Kevin Hart Says He's a 'Different Version of Myself' After 'Humbling' Car Crash Recovery Process
Kevin Hart is a new man.
The 40-year-old actor and comedian opened up on his Laugh Out Loud Sirius XM radio show about his new perspective on life after his car crash that took place in September. Tuesday’s show was the 100th episode as well as Hart’s first time back since the accident.
“For me, I’m a different version of myself,” Hart said on the radio show, per E! News. “This ain’t got nothing to do about going to church… It’s not spiritual, spiritual is the wrong word. You’re more present. More aware… It’s all a joke until you get smacked with that real life reality.”
The Jumanji star added that the recovery process has been “humbling,” explaining that he “could not f—ing move” after the accident, which landed him in the hospital in need of emergency back surgery. “I could not wipe my ass… I literally I couldn’t do none of that.”
“It makes you realize… you really are helpless,” he said. “There was nothing I could do.”
Hart’s sentiment on the radio show echoed his words from the stage at the People’s Choice Awards on Sunday, where he accepted the award for comedy movie star.
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“First and foremost, thank God, because I definitely don’t have to be here,” he said after Robert Downey Jr. presented him with the trophy.
“Being that I am, it makes me appreciate life even more. It makes me appreciate the things that really matter: family. I want to thank my wife, my kids, who really stepped up to the plate for me,” Hart said in a shout-out to wife Eniko Parrish and his kids: sons Hendrix, 12, and Kenzo, 2, and 14-year-old daughter Heaven.
Addressing his fans, he added, “I truly want to thank you guys for being there for at my difficult time.”
Hart’s frightening accident took place on September 1, when he was a passenger in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. Hart’s friend and producer Jared Black was driving the vehicle, and lost control, crashing through wooden fencing just before 1 a.m. on Mulholland Highway in Malibu.
Both Hart and Black were left with “major back injuries,” TMZ reported at the time.
Since his back surgery, Hart has been in the process of recovery.
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Last month, the Night School star shared a video on Instagram of the experience, including footage from the hospital being helped to a walker.
“Basically, what you realize is that you’re not in control,” Hart said in the video. “No matter how much you think you’re in control, you’re not in control. At the end of the day, it can all be over, man.”
“When God talks, you gotta listen,” he continued, as footage rolled of his physical therapy exercises. “And I swear, life is funny, cause some of the craziest things that happen to you end up being the thing that you needed most.”
“In this case, I feel like God basically told me to sit down,” he said. “After my accident, I see things differently. I see life from a whole new perspective. My appreciation for life is through the roof. I’m thankful for my family, my friends.”
