Photograph: Paul Morigi/Getty Photographs
It’s appropriate to say that Kevin Hart was honored on March 24 with the Mark Twain Prize, an award given yearly by the Kennedy Middle to a comic who has made a big and lasting influence on American tradition. It’s also appropriate — maybe much more appropriate — to say that on Sunday evening in Washington, D.C., contained in the Kennedy Middle’s Live performance Corridor and in entrance of over 2,000 folks, Hart acquired his ass roasted. Repeatedly.
Okay, sure: His ass was roasted with love by fellow comedians who know and/or have labored with him, together with Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Tiffany Haddish, and his frequent co-star Regina Corridor. All of them have been clearly blissful to pay tribute to a stand-up comedian who sells out arenas and stars in in style motion pictures but one way or the other has time for an infinite variety of aspect hustles, together with however not restricted to producing tv reveals, popping up in a seemingly infinite variety of Capital One commercials, and beginning a sequence of plant-based fast-casual eating places. (It’s true! See?) However his mates and colleagues additionally appeared loads keen to maintain cranking up the flames on the grill.
They gave Hart shit on numerous fronts, beginning proper out of the gate with Seinfeld, who invited the viewers to surprise why he even bothered to indicate up at this factor. “Do you suppose I’m doing this as a result of I owe Kevin Hart a favor?” requested the person who has incessantly pushed in automobiles with comedians, together with Hart, whereas getting espresso. “Or perhaps I like the thought of Kevin Hart owing me a favor? I’m not gonna inform you.” Then he added, “I can’t consider a lot that Kevin Hart can do for me. Are you able to? I don’t need to be in Jumanji.”
Some went the plain route by making jokes about Hart’s top. Jimmy Fallon, channeling Johnny Money, sang a complete track about how quick Hart is. “He’s acquired a sure aptitude, buys his garments at Construct-A-Bear,” Fallon twanged whereas strumming an acoustic guitar and sporting a black cowboy hat. “He’s so humble and down-to-earth, however his ft don’t contact the bottom in a chair.”
In an identical vein, J.B. Smoove remembered assembly Hart when he was a younger, aspiring comic hanging out on the Laff Home in Philadelphia, Hart’s hometown. “I’d be like, ‘Man, if somebody doesn’t come over right here and get their rattling little one out of this membership,’” Smoove recalled. “‘They serve alcohol in right here. Who brings an adolescent to a rattling comedy membership?’ Nevertheless it wasn’t an adolescent in any respect. Little boy had peach fuzz slightly bit. It was Kevin!”
Smoove, a.ok.a. Leon from Curb Your Enthusiasm, additionally devoted an enormous chunk of his nine-and-a-half-minute remarks to calling out Hart for stealing his jokes. “I additionally bear in mind how, after I would go away the membership to go again to New York Metropolis, I wouldn’t even make it over the Ben Franklin Bridge earlier than I might get a web page inflicting me to tug over and discover a rattling pay cellphone and name my answering service so the operator might relay the message that Kevin was onstage stealing my shit once more!” Smoove later added that he might have dealt with the matter certainly one of two methods: by “happening Membership Shay Shay,” a reference to Katt Williams’s January look on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast when he accused Hart of being an business plant, or by airing his grievances “proper right here on the Kennedy Middle on the Mark Twain Prize. And I’m glad it was right here!”
The hits saved on coming. Corridor known as out Hart for his love of money: “Kevin actually cares … in regards to the high quality of the test, not the venture. A few of that shit is fairly unhealthy, however what? This man makes some huge cash.” So did Lil Dicky: “Yearly, this man comes out with like 40 completely different tasks, and for a minimum of half of them, you watch it and also you suppose, Oh, he should solely be doing this for the cash.” So did Rock: “Kevin’s a wise businessman. He’s the primary one who ever acquired paid to get the Mark Twain Prize. That’s proper, he’s getting $100K tonight, ain’t you, Kev?” (A Kennedy Middle rep confirmed that this was a joke and that Hart was not paid to be a recipient.)
Corridor, Haddish, and Chelsea Handler all famous Hart’s behavior of constructing social plans or different commitments after which bailing on them. After explaining how Hart had promised to assist her cross the border into Canada throughout COVID by giving her a job on a movie he was taking pictures, Handler dryly stated, “That’s after I discovered that in case you ask Kevin for a favor, you’ll be able to at all times depend on listening to these three phrases: I’ve acquired you. After which you’ll be able to depend on by no means listening to from him once more.”
At this level, you might be feeling slightly unhealthy for Hart. Don’t. He was having the time of his life Sunday evening, sitting in a field along with his spouse, Eniko Hart, and all 4 of his children and dying laughing at each jab, together with a sensible joke performed by Nick Cannon. After the announcer led the gang to consider that shock visitor Eddie Murphy was about to seem, Cannon, trying very a lot not like Axel Foley, strolled onto the stage. “Eddie Murphy ain’t comin’ to see your little ass,” Cannon shouted. “Gotcha, bitch!”
The language in the course of the Mark Twain Prize ceremony was a bit saltier than normal, maybe partly as a result of Netflix will stream it for the primary time this yr after a long time of its airing on PBS. By design or by chance, the vibe was slightly looser, and the F-bombs have been detonated with better frequency by the comics onstage and within the montages of highlights from Hart’s profession. However there have been heartfelt moments, too, most notably within the speech by Chappelle, who made the ultimate tribute of the evening. “I like you a lot,” he advised Hart. “And always remember that I stated it, as a result of we solely get to speak on podcasts.”
“Chris Rock and I might by no means play an area earlier than I noticed you do it,” he continued. “You made me dream greater once you have been youthful than me. It’s humiliating. Nevertheless it’s inspiring, man.”
When Hart lastly took the stage to simply accept his award, he acquired emotional, significantly whereas thanking his kids — “There isn’t any life in me with out you,” he advised them by means of tears — and all of the individuals who supported him, each all through his profession and by exhibiting up on the Kennedy Middle.
“Though this award means a lot and I’ll by no means take it without any consideration, it doesn’t imply greater than trying over there and going, Wow, I acquired Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle to come back out,” he stated, trying on the field the place the three stand-ups have been seated aspect by aspect like a Mount Rushmore of comedy titans. “There’s nothing that may imply greater than that.”
In fact, when Hart didn’t thank Cannon and Smoove by identify, each of them stood up and began yelling at him. He had a right away response: “You suppose it was an accident? Fuck you, Nick. Okay? I actually thought Eddie Murphy was right here. J.B., you advised everyone I stole my model from you? Fuck you, J.B.!”
If you wish to learn the way lots of these fuck-yous made the ultimate edit of the ceremony, you’ll be able to watch it on Netflix beginning Might 11.
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