Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Kevin Hart

Discover the career path of Kevin Hart, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Kevin Hart is a highly successful American comedian and actor, recognized for his stand-up routines and film roles. He has received nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards, showcasing his impact on the entertainment industry. Hart's comedic style often revolves around observational humor and self-deprecating anecdotes, resonating with a wide audience and solidifying his status as a prominent figure in contemporary comedy.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

2001: Cast in Undeclared

In 2001, Kevin Hart had his breakthrough when Judd Apatow cast him in a recurring role on the TV series Undeclared.

2002: Guest appearance in Undeclared and film debut in Paper Soldiers.

In 2002, Kevin Hart had a guest appearance in the sitcom Undeclared and made his film debut in the film Paper Soldiers.

2002: Role in Paper Soldiers

In 2002, Kevin Hart had a role in the film "Paper Soldiers".

2003: Role in Scary Movie 3

In 2003, Kevin Hart appeared in "Scary Movie 3".

2004: Role in Soul Plane

In 2004, Kevin Hart had a role in the film "Soul Plane".

2005: Role in In the Mix

In 2005, Kevin Hart had a role in the film "In the Mix".

2008: Turned down a role in Tropic Thunder

In 2008, Kevin Hart turned down a role in the film "Tropic Thunder".

2009: Release of I'm a Grown Little Man

In 2009, Kevin Hart's comedic reputation grew with the release of his first stand-up album, "I'm a Grown Little Man".

2009: I'm a Grown Little Man Comedy Tour

In 2009, Kevin Hart's comedy tours began with his act titled "I'm a Grown Little Man".

2010: Hart Became an Avid Poker Player

Around 2010, Kevin Hart became an avid poker player and started participating in major tournaments.

2010: Role in Little Fockers

In 2010, Kevin Hart appeared in "Little Fockers".

2010: Seriously Funny Comedy Tour

In 2010, Kevin Hart continued his comedy tours with "Seriously Funny".

2010: Release of Seriously Funny

In 2010, Kevin Hart released his second comedy album, "Seriously Funny".

2011: Laugh at My Pain Comedy Tour

In 2011, Kevin Hart continued his comedy tours with "Laugh at My Pain".

2011: Hosted the BET Awards

In 2011, Kevin Hart first hosted the BET Awards.

2011: Release of Laugh at My Pain

In 2011, Kevin Hart released his third comedy album, "Laugh at My Pain".

October 2012: Real Husbands of Hollywood Promo Release

In October 2012, the official promo for "Real Husbands of Hollywood" was released.

2012: Role in Think Like a Man

In 2012, Kevin Hart appeared in "Think Like a Man".

2012: Hosted the MTV Video Music Awards

In 2012, Kevin Hart hosted the MTV Video Music Awards, after being recommended by Judd Apatow.

2012: Role in The Five-Year Engagement and Think Like a Man

In 2012, Kevin Hart played Doug in the film "The Five-Year Engagement" and appeared in "Think Like a Man", which was a box office success.

2013: Role in Grudge Match and Real Husbands of Hollywood

In 2013, Kevin Hart appeared in "Grudge Match" and starred in "Real Husbands of Hollywood" (2013-2016).

2013: Real Husbands of Hollywood Co-creation

In 2013, Kevin Hart co-created "Real Husbands of Hollywood" with Chris Spencer.

2013: Let Me Explain Comedy Tour

In 2013, Kevin Hart continued his comedy tours with "Let Me Explain", which was also released as a feature in movie theaters.

2013: Hosted Saturday Night Live

In 2013, Kevin Hart hosted an episode of "Saturday Night Live".

2013: Roles in Grudge Match and Exit Strategy

In 2013, Kevin Hart played a boxing promoter in "Grudge Match" and appeared in "Exit Strategy". He also appeared in 35 and Ticking.

2013: Release of Let Me Explain

In 2013, Kevin Hart released his fourth comedy album, "Let Me Explain".

2014: Hart Cashed in a World Series of Poker Event

In 2014, Kevin Hart cashed in one event at the World Series of Poker for $4,783.

2014: Starred in Ride Along

In 2014, Kevin Hart starred as Ben in "Ride Along", opposite Ice Cube. The film was a major box office success.

2014: Role in Ride Along and About Last Night

In 2014, Kevin Hart starred in "Ride Along" and "About Last Night".

April 9, 2015: What Now? Tour Launch

On April 9, 2015, Kevin Hart embarked on the What Now? Tour at the AT&T Center in San Antonio.

July 16, 2015: What Now? Film Announcement

On July 16, 2015, Universal Pictures announced that "Kevin Hart: What Now?", a stand-up comedy film featuring a performance of Hart's What Now? Tour, would be theatrically released.

August 30, 2015: Filming of What Now? performance

On August 30, 2015, the show for "Kevin Hart: What Now?" was filmed live in front of 53,000 people at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

2015: Hosted Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber and Saturday Night Live

In 2015, Kevin Hart hosted the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber and hosted an episode of "Saturday Night Live".

2015: Starred in Get Hard and The Wedding Ringer

In 2015, Kevin Hart starred in the films "Get Hard" with Will Ferrell and "The Wedding Ringer".

August 7, 2016: What Now? Tour Conclusion

On August 7, 2016, Kevin Hart's What Now? Tour concluded at the Columbus Civic Center in Columbus, Georgia.

October 14, 2016: Release of What Now? film

On October 14, 2016, "Kevin Hart: What Now?", a stand-up comedy film featuring a performance of Hart's What Now? Tour, was theatrically released in the United States.

2016: Co-hosted MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson

In 2016, Kevin Hart co-hosted the MTV Movie Awards with Dwayne Johnson.

