Kevin Hart Said Committing To Comedy Was A Gamble, Accepts Mark Twain Prize

Kevin Hart got emotional when accepting one of comedy’s highest honors: the Mark Twain Prize for humor. The 44-year-old comedian and actor accepted the award from the Kennedy Center with friends and peers in attendance, including Chris Rock — who teamed up with Hart on the 2022 co-headlining tour Rock Hart: Only Headliners Allowed — Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Handler and Tiffany Haddish. Other recent Mark Twain Prize honorees include Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart and Dave Chapelle. Hart — known for the films “Ride Along,” the rebooted “Jumanji” franchise, “Central Intelligence” and his stand-up specials “Seriously Funny,” “Laugh at My Pain” and “Let Me Explain” — said he committed to comedy despite it being a “gamble.” “Life without a gamble is a weird thing, man,” he said. “‘Cause that’s acting as if you know. You don’t know. You don’t know what your future will be. You don’t have the answers. “So sometimes a gamble is the best way to define what will be you or ultimately become the best version of you,” he continued. The Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize, named after the author born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is given to someone who “has impacted American society,” according to the center, and has been given to comedic legends such as Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, George Carlin, David Letterman and Eddie Murphy.

Source: USA Today