Kevin Hart says recovery from car crash is 'humbling': 'You really are helpless'

Taryn Ryder
Updated

Kevin Hart is getting back to work after his terrifying car crash. The 40-year-old comedian addressed the incident for the first time in detail on his SiriusXM radio show Laugh Out Loud calling the accident a life "altering" event.

"For me, I'm a different version of myself," he said, according to E! News. "This ain't got nothing to do about going to church… It's not spiritual, spiritual is the wrong word. You're more present. More aware… It's all a joke until you get smacked with that real-life reality."

On September 1, Hart was a passenger in his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when it crashed through fencing off Mulholland Highway in Calabasas, Calif., and into an embankment. He was hospitalized with "major" back injuries, undergoing surgery where he had his spine fused back together in three places. He started intense physical therapy upon his release. Hart called the recovery process "humbling," with wife Eniko Parrish having to help him round the clock.

"I could not f***ing move," he explained. "I could not wipe my ass… I literally I couldn't do none of that." He added, "It makes you realize… you really are helpless. There was nothing I could do."

Hart said the nearly fatal crash put into perspective who his real friends are, as he had lots of "weird" celebrities send him gifts.

"I had a lot of people send me stuff, flowers, cards… I'm not throwing nobody under the bus. There was one person where I was like, that's crazy… [the gift was normal but] the person was a weird person," he shared without going into specifics.

On Sunday, Hart made his first official public appearance at the E! 2019 People's Choice Awards where he was honored with the Comedy Act of 2019 award.

"First and foremost, thank God, because I definitely don’t have to be here," he began. "Being that I am, it makes me appreciate life even more. It makes me appreciate the things that really matter: family. I want to thank my wife, my kids, who really stepped up to the plate for me."

Hart and Parrish share son Kenzo, 2. He is also father to son Hendrix, 12, and 14-year-old daughter Heaven from a previous marriage. Last month, the Jumanji: The Next Level star shared a glimpse into his grueling recovery process on social media. At one point, a doctor tells the actor it will take about a year to be fully healed.

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