Kevin Hart downplayed the seriousness of accident, refused pain meds: 'Every night was a horrible night'
Kevin Hart has “98 percent” recovered from last year’s horrific accident that nearly killed him. The 40-year-old comedian opened up to Joe Rogan about the life changing event, explaining he sees the world “differently” now.
“I saw that light,” Hart said on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Monday. “When you come close to that light — and the light that I’m talking about is death — when you come close to that light… and if you are fortunate enough to come back from that light, you value life differently. There are no bad days for me. There are no bad days for me.”
In September 2019, Hart was a passenger in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when it went off Mulholland Highway and into an embankment near his home in Los Angeles. Hart’s spine had to be fused back together and he told Rogan it’s nearly all metal now.
“This thing that’s my spine has eight screws, and these eight screws now hold it together,” he explained.
Doctors told Hart he likely would have been paralyzed if it weren’t for his physical shape.
“The work that I put into my core and my upper body over the years are what saved me, outside of God of course,” the actor shared. “This health and wellness s*** is so much bigger than what you think it is… you don’t know when all that stuff comes into play.”
Hart continued, “My healing was a lot faster because of the years of work I put into it before. Now, if I didn’t have that core I’d be paralyzed. I’d be f***ing paralyzed.”
The actor lied to his doctors about his pain level because he was eager to begin the recovery process.
“I lied in the hospital because I didn't want them to know that I was having pain because I thought they would stop me from letting me try my walks,” Hart said, adding he felt “defeated a little bit.”
“I was a stubborn man,” Hart admitted. He ended up only using a walker for about two-and-a-half weeks. “I should have had the walker. I am giving the perception that it’s better than what it is.”
Hart even refused pain medication given his father’s history with drugs.
“I stopped f***ing taking meds. So every night was a horrible night,” he recalled. “Every night.”
Hart said he had the “biggest cry” he’s ever had in his life when he returned home from the hospital. The actor realized how close he came to “never seeing my wife and my kids again.”
“I know how fortunate I am to be taking these steps,” Hart declared. When Rogan asked if he’s struggling to balance family and his busy career, Hart replied, “Not after that f***ing accident.”
“That accident was the best eye-opening experience ever,” Hart said. “I was married to my career and dating my family.”
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