What happened
Comedian Kevin Hart was awarded the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He was toasted and roasted by Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, and Hart's mentor Keith Robinson, among others.
The commentary
Hart, 44, is the 25th recipient of the prize, widely considered a "lifetime achievement award in comedy," The New York Times said. Hart is one of the most successful touring comedians and his films have grossed $4.23 billion, but he has also "created an empire of commerce," The Washington Post said, including restaurants, a tequila brand and an investment firm.
Who said what
Rock joked that his favorite Hart movie is "The Upside" because "he had to act like he had less money than Bryan Cranston." Chapelle said he would never have played arenas if he hadn't seen Hart do it first. "You made me dream bigger, and you're younger than me — it's humiliating."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
The ceremony will stream on Netflix starting May 11.
-
Margaret Atwood’s memoir, intergenerational trauma and the fight to make spousal rape a crime: Welcome to November booksThe Week Recommends This month's new releases include ‘Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts’ by Margaret Atwood, ‘Cursed Daughters’ by Oyinkan Braithwaite and 'Without Consent' by Sarah Weinman
-
‘Tariffs are making daily life less affordable now’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Out of office: microretirement is trending in the workplaceThe explainer Long vacations are the new way to beat burnout
-
Rosalía and the rise of nunmaniaUnder The Radar It may just be a ‘seasonal spike’ but Spain is ‘enthralled’ with all things nun
-
To the point: the gender divide over exclamation marksTalking Point ‘Men harbouring urges to be more exclamative’ can finally take a breath – this is what using the punctuation really conveys
-
The 8 best dark comedies of the 21st centuryThe Week Recommends From Santa Claus to suicide terrorism, these movies skewered big, taboo subjects
-
8 of the best horror comedy films of all timeThe Week Recommends From parodies to ‘requels,’ these movies will make you laugh and scream at the same time
-
Leonard and Hungry Paul: ‘beautiful, heartfelt’ televisionThe Week Recommends Julia Roberts narrates this ‘charming’ and ‘unexpectedly profound’ adaptation of Rónán Hession’s novel
-
I Swear: a ‘warm-hearted’ comedy-dramaThe Week Recommends While ‘inescapably hilarious’, the drama also lifts the lid on John Davidson’s experiences with Tourette syndrome
-
Is The Inbetweeners reboot a good idea?Talking Point The cult classic sitcom is set to return over a decade after its final episode – but not everyone is happy
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
