Kevin Hart caps extraordinary year with VMAs hosting gig
theGRIO Q & A: Kevin Hart reflects on the incredible year he has had thus far and says that the road ahead is still long, and the itinerary fully stacked...
You got some slack for mocking Gabby Douglas’ hair on Chelsea Lately. Do you feel it was out of line or do you think comics get slammed too much in an era when everyone is a critic?
Well, I think people are so hard on us, and we’re not saying anything malicious. You know, we’re saying something random; it’s an attempt to be funny. It really is; it’s never malicious. I think sometimes it’s taken out of context and people look too deep into things. You know, she’s a little girl, she’s talented; it’s something funny that was said real quick. Nothing else into it at all. I don’t wish anything bad for her or her career. I want nothing but the best for her – it was something funny to say. And at the time, I had to be funny spontaneously. You have to come up with things on the spot. That was one of the things that came up quickly on the spot. That’s it.
Your tour’s called Let Me Explain. What exactly are you breaking down?
My comedy’s all personal, and at the end of the day, self-deprecation is what works for me. So, it’s really about me talking about the problems that I’ve been through. My fans have really grown with me from I’m a Grown, Little Man to Seriously Funny to Laugh at My Pain to now Let Me Explain. They’ve seen me go through ups and downs and things in my life, but I’m honest about it, and I voice it.
What kind of problems do you have?
Divorce is finalized, single dad. Buying my first home. My star level is rising; my mental level hasn’t caught up to it. Me having security. There’s tons of things.
Dave Chappelle adamantly refuses to let people have cell phones out at his shows, and other comics have applied similar rules. How much is that a concern to you?
I’m the same way. I don’t allow video photography at my shows either because comedians are different. If you hear our jokes before we say it, you know, our show is messed up. Our job is to make you laugh. You’re not gonna laugh at what you’ve heard a million times cause you’ve seen it online. And singers have it better, you know, people want to hear your song, they want to sing with you. But comedians, we need to keep it fresh; we need to keep it genuine because we need that immediate response of laughter. We don’t get that if it’s splattered all over the web and it’s not ready, and it’s something that we plan on taping and making a special. We lose opportunities.
What’s your strategy for the VMA‘s this year?
As the host, you want to get everybody’s attention, put everybody in the mood to have a good time. Shock value’s normally the way to do that. You know, going out and saying something they don’t expect you to say…Make people focus on you.
How’s it feel to be the third wheel for Kanye and Kim?
Oh, that was funny. It came out really great.
You won MVP of the NBA celebrity basketball game in February despite getting ejected in the fourth quarter. Do you regret throwing your sneakers across the court?
No, I do not. I’m a competitor. I have a child-like competitive nature.
You also threatened to take off your shorts. Why’d you hold back?
I couldn’t take them off because I was mic-ed.
I heard you just passed your driver’s license test. Congratulations.
Thanks. My driver’s license got suspended so I had to take the written test over again. I failed it three times.
Did you study or just kept trying?
Nah, I just kept trying. I kept winging it.
Last question – an ongoing personal poll of mine – Delirious or Raw?
I gotta go with Raw.
