Kevin Hart is a renowned American comedian, actor, and businessman. The Philadelphia-born native started his career in comedy after performing at an amateur night held in a Philadelphia-area club. He was also featured on ABC’s “The Big House,” but his act did not resonate with his audiences, leading to the cancellation of the show after six episodes.
He went into comedy, drawing inspiration from comedians like Chris Tucker, among others, and later reworked his act to get his career back on track. His career rebounded in 2006 when he released his first stand-up album, “I’m a Little Grown Man.”
This cemented his career as one of the best emerging young comedians in the 2000s. His second album, “Seriously Funny,” was released in 2010 and proved to be even bigger. He later released a series of comedies in 2011 and 2013.
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Hart’s success in comedy landed him a number of movie roles. He got movie recognition when he was featured in “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” “Soul Plane,” and “Little Fockers.” Since then, he has starred in several movies.
His success in comedy and movies also earned him a gig in event hosting. In 2012, he hosted the MTV Award Show and other high-profile events. Aside from comedy, acting, and hosting events, Hart is also a prolific investor with a decent business portfolio.
Besides owning media company HartBeat, which is the byproduct of a merger of his two companies Laugh Out Loud and HartBeat Productions, he is also the co-founder of the tequila brand Gran Coramino. In 2022 when it launched, it earned the second-fastest sales growth for an emerging premium tequila company in the past 20 years.
As a serial investor with a reported net worth of $450 million, Hart also has several companies in his portfolio, including Alice, Function Health, and HUNGRY.
Not too long ago, his business acumen won him praise from investor and “Shark Tank” judge Barbara Corcoran after Hart had joined the entrepreneurial show during its 13th season alongside Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, and others.
She described Hart as the smartest of all the ‘Sharks’ put together. According to her, when Hart joined the show as an investor, they expected him to be a comic, but he turned out to be a genius.
“You cannot believe Kevin Hart. He blew us all away,” she expressed while speaking on the “SHERRI” talk show, hosted by Sherri Shepherd. “He was smarter than all the ‘Sharks’ put together. He came on the set, we expected comedy because we all love him as a comic, yeah but he’s a genius.”
“He was like a walking computer; he did numbers faster than Mark Cuban, and he negotiated like he had been doing it his whole life. He blew us away. In fact, he was so good we just stopped and stared at him. We forgot we were ‘Sharks.’”
Corcoran added, “He’s a genius; don’t underestimate this man. I have never met a smarter businessman.”
Still, it was reported this week that Hart is now the driving force behind his entertainment company, Hartbeat, taking the reins after two CEOs came and went over the past two years. The company laid off nearly 20 employees—around a quarter of its staff—just before Thanksgiving.
The production company has faced significant leadership upheaval, with its CEO, CFO, and chief content officer departing after strategic disagreements, according to Bloomberg.
While the departures were amicable, they reflect the mounting challenges independent production companies face amid shrinking budgets and reduced output, according to the New York Post.
