Kevin Hart wants people to know that some of the stories of his height have been greatly exaggerated.
The actor appeared on Sunday night’s edition of CBS‘ 60 Minutes, where he spoke with Anderson Cooper and set the record straight. Cooper noted that GQ reported his height as 5-foot-5, while The Los Angeles Times put it at 5-foot-4. “And some other place said you were 5’2″,” Cooper added.
“Well, that place is bullshit,” Hart joked. “GQ finally got it right. [I’m] 5-foot-5, like with a shoe on, like a sneaker. Now, if I put a boot on, I can get to 5’5″ and a half.”
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Hart, who talks about his short stature in his stand-up comedy routine, explained why he’s been incorporating those jokes for more than 20 years.
“It’s talking about the things that you aren’t afraid to laugh at about yourself,” he said. “I’m really confident that the laugh that I’m getting, you’re not laughing necessarily at me as if I’m a joke. You’re laughing at the experience. I’m giving you an experience through a story that is relatable. And more importantly, I’m saying things that other people just don’t have the heart to say.”
Cooper asked Hart if he’s a billionaire yet, to which the actor-comedian quipped in response: “None of your business. Man, are you trying to get me robbed?”
Pressed about whether he will be a billionaire, Hart turned serious: “I mean, hopefully, and even if I don’t or if I’m not, I think the better side to what I’ve done is create what can become the new norm for other people in the business of funny, for other people in the business of entertainment, right? Not just being a part of the business, but learning and understanding how to be the business.”
Cooper also asked Hart about the 2018-19 controversy in which he was selected to host the Oscars ceremony but was forced to step down when homophobic comments he’d made on social media and in his stand-up act in the past resurfaced. These included: “I’m not homophobic. I have nothing against gay people. Be happy. Do what you want to do. But me, as a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”
Hart didn’t apologize at first, but later reversed course. On 60 Minutes, he reiterated past comments he’s made about how Wanda Sykes helped him realize the impact of his words.
“Later on, the understanding came from the best light bulb ever,” Hart told Cooper. “Wanda Sykes said, ‘There’s people that are being hurt today because of comments like the ones that you made then, and there’s people that were saying it’s OK to make those comments today based off of what you did.’ It was presented to me in a way where I couldn’t ignore that.”
He said it was a lesson he took to heart.
“In those moments of despair, great understanding and education can come out of it if you’re given the opportunity,” he added.
