-That's what I'm talking about. -How you doing, man?
-It is good to see you, buddy. -How are you, man?
[ Cheers and applause ] -Happy new year. Standing --
-Shouts out to my guys. What's up, fellas?
Hey, hey, hey, hey. hey. That's family over there.
I tell you every time I come here.
That's my family over there. -Yeah.
-Am I? -That's my family.
-Am I part of the family? -No, no, no. They --
-What are you talking about? I can be, like, a...
-That's Philadelphia right now. That's the Roots.
-Oh. -Legendary. Legends. Legends.
I celebrate them every time I come on.
-Kevin, I have a thousand questions to ask you,
which is why I host a talk show.
-Okay.
-But I have a question
because this is serious now.
-Yes. Okay. Let's go. This is serious.
-Yeah. I ask serious question. -Alright.
-A few months ago, you had some incident where you ended up --
You were in, like, a wheelchair. -Yeah. Yeah.
-Yeah. And what happened? What accident did happen?
-I broke my [bleep].
[ Laughter ]
-Why do you say stuff like that? -I did.
-Why do you say stuff like that? [ Sad tuba plays ]
That's not -- No, I'm not talking about --
I'm not talking about that. -You want to know a serious --
You ask me a serious question, I'll give you a serious answer.
-No, but I saw you recently in a wheelchair.
-Yeah. -And I asked you what happened
for that to happen? -I just told you.
-I know. That's not what happened at all.
-I was doing a foot race. I was doing a foot race.
-But why do you get into a foot race as a grown man?
-Alright, alright.
First of all, that's very accurate, what you just said.
Well, your mind -- your mind tells you
that you can still do things,
and it doesn't really communicate with your body
that you can't really do these things
that you think that you can still do.
-Yeah. -So, uh, Stevan Ridley.
Amazing former NFL running back who's retired now.
He was at a cookout, and, you know,
he was explaining to somebody that he misses the game.
And I, you know -- I had a couple drinks.
I had a little -- little --
a little bit of that Gran Coramino in my system.
-Yeah. Alright. You're at the cookout.
-It's at a cookout. It's a good time. Tequila's flowing.
And out of nowhere, I said,
"I'll whup your ass in a foot race."
-Why?! -I don't know.
It was unprovoked. Jimmy, I swear.
I swear to you. Hand on the Bible. Unprovoked.
And he said, "What?" I said, "You heard what I said.
Foot race. Me and you. Middle of the street right now."
And we went out there and did a foot race.
And the reason why I hurt myself is because my underwear --
my underwear had no more, um, elasticity.
Like, you know how you --
Like, you know how you start your day in a pair of drawers --
Like, in the beginning of the day, It's a lot of support.
Well, this is 2:00 a.m.
I've been in these drawers all day.
So my situation was all over the place during the run.
And that's -- So what ended up happening
was I ended up -- I ended up messing myself up
in a way that I couldn't repair it.
Like, on step like number 15 in the race. I felt it.
-But you have to --
I mean, this happens to your underwear?
-Your underwear stay in the same type of shape?
-Oh, I'm so -- I'm so -- Yeah.
Two different types...
-...types of situations.
-My underwear is tight.
It's so tight, it's like wearing Spanx right now. I look...
I'm like -- If I pull my pants,
I look like a Ken doll right now.
I am -- I could foot-race anybody right now, yeah.
-So it's two different situations, so that's why.
-So at 2:00 in the morning, you go through this thing.
And, weirdly -- I hate to show this to you,
but we have footage of the race.
-You have footage? -Can we --
-I mean, I guess I don't have a choice if you got footage.
-Can we see the -- Can we get a play-by-play
of what's going through your mind?
-I don't know if we need a play-by-play.
-Well, there you are. Here's this...
-This is the middle of -- Okay. Yeah.
Right now I'm in it. I'm in it. Right here. Baow!
-Oh, yeah, yeah. Go back.
Yeah. Go back. Something happened.
-You can see where it happened.
You can also see me raise my hand for help at the end.
-For help. Can we see, in slow motion, just see what...
Here's where I think it went wrong.
-My stride is amazing. -Yeah.
-And right --
-You know, you're a little Alfonso Ribeiro.
-Right there. You can see. Look. Oh. Yeah.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-Stevan definitely got you. -Yeah.
-You were getting a little Alfonso Ribeiro, by the way.
You were a little...
-No. -You were a little...
