Kevin Hart, the 46-year-old comedian, has shared his thoughts on the tradition of celebrity roasts and which stars should never be the target. Following his recent experience during Netflix’s Roast of Kevin Hart, where he was subjected to a three-hour barrage of jokes from fellow A-listers, Hart reflected on the practice during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Hart emphasized that anyone who steps up to be roasted must be “brave enough” and a “real big name.” When Kimmel asked if he could imagine Oprah Winfrey as the subject of a roast, Hart was visibly taken aback, shaking his head and laughing as the audience erupted in amusement.
Kimmel quipped, “Would that be unacceptable? That’d be like spray painting the Sistine Chapel?” Hart responded with a mix of disbelief and humor, saying, “If I found out that Oprah said she wanted to do it, I’m driving 100 miles per hour to Oprah’s house.” He added that he would tell the media mogul, “You cannot do this. No shot.”
During the Netflix Is a Joke Festival, Hart faced a brutal roast that saw him targeted by celebrities such as Chelsea Handler, Pete Davidson, and Katt Williams. The event also featured surprise appearances from Dwayne Johnson and Tom Brady, who had previously been the subject of a Netflix roast hosted by Hart in 2024.
Hart admitted to Kimmel that some of the jokes hurt, particularly one from Johnson about his late father, Henry Robert Witherspoon. Hart recalled how Johnson showed a picture of his own father, Rocky Johnson, who was “in shape, you know, coming from the gym,” and then compared it to a photo of Hart’s father, which Hart described as “the worst picture of my father I’ve ever seen.”
“I think the one that caught me off guard, Dwayne,” Hart said. “Dwayne had the picture of my father and he had a mug shot of my dad and he goes, ‘Look at my dad. Kev, we both love our dads.’”
Despite the personal nature of some jokes, Hart maintained a positive outlook. He stated, “Anything done with the effort of giving a laugh, I’m always going to give it the benefit of the doubt. All the stuff said about me, you know, I’m like, look, it is what it is. They’re jokes at the end of the day.”
The event highlighted the unique dynamics of celebrity roasts, where even the most respected figures can become the butt of the joke. It also underscored the importance of knowing when not to cross certain lines, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like family.
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