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Kevin Hart shot to fame Sunday night with his usual swagger as he accepted the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, occupying a stage lit up with his trademark pyrotechnics.
“Can I pee?” Hart said after a heartfelt tribute from his friend, comedian Dave Chappelle, before exiting the stage at the John Kennedy F. Center for the Performing Arts in Washington. He then reappeared to accept a bust of Mark Twain from David M. Rubenstein, the outgoing president of the Kennedy Center.
Hart, 44, is the 25th comedian to receive the Kennedy Center Award, an honor given annually to the best comedians in American comedy. Hart was accompanied by his wife and four children, and smiled widely even as he cried at the hilarious roasts and emotional tributes from friends and industry colleagues.
“I played stadiums with Chris Rock, and I never would have played a stadium before I saw you do it,” Chappelle said, crediting Hart with turning around the stand-up business after a run of sold-out stadium tours. and even a football stadium in his hometown of Philadelphia. “You made me dream big and you’re younger than me, it’s humiliating.”
Over a roughly 25-year career (it was noted that he had been doing comedy since the creation of the Mark Twain Prize in the late 1990s), Hart has sold millions of tickets. He has built a loyal fan base through movies, television series and many live events, some enhanced with fireworks, including eight comedy specials about relatable narratives, physical comedy and ridiculous re-enactments. But even when he criticizes the cast of characters who come in and out of his life, he is often the punchline to his own jokes.
His peers also praised him Sunday for his work ethic, which includes appearing and casting friends in a number of Hollywood films, including the “Jumanji” sequels, comedic dramas such as “Fatherhood” and “Night School,” and several comedies. of action. Films.
“I didn’t start out doing what I started doing to get the awards,” Mr. Hart said. “I fell in love with the idea of comedy. He made me say, ‘Oh my God, I fell in love with something I can do for the rest of my life.’”
Sunday night’s show featured fellow comedians Mr. Chappelle, who received the Mark Twain Prize in 2019; Chris Rock, who headlined a tour and subsequent 2023 documentary with Hart called “Headliners Only”; JB Smoove, who met Mr. Hart where he started, Laff House in Philadelphia; Jimmy Fallon, who performed a tribute in the form of an original country song, complete with a thick accent and a cowboy hat; as well as Jerry Seinfeld, Tiffany Haddish, Regina Hall, Chelsea Handler, Nick Cannon and Keith Robinson. Singer Robin Thicke and rappers Nelly and Dave Burd performed.
Stand-up and sketch group Plastic Cup Boyz, who have opened for Mr. Hart for 17 years, also paid tribute.
Hart said receiving the Mark Twain Award, which many consider a lifetime achievement award in comedy, meant even more thanks to the colleagues who showed up to honor him. After criticizing several speakers who criticized her comedic style, made jokes and reminded the audience of her small frame (Haddish compared the comedian, who is a few inches taller than 5 feet, to a leprechaun), Hart accepted the award with tears streaming down her face. his face.
“Jokes aside, thank you for showing up for such a great night, which couldn’t be as great without real relationships and real energy,” Mr. Hart said.
The ceremony will be available to stream on Netflix starting May 11.