Kevin Hart and Shane Gillis

Born to a single mother and a cocaine addict father who was in and out of prison for most of his childhood, Kevin Hart turned to making people laugh as a coping mechanism for his troubled family life. He discovered stand-up comedy while still a child and by the time he’d finished studying at a New York City community college, he had moved to Boston, Massachusetts and began performing at open mic nights anywhere he could find them. Like any stand up worth their salt, Hart struggled at the start of his career, being booed off stage multiple times in his first couple of months. However, that wasn’t going to stop him, and he continued to work on his stand up before finally finding a small measure of success in local Massachusetts comedy competitions.

With the help of comedy veteran Keith Robinson, Hart found his voice as a comic, bringing his neuroses and his insecurities to the forefront and making himself the target of many jokes and routines. He started to make a name for himself on the national comedy circuit, leading to sell out shows in New York and Los Angeles, and as a result of those shows, AMC made him the star of his own sitcom, The Big House. The show wasn’t a hit, but Hart was acclaimed for his role in it, and in 2006, he released his first stand up album “Little Grown Man”. He’s had several hit stand up albums released since then, and he’s become an even bigger deal for both his film roles and stand up sets, selling out Madison Square Garden in 2014 and headlining films like This Is The End and Ride Along. For being one of the most fascinating and hilarious figures in modern comedy, Kevin Hart comes highly recommended.