The Staying Power Of Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart is probably one of the most resilient actor-comedians out there today.

While Hart's brand of humor has never really been something I've been heavily into, likely because I have never been one to sit and watch comedies terribly often, I do appreciate the actor's ability to laugh at himself, first and foremost. He's frequently poking fun, mostly at his short stature, and I appreciate that about him. He's done several standup tours, starting in 2009, and has been in more than a few feature films, including Jumanji: The Next Level.

In all honesty, when news broke in 2017 that he had cheated on his 8-month pregnant wife, Eniko, I thought it was iffy at best that the well-liked Hart would have bounced back. Audiences will forgive many, many things. Infidelity doesn't typically rank too highly on that list, depending on how the celebrity deals with it. I considered how David Letterman handled the potentially-explosive revelations that he'd cheated on his wife back in 2009, and I thought that in reality, Letterman had handled a painfully difficult situation incredibly well. By confronting the matter head-on, Letterman actually endeared himself to his audience, and his very public apology to his staff and the audience at large seemed very personal and sincere at the time.

I really wasn't sure how Hart would have handled his particular situation. I do recall that, initially, he maintained radio silence, which is never a really good thing when there's also a video released showing the infidelity in action. However, when he issued an apology to his wife and family after an extortion attempt by a longtime friend, I was at first concerned that the apology would not come across as sincere, as an apology while under fire almost always seems like it's under less than sincere circumstances. Part of it may have been simply to do with Hart's inherent likeability, but in reality, it did come across as very sincere and I was actually impressed that he finally did step forward and take ownership for what occurred.

I feel for his wife under those circumstances, to be sure. To discover that your very popular husband has had an affair from some random person, and then to have to try and deal with the aftermath of that in very public circumstances has to be next to impossible. However, the family seems to have weathered that particular storm, and for that, I am impressed.

Then, there was Hart's incredible recovery from a very serious car wreck that could have potentially left his children without a father altogether. None of the three occupants of the vehicle in the accident were wearing a seatbelt, and the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda that was being driven at the time ultimately careened down an embankment and hit a tree.

Now, Hart is on the mend, but the man could have been in a situation where he would not have been. I, for one, am astounded as to his absolute resiliency and ability to bounce back from impossible circumstances to become, once again, a man on top of his game.

While I would hope everyone could demonstrate that level of resilience when the occasion calls for it, it seems remarkable to me that Kevin Hart could go through what he's gone through in the last 2-3 years and still be around to tell the tale, as it were. It's a testament to the sort of person Hart is that he continues to fight and continues to show the world just how scrappy and strong he actually is, and I admire him a great deal for that.