Kevin Hart Opens Up About His Difficult Recovery After Horrible Car Accident

Source: Twitter

Kevin Hart appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast earlier this week, and during the two-hour discussion, the Jumanji: The Next Level star opened up about his horrific 2019 car accident and the difficult recovery that followed.

The 40-year-old actor and comedian revealed that he kept his pain a secret from his doctors and he refused pain medication. After he broke his back, Hart says he saw his recovery as a competition and a way to challenge himself.

“I lied in the hospital because I didn’t want them to know that I was having pain because I thought they would stop letting me try my walks,” explained Hart, adding that he was up and walking within two weeks of leaving the hospital. “I dealt with the pain. Every night was a horrible night.”

Hart admitted that he should have used a walker, but he wanted to give the perception that things were better than they were. He said he was wearing a back brace, and he didn’t want anyone else to worry about his condition.

He explained that the “dopest thing” about the experience was not being able to walk, but doctors telling him that if he was patient he could recover fully and get back to being himself. But, Hart says that he immediately started to think about how he could work towards being better than he was before.

“If I can keep beating myself, then that means I’m in a battle with the only person I really want to f–– beat and that’s me. I don’t care about anybody else. I’m in this amazing Rocky story with myself,” said Hart.

Hart said that he fractured his spine in the accident and doctors had to fuse it. Now, he has metal in his back, and his recovery is all about his back being comfortable with the metal, but also getting back to normal flexibility.

Kevin Hart says that he is currently 98 percent recovered, and that’s because he went to work and started physical therapy as soon as he got out of the hospital. The actor explained that he didn’t take days off, and his fitness plan helped him recover quickly.

Hart says that if he didn’t have that core, he’d be paralyzed. He also revealed that the doctor looked him in the eyes and told him that he was lucky to be walking.

“There are no bad days for me,” said Hart. “My biggest cry in life came from the first day I came home from the hospital. Because there was an option of me never seeing that house again. There was an option of me never seeing my wife and my kids. I have no reason to be angry because I don’t have to be here.”

You can see Joe Rogan’s complete interview with Kevin Hart in the video above.