Kevin Hart is a funny guy. He’s in good shape. He’s got a lot of famous friends. It’s almost like there’s an opportunity here for the comedian/actor/spokesperson/athlete/ice-bath-taker. And wow, yep, there it is: a new show from funny man Kevin Hart where he and his funny famous friends get in shape, debuting Thursday on YouTube.
Does the guy ever slow down?
Short answer: no, because he doesn’t want to die. (More on that in a second.) So to keep in peak physical shape in a non-boring way that also staves off death, he’s roped other celebrities into an absolutely ridiculous fitness show called Kevin Hart: What the Fit. He’s got Chance the Rapper doing beer yoga, Conan O’Brien doing sumo wrestling, Terry Crews doing gymnastics, and Tiffany Haddish doing roller fitness.
“That’s the beauty of being a friend: putting your friend in situations that they don’t like,” he says. With friends like this guy, who needs friends at all?
We took a minute to get a hell of a pep talk from Hart about staying in shape, mortality, and laughing through the pain.
Chance is actually a yogi! I didn’t know that until we did it on the day. That was shocking. That blew me away. But it just shows you how you can’t judge a book by its cover, because I sure did. No way a guy looking like Chance knows yoga. But he did. I did get through it. It was tough for me. I’m not flexible at all. A little secret—don’t tell nobody—I can’t touch my toes.
Working out with firefighters was the hardest.
The one with the fire department, that was extremely tough. I left with a whole level of respect for what they do. You already understand the danger that goes in it, you know, how these are the people who put their lives on the line to save others, which should always be applauded. But when you realize the equipment and the weight of it, the coats to the tanks to the oxygen masks, dealing with the hoses, climbing the ladders—they have to be in a really, really superior place of physical shape. I had Niecy Nash with me, who threatened to kill me when it was over. She was pissed.
But now he knows what it takes to save a life.
I plan on saving people now that I know that, if there’s a little fire near me. I did such a good job with those guys, I told them they can call me if I’m in the area and they need help—I’m qualified to go out with them. I think having that under that my belt, and knowing that I have the knowledge, you just put me in a position to make sure I stay in top physical shape so I can go out and be the best on-call firefighter that they had.
He’ll never stop pushing himself physically.
You realize you have one life, and in that one life there’s so much that you can do and you can achieve, and the one thing that helps you perform at the highest level is your health. If I had an option, I would want to stick around. I would want to be here for my kids, for my grandkids. I don’t want to increase the chances of death by not taking care of myself. It’s just that simple to me. Certain things can increase the risk of heart attacks, stroke, blood disease. If you can take that stuff away by being active, moving around, taking 30 to 45 minutes out your day, every day, and dedicating it to taking care of you, you’re increasing your chances of living longer.
His goal is to live as long as he can.
[My short term goal is] for my legs to get bigger. It’s a joke. Short term goals? No. I don’t want this to be taken the wrong way, but it’s not like I’m working out for a gold medal. I’m not working out for this amazing reward at the end of the day. I’ve just seen the wear and tear that I put on my body. I’m a guy who works 14 or 15 hours a day. I can’t do that at a high level if I’m not healthy. So it’s once again just to increase my chances of being around for a long time. What’s the benefit of having all this success if I can’t be here to enjoy it?
He’ll always be laughing through the pain.
I laugh through my workouts every day. On camera, off camera. My trainer can’t stand working out with me because I’m silly. I’m always going to find a way to make what I do fun and good time. Within that you can still be serious, but I have to be me. I’m a personable guy. Even in the hardest of the harsh moments, there’s not a dull moment. I embrace it all with a sense of humor.
YouTube Original series Kevin Hart: What The Fit premieres on March 15th on the Laugh Out Loud YouTube channel.