Watch Jay Pharoah do a Kevin Hart impersonation on the Netflix Roast red carpet
Ahead of Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart,” Jay Pharoah shares his best Kevin Hart roasts and impressions with USA TODAY.
LOS ANGELES — On Sunday, May 10, it was a battle of the worlds with Kevin Hart on Netflix’s “The Roast of Kevin Hart.” There was no clear winner.
The 46-year-old “Jumanji” star endured all sorts of abuse at the Kia Forum event hosted by Shane Gillis and featuring a roster that included Chelsea Handler, Pete Davidson, Jeff Ross, Tony Hinchcliffe, NBA stars Draymond Green and The Rock.
Tom Brady, who was hosted by Hart on 2024’s “The Greatest Roast of All Time: The Roast of Tom Brady,” returned with a surprise cameo and returned the favor in MVP style. But Brady wisely left the arena before the fireworks were broadcast live to the world on Netflix.
Evenly hand roasted was not safe at all to work with. But here are the best shots provided (and printable) by Hart during the roughly 3-hour marathon of abuse.
Host Shane Gillis criticizes Kevin Hart’s movies and height
Hart’s penchant for producing substandard comedies for paychecks was frequently discussed.
“We’re all here to honor Kevin Hart, and what better way to do that than by pretending to be getting paid and having fun,” Gillis said. “Every time you watch Kevin’s film, you say, ‘I see where this is staying.'”
Gillis mentioned Hart’s height (also frequently discussed), believed to be around 5 feet 2 inches (with shoes on).
“Not many people know this, but Kevin has a 44-inch vertical jump. I know that because he can kiss my wife on the lips,” Gillis said.
‘Roastmaster General’ Jeff Ross talks about height issues and bad movies
Ross, known as Roast’s “Roastmaster General,” appeared on stage wearing the famous red leather outfit from Eddie Murphy’s “Delirious.”
“Tonight, I’m dressed like your idol, Eddie Murphy, because he’s not coming. Your idol won’t say (bad) things about you,” Ross said. “Everyone is here for you. For a guy who just needs one pallbearer, there are probably plenty of options.”
Ross gave the film a jab by tying it in with personal shots about Hart’s childhood.
“I mean, how can you not love Kevin Hart? I don’t know, you have to ask his father,” Ross said. “Kevin, your dad kicked you out, and it was terrible. And I went to see one of your movies, and I kicked you out too.”
Of course, there were jokes about height.
“Kevin Hart flies privately all the time. It’s a waste of legroom,” Ross said. “Kevin, everyone makes fun of you for being short. But you know who else was short? Prince. Prince was 5 feet 2 inches. But Prince was great, so we don’t talk about it.”
Ross, who was diagnosed with colon cancer after her first colonoscopy in her 50s, thanked Hart for saving her life.
“At the last roast, you said, ‘Every time you look at me, I feel worse and worse.’ We all laughed, and it hurt. But you inspired me to get my first colonoscopy, and that cancer test was more fun than any test you’ve invited me to have,” Ross said. “They found a stage 3 tumor in my colon. Luckily, like you, Kevin, the tumor stopped growing. So thank you, little buddy, for saving my life.”
Chelsea Handler apologizes for discovering Kevin Hart
Handler stayed on the subject of colonoscopies and credited the young comedian with finding Heart by having him appear on his talk show, “Chelsea Lately.”
“People think Kevin was discovered during The Rock’s colonoscopy, but that’s not true,” Handler said. “I was one of the first people to offer Kevin the comedy opportunity to appear weekly on Chelsea Lately. Little did I know that he would end up doing three Jumanji movies and two Ride Along movies.”
“I came here to apologize,” she added.
In another corner, Handler mentioned Hart’s 2013 DUI arrest and 2019 Los Angeles car crash.
“Kevin had a DUI in 2013 and a minor DUI on Mulholland Drive in 2019,” Handler said. “And he even has the guts to call one of his movies ‘Ride Along.’ Even Tiger Woods is like, ‘No, I walk.'”
Pete Davidson takes a jab to Hart.
Former “SNL” star Pete Davidson was kind to Hart, saying the comedy star “will be remembered.” But he also took some licks by comparing Hart’s height to NBA star Green.
“Kevin is like a Draymond Green Funko Pop,” Davidson said.
Regina Hall talks to Kevin Hart’s dead mother from stage
Actress Regina Hall, who has known Hart for 20 years, said, “I’ve seen all of his movies, and yet I’m still here tonight.”
Hall said she still keeps in touch with Hart’s late mother, Nancy Hart. Hall sent a message from beyond to his son and everyone on stage.
“Kevin, she said she misses your movies. Movies don’t go to heaven, because that’s heaven,” Hall said. “But she said your father was having fun over there.”
After hitting everyone with thorns, Hall returned to Hart.
“The last thing Ms. Nancy says is, ‘Thank you for coming here to celebrate with my son,'” Hall said. “She said, ‘I love you, Kevin Hart. Enjoy your big night. And now I have to get back to[late actor]Michael Clarke Duncan.’
The Rock appears last. “Daddy is finally home!”
Venus and Serena Williams were introduced, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made a surprise appearance. He completely destroyed the house.
“We have ‘Franchise Viagra’ in the house,” Johnson said after Brady, openly berating Hart’s wife, Eniko, who was in the audience. “Now this roast will last me all night. Stay strong, Netflix.
“Actually, I’m here because someone needs to chew up Kevin’s food and spit it in his mouth, right? My little chocolate chick?” Johnson said. He added: “Hello Kevin, shut up.”
Johnson said he loved Hart so much that he had a tattoo of one of his frequent collaborators on his groin.
Johnson offered to show Hart, “This is life-sized, too,” but Hart refused. “Eniko, I’ll show you later. Just kidding. She already saw it.”
