Kevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart.Photo:Kevin Hart Instagram
Kevin Hart Instagram
Kevin Hartis one of the biggest movie stars and stand-up comedians in the business today — and he doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects in his comedy, especially when it comes to his relationship with his parents and his brother, Robert Hart.
The two grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with their mother Nancy Hart. Kevin and Robert’s father, Henry, spent the early years of Kevin’s childhood in prison.
Now an adult, Robert has found success as a world-class pool player, competing in global contests. No matter where they are, the brothers are always cheering each other on.
Here’s everything to know about Kevin Hart’s brother Robert Hart and their sibling bond.
Robert Hart and Kevin Hart.Robert Hart Instagram
Robert Hart Instagram
“We come from a f—ed-up situation,” Robert toldVarietyin 2017. “We come from the worst living conditions.”
Robert got into a lot of trouble as a kid
Kevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart in 2021.Kevin Hart Instagram
Kevin’s older brother had a lot of opportunities to make his own choices when he was young, and according to Kevin, he madea lot of self-destructive ones.
“My mom gave my brother a fair amount of freedom. Any mistakes you could make as a teenager, he made,” Kevin said in his 2019 Netflix docuseriesDon’t F— This Up. “My brother was in a gang, he dealt drugs. One afternoon my brother actually tried to snatch a purse from an old lady. That there was the last straw for my mom. She took my brother to court, and got him emancipated.”
Kevin, in turn, was not allowed the same freedoms. “The way that my mom saw it, she was too lenient on my brother," Kevin continued. “So, she figured if she could keep me off the streets, that I wouldn’t turn out like him. She set up a routine of structured, systematic and supervised movements that she imposed on my life. Her routine for me went like this: we woke up at 6 in the morning, I left to catch the school bus at 7. After school ended, I had to go to an extracurricular activity.”
That structure, though, instilled a work ethic in him that has led him to massive success as both a stand-up comedian and an actor.
The brothers helped their father through difficult times
Robert Hart, Halle Berry, Henry Robert Witherspoon, Kevin Hart on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
The comedian has been open about how difficult their father’s addictions made life for the family — but those difficult times taught him things. “If my dad hadn’t been around and didn’t do drugs, I may be handling my success differently,” Kevin told Howard Stern. “I may be on drugs, I may be searching for something.”
Kevin and Robert eventually convinced their father to enter rehab, which helped him to turn his life around. “I understand that nobody’s perfect, people are flawed, people make mistakes,” Kevin said. “I shouldn’t hold a high level of judgment over your head about things I can’t change.”
Before he died, Henry was much more present in his family in a positive way. “He’s as good as he can be,” Kevin toldVariety. “He’s very much in their lives. He talks to them. He sends them messages. He Facetimes. He’s serious about making his presence felt.”
Their mother sacrificed so Kevin could succeed
When Kevin was first struggling to establish his career, their mother paid his rent for a year so he could focus on his stand-up. Shortly after he was cast inFool’s GoldwithKate HudsonandMatthew McConaughey, Nancy was diagnosed with terminal cancer — but she swore Robert and the rest of the family to secrecy.
He recalled his mother saying, “I need him to be able to go forward because I see him doing great things.”
Kevin was able to spend time with Nancy in the weeks before she died, flying back and forth from Australia where the film was shooting.
The loss of their mother made them closer
When Nancy died, Kevin toldOprah Winfreyher death bonded him closer to his remaining family.
“All that energywent to my dad and to my brother. This is our little family,” Kevin said. “If we don’t try to make this last name mean something, then we have nothing that’s going to live on. My last name means something now, but it’s because we made it mean something.”
The brothers have an unbreakable bond
Kevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart.Robert Hart Instagram
When Robert turned 50 in 2021, Kevinposted a photo of the brotherstogether, captioning it: “Happy B Day to my brother @robert40hart ….words can’t explain how much I love and appreciate u."
“Thank you for being the best big brother to ever do it. Ya love and support has gotten me thru some of the craziest moments in my life,” he continued. “U are never not there….the true definition of a ride or die is you man.”
Robert is now a professional pool player
Robert Hart.Robert Hart Instagram
Robert describes himself on hisInstagramas an “African American pool player🎱🏆, working to be #1 in the world 🌎.” Hecompetes on the global stagein tournaments, and is motivated to succeed.
He’s a proud older brother
When Kevin’s movieNight Schoolcame out in 2018, Robertposted a photo of him pointing at the movie postershowing his brother withTiffany Haddish.
“So proud to witness this entire process & your growth kid as well as see things come together the way things are for you‼️‼️” he captioned the post. “Love ya kid & want the world to know it.”
source: people.com