-No. -That's how you run?
You're like, "Hey, you want a foot race?!
I'll foot race. No problem."
-No, I never did that.
-♪ It's not unusual to be loved by anyone ♪
-That's not -- That's not how I run.
If you really look at the tape,
my form and everything is intact.
And you can actually see -- You can see the athlete in me.
It was -- What it was, it was the extension.
I tried to turn it over.
And when I tried to turn it over,
it was to find another gear.
And I tried to extend my step.
In extending my step, my drawers,
not having the support that they were supposed to --
Flip, flop, flam, flip.
That's where the situation happened.
-This is unbelievable. -Yes, it's the truth.
It's the truth. I lost my [bleep] in the bush.
-Alright. Alright. Let's not -- Did you find it?
-I'm just telling you.
I'm telling you what happened, Jimmy.
-Did you find it? -No. Nobody would look for it.
It's probably still there. A piece of it's still there.
It was a real situation.
-Yeah. You got to be careful with that stuff.
-Oh, you do. I won't -- I won't drink and race anymore.
But I'm done doing that.
I'm done with the whole idea
of me still competing in stuff that I can't do anymore.
I'm okay with the fact that I'm 44 years old.
It's over. The life that once was is no longer now.
I'm done. -What are you talk--
-What do you mean, what am I talking about, Jimmy?
I'm not racing no more. I'm not doing it.
-No one knows you to be a racer at all.
We don't want to see you do that.
We know you being funny. That's --
That's all we want to see you do, is be funny.
-You know how many people know how fast I am?
-No one cares. -Jimmy.
-Not one human being would care how fast you are at all.
-You're being ridiculous. You're being ridiculous.
-No, you're being no [bleep]-ulous.
You're being no...
[ Laughter ]
This is coming from a man with no [bleep].
He lost his -- You lost it.
You lost it at a cookout somewhere.
Someone probably put it on a bun somewhere like...
[ Laughter ]
Somebody probably walking around like,
"You got a foot long?"
[ Laughter ]
What kind of Oscar Meyer thing is this jam going on?
-There's a lot of people.
Public schools, uh, community colleges.
There's a lot of places that know how fast I am, Jimmy.
-Oh. Alright. -Go look at the tape.
-I thought you were saying there's a lot of places
you're not allowed a certain circumference around.
"Public schools..." It's like...
It's like, "Wait, wait. Don't talk about this."
Yeah, yeah, yeah. No. We -- No. I know you --
I know Kevin Hart. I know your family.
You just took the family on a big trip.
-I did take them on a big trip. -Where'd you go?
-We went to Rwanda. Rwanda was a good time.
-Wow. -A really good time in Rwanda.
-Have you ever been before? -No. First time.
First time I went to Rwanda. It was a great time, too.
You know, going to Rwanda, you have to make sure
that you set yourself up to do things
that you wouldn't normally do, but you have to have an open mind to doing it.
Ellen. Ellen is the reason why I ended up going to Rwanda.
She was like, "You got to go. You got to go have this experience."
-Yeah, she has this big sanctuary.
And you did it. -Well, not because I wanted to.
Because I felt like I had to. Because, um --
-I've had you on the show before.
I don't know if you remember this. With an animal expert.
-Yeah. -And this is --
I have a picture of you when we brought out a tarantula.
-Yeah. -Yeah. Here's you.
Here's you running away. -Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
-You are a fast runner. I mean, we know this.
-Yes, yes, yes. Yeah. -You are a fast runner,
-I don't deal -- I don't deal with animals at all.
But my wife wanted to do it. The family wanted to do it.
Who am I to say no and deny my family of an opportunity
based off of my selfish reasons?
-This is you reacting to a bunny rabbit on our show.
-Okay. How many of these pictures do you have?
[ Laughter ]
And I remember that rabbit with the devil eyes,
and you brought the devil eyes
and stared that rabbit down into my soul.
You keep those devil pets away from me.
-Devil-eyed rabbit.
-This is different, though. This was gorillas.
So I said I'll do it. And I did it.
Have you ever done it? -Yeah.
-You've been? -Yes.
-So you know what I'm, like, about to tell you.
Like, it's nuts. It's really nuts.
Like, do you know how nuts it is or no?
Like, were you scared? -Yeah, I was frightened.
-You know why I was frightened?
Because I thought it would be glass.
-You thought it was a zoo? -Yeah.
-No. This is the wild. You're going into their home.
