Watch Kevin Hart Get A Standing Ovation In First Appearance Since Car Accident

Kevin Hart in The Upside

On September 1, comedy star Kevin Hart was caught in a car accident that resulted in him suffering major back injuries. Fortunately, Hart has been on the mend since then, and last night he made his first public appearance since the accident at the E! People’s Choice Awards and was treated to a standing ovation. Take a look!

Okay, it’s important to clarify that the reason for the applause is twofold; in addition to this being Kevin Hart’s return to the public stage (figuratively and literally) since being badly hurt, he also won Comedy Act of 2019 for his Irresponsible standup tour. After walking out on stage to Kanye West’s “Stronger” and accepting the award, Hart acknowledged how he didn’t have to be at the People’s Choice Awards, but being there, he appreciated life even more, not to mention the other things that “truly matter,” like his family.

Kevin Hart also thanked both the People’s Choice Award for giving him this honor and the people themselves, as their energy and support means a lot to him, especially as he still recovers from the car crash. Hart capped off his speech by saying that this award, and all the other ones he’s received, are special and he doesn’t take them for granted, and then he bid adieu to everyone watching both at the event and watching from afar.

Although Kevin Hart had previously posted on social media about his accident and the aftermath, seeing him in front of cameras certainly reaffirms that his recovery is going well, even if he isn’t at 100% just yet. It was previously reported that Hart had aimed to take part in a marketing campaign for his next movie, Jumanji: The Next Level, following the accident, and if he was able to also appear at the People’s Choice Awards, then perhaps we’ll be seeing more of him as The Next Level starts making the press rounds.

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Kevin Hart was sitting in the passenger seat of his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda when the driver lost control on September 1 at around 12:45 a.m. Hart reportedly fractured his spine in three places and required him to undergo surgery. He left the hospital after 10 days and immediately began physical therapy, and clearly it’s been paying off.

He’s also received a lot of support and love over the last two months, including from a few of his Jumanji costars. Nick Jonas recently mentioned how he’s relieved to hear that Kevin Hart’s doing okay, and shortly after Hart was admitted to the hospital, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson cut short his honeymoon so he could appear on The Kelly Clarkson Show in Hart’s place, though that didn’t stop him from poking fun at his frequent collaborator.

Obviously due to the injuries he sustained and needing the proper amount of time to heal, some of Kevin Hart’s projects needed to be put on hold, but going off his People’s Choice Award appearance, it seems like he’s on the road to a full recovery. Rest assured, we’ll keep you updated on more news concerning Hart and what he plans to tackle next once he decides he’s ready to work again.

Kevin Hart can be seen on the big screen next in Jumanji: The Next Level, which opens on December 13. If you’re looking for a different kind of cinematic flavor, look through our 2019 release schedule and 2020 release schedule to plan your visits to the theater in the near future accordingly.

Adam Holmes
Senior Content Producer

Connoisseur of Marvel, DC, Star Wars, John Wick, MonsterVerse and Doctor Who lore, Adam is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He started working for the site back in late 2014 writing exclusively comic book movie and TV-related articles, and along with branching out into other genres, he also made the jump to editing. Along with his writing and editing duties, as well as interviewing creative talent from time to time, he also oversees the assignment of movie-related features. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Journalism, and he’s been sourced numerous times on Wikipedia. He's aware he looks like Harry Potter and Clark Kent.