November 10, 2022
It's hard to imagine reflecting on a potentially near-death experience as a child and laughing about it years later, but if anyone has the ability to extract humor out of a gunpoint robbery, it's Kevin Hart.
The 43-year-old comedian often jokes about his upbringing in North Philadelphia, but Hart recently shared an unnerving story about a man pulling a gun on his mother.
During an appearance on the "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast, hosted by Philly hip hop veteran Gillie Da King and influencer Wallo267, Hart managed to recount what happened with a smile. It's unclear exactly when the robbery occurred, but Hart was still a boy at the time.
Hart and his mom, Nancy, were returning home from a trip to the laundromat near 15th Street and Erie Avenue. Hart was pushing a cart full of clothing. As the pair walked up Carlisle Street, a side street between Erie Avenue and West Butler Street, a half block west of Broad Street, an armed man approached Hart's mom and demanded money from a fanny pack she was wearing. She refused to give it up.
Here's the clip from the podcast (Note: the video contains explicit language).
Kevin hart telling Wallo & gillie about the time he & his mom got robbed is hilarious 😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/RIVIQERpsy
— Shannonnn sharpes Burner (PARODY Account) (@shannonsharpeee) November 7, 2022
"Swear to God, hand on the Bible, my mom said, 'No,'" Hart said of his mother's reaction to the robber's demand. "(The robber) said, 'You think I'm f***ing playing with you? Give that s*** up.' My mom was like, 'It's nothing in it. No!'"
Hart said he stood frozen during the encounter. The robber snatched the fanny pack from his mom, only to find no money in it.
"My mom had a bunch of tokens in there. Guy gets mad, he throws it at my mom, 'Broke b****,'" Hart said, breaking down in laughter as he recalled the robber's insult. The man then threw the fanny pack back at Hart's mom and left.
The incident gives chilling insight into the environment in which Hart grew up, but it's also a testament to his mother's strength. Nancy Hart was a systems analyst for the Office of Student Registration and Financial Services at the University of Pennsylvania. She raised Hart and his older brother, Robert, largely on her own. Hart's dad was absent for most of his childhood and struggled with drug addiction.
On the podcast, Hart explained that his mom, who died of ovarian cancer in 2007, was a strict disciplinarian and made sure that he was enrolled in school activities. Hart played basketball growing up and swam as part of a program with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.
"My mom made sure that I didn't have any free hours, so from 8 a.m. in school to 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. at night, I had s*** to do," Hart said.
Hart's older brother had been given more freedom growing up, and wound up in and out of jail for selling drugs. Hart explained that his mom didn't want to see her younger son fall into the same circles.
"It was extremely important. I mean, you're in the inner city. In any environment — hood, no hood — kids without activities have nothing but time on their hands," Hart said. "When you have nothing but time on your hands, that's when you get stupid."
After the attempted robbery, Hart said the experience affected how he walked around that area of North Philadelphia.
"We almost died! In my mind, it was going down!" Hart said.
As far as Hart remembers, his mom moved on from the incident immediately. She picked up the fanny pack and they went home.
"My mom was like, 'I don't give a f***. I ain't got time for this mess,'" Hart said. "She was so OK with the environment of what she sees on a day-to-day. That had no relevancy. It didn't matter. We didn't talk about it."
All these years later, Hart has a mural up on the wall of Max's Cheesesteaks along Germantown and Erie avenues. But even to this day, when he visits Philadelphia, Hart said he tends to avoid Carlisle Street. Gillie Da King recalled the street being a place where people were frequently robbed after leaving a recording studio on North Broad Street.
Last month, Hart mourned the loss of his father, Henry Witherspoon, who died at 73. Witherspoon had cleaned his life up, and the family had gotten closer as Hart made an effort to share his success and give his dad a chance to build relationships with his grandchildren.
Hart's fictionalized Netflix drama, "True Story," which came out a year ago, dealt with themes of trouble at home in Philadelphia. Those stories were made up, but Hart's recollection of what happened to his mom shows where some of the inspiration for the miniseries originated.
During an interview with Oprah in 2020, Hart shared the way his mom supported him when he wanted to pursue the life of a comedian. Hart had a rough go of it coming up in Philadelphia's comedy scene. On the podcast, he explained that many of the audiences at amateur shows wanted to see stand-ups fail.
Hart was having difficulty paying his rent at the time, and his mom offered to cover his expenses for a year to help him get on his feet. But Hart couldn't seem to get ahold of the checks his mom had written him.
"I haven't paid my rent in like a month," Hart told Oprah. "'I'm like Mom, the rent. Where's the rent at?'"
Every time Hart asked, his mom would reply, "Have you been reading your Bible?"
This continued for months until Hart got an eviction notice. His mom, responding to Hart's panic, again asked him whether he'd looked in his Bible. When he picked up the book, Hart said six months worth of rent checks fell out.
The full "Million Dollaz Worth of Game" podcast puts a lot of focus on Hart's relationship with Philadelphia and is worth watching in full.