-Well, gorilla trekking.
So, you know, when you go gorilla trekking,
I was like, "There has to be glass."
I've never went to go see gorillas
and there hasn't been glass.
That's stupid. -[ Laughs ]
That's right. That is right. -There was no glass.
-No, no, no, this is actually...
-It's, like, actual gorillas in like two feet of you.
Like, they're right there.
And I didn't take it well. I didn't take it well.
-I could imagine. -I didn't take it well at all.
Uh, I remember the first thing I did was like --
The rule was, like, you got to submit.
If you see a gorilla, close your eyes.
Don't look him in the eye. And submit.
And, um, and with that being said,
like, the first gorilla that came out was, like, a woman,
and I just hit the ground.
I submitted.
And my wife was trying to tape the gorilla.
The flash was on. I hit her. Put the --
Because you're gonna get us attacked.
You're gonna get us killed. You know Harambe?
Remember that white baby that was with Harambe?
Remember that? -Yeah.
-Yeah? I was the white baby.
Like, this is -- I was the white baby. I swear to you.
Because nobody else cared. Everybody else was calm.
But these are, like, gorillas. Real gorillas.
But, apparently, like, they're calm.
I learned so much about gorillas.
Do you know when a gorilla loses a fight --
Do you know what he loses? His family.
You lose your wife and your kids.
All of that goes. If you lose a bat.
Like, if you're in a silverback fight and you lose,
well, your wife and your kids are now my wife and my kids,
and that gorilla has to, like, just be a nomad,
walk off into the jungle.
Dead serious. Now, is it technically a loss?
I don't know. -What are you talking --
What are you talk-- Abso-- -Just listen.
That is abs--
Absolute...
Your wife is watching. You're in big trouble.
-Yeah, but I'm not a silverback.
But if I was...
Would you throw some of those fights or would you...?
[ Laughter ]
-Think he threw the fights?
He threw his fight. "I lost, honey.
What am I supposed to do?"
-So you got to take -- You got to take all of this.
-"You get the kids. Yeah. I'm sorry I lost."
-That's your bill, buddy.
-"What am I supposed to do? I'm a normal gorilla."
-"Alright. I gotta figure it out now."
[ Laughter ]
-I want to say congratulations
because, coming up, you're getting --
You're about to be the recipient of the Mark Twain Prize.
-Yes. -In comedy.
[ Cheers and applause ] Which is a giant honor.
-Yeah. I'm excited. -In D.C.
Dude, you worked hard, man.
I remember you from Comic Strip.
-I am extremely excited, man.
Uh, it's an amazing honor, of course,
to be in that group of talented, uh, comedic personnel.
I mean, it's legends on legends on legends.
So to be in that group is unbelievable.
I think it'll hit me harder when the day actually comes,
you know, you're actually receiving it.
Uh, but just to be mentioned,
just to to be brought up in that conversation is pretty dope.
-It's well-deserved, buddy, -I can't wait.
I'm excited about it. Are you coming?
-I'm busy that -- -What?
-What are you doing? Do you know the actual date?
-No. When is it?
[ Laughter ]
I'd love to make it. -Yeah, but...
-Yeah. I'll Zoom in. I'll Zoom in.
-What do you mean you'll Zoom in?
-I'll FaceTime you. I'll FaceTime you.
-It's a live event.
I want people that were a part of my, like,
growth to be there, like, my success.
-We barely know each other. -What do you mean?!
What are you talk--
This show has been significant in my success.
-We met, like, once, twice. -No, we didn't.
I wonder how many times I've actually been on this show, man.
Like, you've been a part of the rise, as well.
I feel like you should be there.
As a matter of fact, Jimmy, you're invited.
You got a seat? I need you there.
Yeah. I need you there. [ Cheers and applause ]
-I'd love to go. I'd be honored to go.
-You have to. -I have stories.
I've known you for a long time. -No, no.
I don't want you to talk. I just want you to come.
-Oh. -Why did you just assume
I wanted you to give a speech?
-"Ladies and gentlemen, I've known Kevin
for around 20..."
-No, I don't. -"20 years."
-I don't want a speech from you.
-"And when..." -Stop!
-"When I met Kevin for the first time, he was this big."
-No, no. That's -- That's ridiculous.
-And he still is. -"He still is."
-You're gonna get a bunch of that, right?
-I can't wait.
-No. But I've known you for a long time.