2016: Release of What Now?

In 2016, Kevin Hart released his fifth comedy album, "What Now?".

2016: Ride Along 2 Release

In 2016, Kevin Hart returned in the sequel, "Ride Along 2".

2016: Roles in Central Intelligence, Secret Life of Pets, and Ride Along 2

In 2016, Kevin Hart starred in "Central Intelligence", "The Secret Life of Pets", and "Ride Along 2".

2016: Starred in Central Intelligence and Secret Life of Pets

In 2016, Kevin Hart starred in the movies "Central Intelligence", with Dwayne Johnson, and the animated "The Secret Life of Pets".

2017: Underwear Commercial

In 2017, Kevin Hart and Tommy John appeared in an underwear commercial for Macy's.

2017: Hart Became PokerStars Brand Ambassador

In 2017, Kevin Hart became the Brand Ambassador for PokerStars, and was featured in their ad campaigns alongside Usain Bolt.

2017: Founded Laugh Out Loud

In 2017, Kevin Hart founded Laugh Out Loud (LOL), a global media and production company.

2017: Launch of Laugh Out Loud Network and Captain Underpants

In 2017, Kevin Hart launched the Laugh Out Loud Network and starred in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

2017: Starred in Captain Underpants and Jumanji

In 2017, Kevin Hart starred in the movies "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" and "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle". He earned an estimated $32.5 million this year.

September 2018: Hosted HQ Trivia

In September 2018, Kevin Hart hosted HQ Trivia with Scott Rogowsky and gave away $100,000 to one person.

October 2018: HartBeat Productions signed deal with Nickelodeon

In October 2018, Kevin Hart's production company, HartBeat Productions, announced that it signed a first-look deal with Nickelodeon.

December 4, 2018: Announced as 2019 Academy Awards Host

On December 4, 2018, Kevin Hart was announced as the host of the 2019 Academy Awards.

2018: Role in Night School

In 2018, Kevin Hart starred in "Night School".

January 3, 2019: Considered Reversing Decision to Step Down as Host

On January 3, 2019, Kevin Hart stated that he was going to reconsider stepping down as host of the Academy Awards, after Ellen DeGeneres expressed support for him to do so.

2019: Signed on to star in and produce Monopoly

In 2019, Hart signed on to star in and produce Monopoly.

2019: Became Majority Owner of LOL

In 2019, Kevin Hart became the majority owner of Laugh Out Loud (LOL) after buying out most of Lionsgate's stake.

2019: The Secret Life of Pets sequel

In 2019, Kevin Hart continued to play a role in the Secret Life of Pets film franchise.

2019: Role in The Upside, Secret Life of Pets 2, and Jumanji: The Next Level

In 2019, Kevin Hart's film "The Upside" was released. He also reprised his role of Snowball in "The Secret Life of Pets 2", and Franklin Finbar in "Jumanji: The Next Level".

July 2020: Die Hart Premiered on Quibi

In July 2020, Kevin Hart's series "Die Hart" premiered on Quibi on July 20 and had a strong first weekend.

September 2020: Hart's Live Tournament Earnings Reached $47,828

As of September 2020, Kevin Hart had earned $47,828 in live tournament cashes from playing poker.

September 2020: Announced as Host of MDA Telethon

In September 2020, executives from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) announced plans to relaunch their annual MDA telethon and make Kevin Hart its new host.

October 24, 2020: Hosted The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon

On October 24, 2020, Kevin Hart hosted The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon.

2020: Extended agreement with Sirius XM

In 2020, Kevin Hart extended his company LOL's agreement with Sirius XM.

January 2021: Netflix First Look Deal and Diff'rent Strokes Appearance

In January 2021, Kevin Hart signed a first look deal with Netflix and later played Arnold Drummond in the Diff'rent Strokes portion of Live in Front of a Studio Audience.

June 18, 2021: Premiere of Fatherhood on Netflix

On June 18, 2021, Kevin Hart starred in "Fatherhood", a drama that premiered on Netflix.

April 2022: LOL and Hartbeat Productions Merged

In April 2022, LOL and production company Hartbeat Productions merged, creating Hartbeat.

August 2022: Hart House Debut

In August 2022, Kevin Hart debuted a vegan restaurant, Hart House, in Los Angeles, California.

November 2022: Hart Opened a Second Hart House Location

In November 2022, Kevin Hart opened a second location of Hart House in Monrovia, California. This marked an expansion of his restaurant business.

2022: Starred in Me Time

In 2022, Kevin Hart starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the comedy film, "Me Time".

March 2023: Die Hart season 2 release on Roku

In March 2023, Roku and Hart's multi-platform comedy brand Laugh Out Loud debuted the second season of the series Die Hart on The Roku Channel.

May 2023: Hart Opened a Third Hart House Location

In May 2023, Kevin Hart opened a third location of Hart House on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California, furthering the growth of his restaurant chain.

June 2023: Monopoly is still in development

As of June 2023, Monopoly is still in development.

June 2023: Hart Opened a Fourth Hart House Location

In June 2023, Kevin Hart opened a fourth location of Hart House near the University of Southern California campus. This continued the rapid expansion of his restaurant business.

January 2024: Starred in Netflix Film Lift

In January 2024, Kevin Hart starred as a master thief in the Netflix comedy heist film "Lift".

September 2024: All Hart House Locations Closed Down

In September 2024, all four Hart House locations, including those opened in November 2022, May 2023, and June 2023, closed down.

2024: Hosted The Roast of Tom Brady

In 2024, Kevin Hart hosted the Netflix special "The Roast of Tom Brady".