       "Kevin, you ain't show 'em Rascals?"

    10. TNTrevor Noah56:25

        That's funny.

    11. KHKevin Hart56:26

        Or Little Giants.

    12. TNTrevor Noah56:27

        You, you, you-

    13. KHKevin Hart56:27

        All the shit you don't think about

    14. TNTrevor Noah56:27

        ... you maintain the village, man.

    15. KHKevin Hart56:28

        You don't-

    16. TNTrevor Noah56:29

        It's the village

    17. KHKevin Hart56:29

        ... all the shit that you overlook-

    18. TNTrevor Noah56:31

        Yeah

    19. KHKevin Hart56:31

        ... if you got a partner-

    20. TNTrevor Noah56:33

        Yeah

    21. KHKevin Hart56:33

        ... you got a partner in crime that really understands you and has your best interests-

    22. TNTrevor Noah56:39

        Yeah

    23. KHKevin Hart56:39

        ... where I'm coming in, and Dad is the cool dad that loves us and wants to do all the cool stuff, the dope activities. We watch movies, we chill, but Uncle, well, Uncle got the activity game on lock.

    24. TNTrevor Noah56:49

        I love this for you, man.

    25. KHKevin Hart56:50

        "Dad, Uncle, you know, Uncle showed me how to throw a strike." "You can't throw no strike. Let me see it. Throw it. I bet I knock that ball out the park."

    26. TNTrevor Noah56:57

        [laughs]

    27. KHKevin Hart56:57

        "No you not." And my brother throw the strike. "I beat the shit out that ball."

    28. TNTrevor Noah57:01

        Oh, man.

    29. KHKevin Hart57:01

        Bow! My kids like, "Dad!" "That's right. You know why I did that? 'Cause your uncle ain't shit."

    30. TNTrevor Noah57:06

        [laughs]
13. 59:01 – 1:03:57

    Bill Cosby in Montreal and Loving the Craft

    1. KHKevin Hart59:01

       I gotta say this, and you talked about it, 'cause you touched on it a little bit. When you talk about the fear as a comic-

    2. TNTrevor Noah59:06

       Yeah

    3. KHKevin Hart59:06

       ... right? Let's, like, of course take all his personal shit out of it, Bill Cosby, for a second. I was in Montreal-

    4. TNTrevor Noah59:14

       Did you just, did you just throw Bill Cosby in the end of a, in the end of a sentence?

    5. KHKevin Hart59:17

       Well, you'll see why. Uh, Bill Cosby-

    6. TNTrevor Noah59:19

       You can't... Okay.

    7. KHKevin Hart59:20

       I can.

    8. TNTrevor Noah59:20

       But can I just say-

    9. KHKevin Hart59:20

       I said put it aside.

    10. TNTrevor Noah59:22

        Okay. So, so-

    11. KHKevin Hart59:22

        I said that

    12. TNTrevor Noah59:23

        ... but let me explain something.

    13. KHKevin Hart59:23

        But I preface that.

    14. TNTrevor Noah59:24

        Let me ex- explain something right now. You cannot, you cannot just say at the end of a sentence-

    15. KHKevin Hart59:28

        Yeah, Bill Cosby

    16. TNTrevor Noah59:29

        ... you cannot go like, "You know, let's, let's throw all the personal shit aside. We're gonna-"

    17. KHKevin Hart59:31

        Yeah

    18. TNTrevor Noah59:31

        ... Bill Cosby.

    19. KHKevin Hart59:32

        Yeah.

    20. TNTrevor Noah59:32

        So anyway-

    21. KHKevin Hart59:33

        Okay

    22. TNTrevor Noah59:33

        ... you, you have to w- like-

    23. KHKevin Hart59:34

        I gotta warn you

    24. TNTrevor Noah59:35

        ... warn me, prepare me.

    25. KHKevin Hart59:36

        All right, you right. All right, I'm about to say some deep shit, but it's gonna start off as fucked-up shit. And then we'll get to the good shit.

    26. TNTrevor Noah59:40

        There we go. You see? That's-

    27. KHKevin Hart59:41

        Okay.

    28. TNTrevor Noah59:41

        Okay, okay.

    29. KHKevin Hart59:42

        All right, ready?

    30. TNTrevor Noah59:42

        All right. Bill Cosby.
14. 1:03:57 – 1:07:47

    What Now: Don't Screw Us Over, Vida Hustle, and Passing the Baton

    1. TNTrevor Noah1:03:57

       Before I let you go, you're a very busy man. Let me ask you this question. I ask everybody on the podcast: What now? We meet Kevin Hart in this moment.

    2. KHKevin Hart1:04:05

       Mm-hmm.

    3. TNTrevor Noah1:04:06

       Because it seems like you are perpetually building and perpetually expanding, I'd love to know, what now, as you, as you move into the next stage of-

    4. KHKevin Hart1:04:14

       Mm-hmm

    5. TNTrevor Noah1:04:14

       ... doing everything? It's VC.

    6. KHKevin Hart1:04:16

       Mm-hmm.