-A very long time, man. -Was it Lucien?
-You are honestly one
of my greater friends in this business.
Like, one of the true ones. Like, one of the real good guys.
I mean that. -You're a good guy.
-You always -- You always take care of us.
-I mean it. -You always take care of me.
Let's talk about your movie. -Yes.
Which is why you're here. I got to talk about it, too.
Let's talk about "Lift." -Yes, please.
-It's a big action flick.
You have to take money -- You have to take a lot of money.
It's a heist movie. -Yes.
-But it's set up in the air -40,000 feet in the air.
[Deep voice] I mean, first of all, uh,
when we talk about action, if you don't mind,
I'll change my voice. Um, this is, uh...
-Yeah. You really got your deeper...
-Well, it's just more of a... -Yeah.
You're not laughing. -I'm not laughing at all.
Well, it's a little more -- It's a serious role, Jimmy.
So I think in this case maybe we --
-It's not a serious role. -It's a serious role, Jimmy.
-It's a fun action movie.
-Well, not when you're the action star.
So give me a second.
Um, you know, this is a movie that takes place 40,000 --
-Do you want to talk into this microphone?
-Uh, you know what, Jimmy? I'm glad you said that.
Maybe I should. -Can we put an echo on this?
-[Echoing] Just to give you guys a better detail
of the movie "Lift."
It takes place 40,000 feet in the air,
and it's a heist like no other.
It's one that you need to basically partake in
for the simple task of the adventure
that you did not know you needed.
It's not just me. It's an amazing cast of people.
And this cast, well, they help tell the story of now.
And, boy, oh, boy, I tell you, Jimmy.
What makes me happy is that you, my friend,
will get to see me in a manner
like you've never seen me before.
It's me, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Jet Li.
We're all of the action stars. We have a group chat.
-That's not true. -What are you talking about?
-That is ridiculous. -That's my group chat.
That's my action-star group chat!
Me, Tom cruise, Harrison Ford, Jet Li. We all talk.
-You don't have any of their phone numbers.
-I have every one of their numbers!
-You do not have any one -- -Yes, I do! Yes, I do.
-You barely have The Rock's number.
You barely have The Rock's number.
-First of all -- First of all...
-Barely.
-I say this, and I say it respectfully.
[Bleep] The Rock.
-Oh, my -- You said that resp--
What's respectful about that? What is respectful about that?
-He's not one of us.
He's not one of the real action guys doing his own stunts.
Me, Jackie Chan, Jet Li. -Jackie Chan?
-That's right. We're all the ones doing our own stuff.
-Jackie Chan's on this? -That's right!
-Me and Jackie, we do our own stunts.
Jackie -- I worked with Jackie for two months
before I filmed this movie, and he told me how to do
those jumps and do stuff like, "Ugh, ahh."
-That's ridiculous. That is not "Ugh, ahh."
He didn't tell you that. -Shut up, Jimmy!
You don't know nothing.
[ Cheers and applause ]
-I apologize. I apologize.
-[Normal voice] If I wasn't an action star,
would I be able to sit in a chair like this?
Comedian me... -When I see you,
I go, "Oh, that dude's got to be an action star."
-When I was Kevin coming here promoting comedy movies,
I sat like this.
I was like -- I was like this, right?
And it was fun. It was great.
But now look how I sit in the chair. I don't --
What is this? -Wait, wait. You went -- Wait.
-Look at this. This is action!
-You went back to your old voice.
-Am I -- Did I go back to my old voice?
Did I slip character? -Yes, yes.
You got to go back down.
-Well, my posture is still the same!
-No, it is the same. -This is action stance.
-This is "Lift." And is there anything else you have to say?
I think we set it up perfect. -We did set it up perfect.
-I want to show a clip. This is so fun. Watch this.
Here's Kevin Hart in "Lift." Take a look.
-1-7-5.
♪♪
-Abby! [Shouts]
♪♪
-20 seconds.
♪♪
[ Beeping ]
♪♪
-10 seconds.
[ Engine whines ]
♪♪
-Oh...my...God!
-Yes! It's a big, fun movie! -Yes.
-It's beautifully shot, by the way, too. It's gorgeous.
-That's Gary Gray! -That's Gary Gray.
-That's Gary Gray. -That's Gary Gray.
Kevin Hart, everybody.
"Lift" is streaming now on Netflix.
-We'll be right back with more "Tonight Show."
Stick around, everybody.