Kevin Hart got emotional when accepting one of comedy&#8217;s highest honors: the Mark Twain Prize for humor.
<img decoding="async" src="https://people.com/thmb/12L4yovglZQtmVeV-mhdj30VeaE=/4000x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(741x427:743x429)/kevin-hart-washington-mark-twain-prize-032424_2280-0b7cff6f96af496e9487f97101686165.jpg" />
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.
&#8220;You remind me … why I love comedy so much,&#8221; Chappelle said at the Sunday night ceremony, noting he had canceled a trip to Jamaica to attend.
&#8220;I am honored to know somebody like you. I really wish you had come when I won this award,&#8221; he joked.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
<img decoding="async" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/twHwQ8MWbK8/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&amp;rs=AOn4CLAZboENdKWOmGfFnB_UI2AJOwKd5w" />
Kevin Hart interview:&#8216;Lift&#8217; star on &#8216;bringing people together,&#8217; the change he wants to see in comedy
Hart — known for the films &#8220;Ride Along,&#8221; the rebooted &#8220;Jumanji&#8221; franchise, &#8220;Central Intelligence&#8221; and his stand-up specials &#8220;Seriously Funny,&#8221; &#8220;Laugh at My Pain&#8221; and &#8220;Let Me Explain&#8221; — said he committed to comedy despite it being a &#8220;gamble.&#8221;
&#8220;Life without a gamble is a weird thing, man,&#8221; he said. &#8220;&#8216;Cause that&#8217;s acting as if you know. You don&#8217;t know. You don&#8217;t know what your future will be. You don&#8217;t have the answers.
&#8220;So sometimes a gamble is the best way to define what will be you or ultimately become the best version of you,&#8221; he continued.
The Kennedy Center&#8217;s Mark Twain Prize, named after the author born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is given to someone who &#8220;has impacted American society,&#8221; according to the center, and has been given to comedic legends such as Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, George Carlin, David Letterman and Eddie Murphy.
<img decoding="async" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zbL03yEgj-c/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEhCK4FEIIDSFryq4qpAxMIARUAAAAAGAElAADIQj0AgKJD&amp;rs=AOn4CLCEM1bHC4Z3_Z3RfXTbe05Ckdt9Jg" />
The future of comedy:How these comedians are earning laughs on TikTok — and changing the industry
&#8220;It was clear from the moment we met that (Hart) was destined for superstardom, especially when he told me he was destined for superstardom,&#8221; Handler said of a conversation she had with Hart on her talk show nearly two decades ago. &#8220;I admired his pluck … as well as his drive and determination and the unrelenting hard work that brought him here tonight, to a place where the talk show host he told he was destined for superstardom is now presenting him with a lifetime achievement award.&#8221;
Rock said Hart had taken his advice to find his own voice and used it to surpass him as a star. He jokingly praised the entertainer&#8217;s performance in the movie &#8220;The Upside&#8221; with Bryan Cranston.
&#8220;The best acting Kevin Hart has ever done because &#8230; he had to act like he had less money than Bryan Cranston,&#8221; Rock said.
Do stereotypes have a place in comedy?Phoebe Robinson, more comedians talk being in on the joke
In 2018, Hart stepped down as the host of the following year&#8217;s Oscar ceremony and apologized for &#8220;insensitive&#8221; words he had posted on Twitter about gay people. Deborah Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center, said that incident had not given her pause about presenting him with the award.
<img decoding="async" src="https://bsmandmedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/kevin-hart-mark-twain-prize.webp" />
&#8220;The thing with &#8230; comedy is that it makes everybody &#8230; a little bit uncomfortable,&#8221; she said.
How to watch Kevin Hart receive the Mark Twain Prize
&nbsp;

Blog Viral

Sports

News

Animals

Babies

Kevin Hart accepts Mark Twain Prize for humor, says committing to comedy was a ‘gamble’