    7. TNTrevor Noah1:04:16

       It's banking. It's, it's all of these things. What... And do me a favor, Kevin. I ask you this as a friend and as a human being: Don't ever release, like, some shitty credit product that hurts Black people and poor people.

    8. KHKevin Hart1:04:26

       I'm not doing. I'm not doing.

    9. TNTrevor Noah1:04:26

       I'm looking at you on camera saying this right now.

    10. KHKevin Hart1:04:28

        Yes, I'm not... I will not do that. I don't-

    11. TNTrevor Noah1:04:29

        I'm just saying this to you right now, Kev

    12. KHKevin Hart1:04:30

        ... I don't have a credit card coming out.

    13. TNTrevor Noah1:04:31

        Yo, Kev?

    14. KHKevin Hart1:04:32

        I don't have a-

    15. TNTrevor Noah1:04:32

        I'm letting you know-

    16. KHKevin Hart1:04:33

        Yes

    17. TNTrevor Noah1:04:33

        ... face-to-face.

    18. KHKevin Hart1:04:34

        I'm, I'm telling you that I do not.

    19. TNTrevor Noah1:04:36

        Your people love you.

    20. KHKevin Hart1:04:37

        Yes. I do not.

    21. TNTrevor Noah1:04:37

        Do not screw us over.

    22. KHKevin Hart1:04:38

        I say this to you at face value.

    23. TNTrevor Noah1:04:40

        I mean this, Kev.

    24. KHKevin Hart1:04:41

        My whole relationship-

    25. TNTrevor Noah1:04:42

        Yo, I'm just letting you know

    26. KHKevin Hart1:04:43

        ... with my financial partner-

    27. TNTrevor Noah1:04:44

        You remember, I even, you remember I even-

    28. KHKevin Hart1:04:45

        ... is built off of financial literacy-

    29. TNTrevor Noah1:04:46

        You remember I had a dream

    30. KHKevin Hart1:04:46

        ... and caring about people.
15. 1:07:47 – 1:10:08

    Wrap-Up: Gaslighting Jokes and the Security Guard Story

    1. KHKevin Hart1:07:47

       Trevor, I like talking to you, man.

    2. TNTrevor Noah1:07:48

       I love talking. I always, I always enjoy speaking to you.

    3. KHKevin Hart1:07:50

       I'm serious. This is really good. I think, I think low-key, I, I wanna say that this was, like, your way of giving me a therapy session that you think I need.

    4. TNTrevor Noah1:07:59

       No, no, no.

    5. KHKevin Hart1:07:59

       And I'ma talk to you about it later.

    6. TNTrevor Noah1:08:00

       No, Kev.

    7. KHKevin Hart1:08:01

       I think you just-

    8. TNTrevor Noah1:08:02

       No

    9. KHKevin Hart1:08:02

       ... I think you gasbombed me.

    10. TNTrevor Noah1:08:04

        [laughs] What?

    11. KHKevin Hart1:08:06

        What is... Is that term right?

    12. TNTrevor Noah1:08:08

        [laughs]

    13. KHKevin Hart1:08:08

        Did you gasbomb me? I think you gasbombed me.

    14. TNTrevor Noah1:08:11

        I actually like that. [laughs]

    15. KHKevin Hart1:08:13

        [laughs] Gas-

    16. TNTrevor Noah1:08:13

        I'ma, I'ma gasbomb people more.

    17. KHKevin Hart1:08:15

        I, I appreciate you

    18. TNTrevor Noah1:08:15

        No, for real, man. I, I, I appreciate you. I appreciate your transparency. Um, I appreciate how you've always, always supported me. I, I, I always tell people the story, and I never hold back. I go, "Nobody wanted to come on The Daily Show when I was starting." Everyone seemed... You know, like now, I hold an Emmy, people go, "Oh, it's obviously well-deserved." Nobody wanted to come on that show.

    19. KHKevin Hart1:08:34

        Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

    20. TNTrevor Noah1:08:35

        Nobody wanted to be the... 'Cause they were like, if I... People were like, "If I say I'm with him-

    21. KHKevin Hart1:08:40

        Mm-hmm

    22. TNTrevor Noah1:08:40

        ... I don't know who he is, what he's gonna do-

    23. KHKevin Hart1:08:42

        Mm-hmm

    24. TNTrevor Noah1:08:42

        ... how he's g-..." I understand that fear. I don't even hold it against people. You were literally the first person who said, "I will do it. I will open this random African person's TV show-

    25. KHKevin Hart1:08:50

        Absolutely

    26. TNTrevor Noah1:08:50

        ... after Jon Stewart-

    27. KHKevin Hart1:08:51

        Absolutely

    28. TNTrevor Noah1:08:52

        ... and I'll ride with it," and I'm eternally grateful. I was like, Kevin Hart... And I get it. I was like, if he can support Bill Cosby, he can support me.

    29. KHKevin Hart1:09:00

        Well, okay. Well, that's a weird way to-

    30. TNTrevor Noah1:09:02

        And, uh-

Episode duration: 1:10:08