About five minutes into Kevin Hart’s new comedy special “Reality Check,” the Philly native drops his first famous name: LeBron James.
“Real good friend of mine,” Hart says, before taking a beat.
Hart then proceeds to rip the NBA star for supposedly getting cosmetic work done on his hairline, noting that at the beginning of the Laker’s career, “you could count the hairs” on top of his head. “I was the one counting,” Hart jokes.
But after not seeing James for three weeks, Hart says he bumped into him at a wedding with a full head of hair. “Walked in that b**** with all this confidence like I didn’t see him three weeks ago with the f***ing truth on his goddamn head,” Hart says. He would’ve snatched the hair, he continues, if James weren’t so tall.
King James isn’t the only one who gets dinged in “Reality Check,” Hart’s first comedy special since 2020’s “Zero F***s Given.” The hour-long set, which debuted on Peacock on Thursday, sees Hart dunking on other celebrities, including Will Smith, Tyrese, Ludacris and T.I.
“Crazy just sneaks up on you,” Hart observes later. “Look at Will Smith, he didn’t plan that. That just happened.” The comedian then does several impressions of Smith yelling at Chris Rock after the infamous Oscar slap of 2022.
Tyrese, Ludacris and T.I. also get some heat during a story about Hart’s journey to Minneapolis to attend George Floyd’s funeral. Hart admits he felt nervous and out of place during what he called his “first activist trip,” and that some early celebrity encounters didn’t help.
“When I get there, the first two people I see is Tyrese and Ludacris, right?” he says. “First two people. When I saw them, I knew. I knew off the bat that this was a f***ing mistake. I want to go home. I said that. I want to go home. It don’t look right. Why the f*** they send the cast of ‘Fast & Furious’?”
Hart pokes fun at the outfits the pair and rapper T.I. wore for the somber occasion, blasting Tyrese in particular for his “black beret, black sunglasses, black turtleneck, black leather trench coat, these black cargo pants and these combat boots that came above his knee.”
“He looked like a male Mary J. Blige,” Hart quips.
Still, Hart reserves plenty of ridicule for himself, describing his own outfit that day as “Carlton in his prime.” He also recalls getting an email from a high school pal pitching him on limb lengthening surgery, setting him up for familiar jokes about his height.
“I said I will do no such thing,” Hart says in the special. “I’m 43 years old. I’ve been 5’5″ my whole life — 5’4″ — 5’2 1/2″ my whole f***ing life.”
Hart also shares stories about his brother, his late father and insulting fan art he’s received with the sold-out crowd at Resorts World Las Vegas, where the comedian is still touring his “Reality Check” act through Saturday. The special debuted on July 6 on Peacock, as did the latest episodes of Hart’s talk show “Hart to Hart,” coinciding with the comedian’s 44th birthday. Resorts World is celebrating Hart with a party at its Zouk Nightclub tonight. Ludacris will be there.
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