Trying to figure out the key to happiness? Kevin Hart’s got all the answers!
It’s no surprise that the new face of romantic comedies right now may be able to offer up a few laughs on love, but who knew he could provide a lesson on the matter too?
Kevin Hart is the happiest he’s ever been nowadays, and aside from his thriving career, he attributes the joy in his life to his family, which includes two beautiful children from his previous marriage, and his current relationship with Eniko Parrish.
But things haven’t always been this way for the new “King” of comedy. Kevin can admit that he wasn’t the biggest fan of himself in his last marriage, but he has learned from his numerous mistakes, which helped him be a better man. He’s also very good friends with his ex-wife and very supportive of her future in reality TV.
We recently caught up with Kevin Hart on Valentine’s Day, and all of the punchlines went out of the window as he got serious about finding the “one,” the greatest lesson he’s learned about love, and the advice he’d give his 18-year-old self.
Peep the interview below:
What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned about love from your past relationships or your relationship now?
I think every relationship that you have is basically a stepping stone for what you’re going to do in the future. You know, everything that doesn’t go right becomes a learning experience. I’ve had relationships that haven’t been right; I’ve had some that have. Ultimately, what I’ve done is take the good from those situations and applied them to myself. Some of the bad had to do with me, so I had to change myself. But it’s all about growth. So I think within my personal situation, I’ve grown from them and right now I’ve applied the things that I’ve learned from them to my new relationship, that’s going well. And I can honestly say that I’m in a different place mentally than I was before, which is probably why my relationship [now] is going well. I’m an adult. I’m a grown ass man.
I know that’s right! You’ve always been really humble when you talked about your past relationship and I even read an article once that you said stepping out on your marriage made you a better man. Do you care to explain that?
When I say ‘make me a better man,’ [I mean] I didn’t respect the title of marriage. I got married young, and sometimes when you do things young, you act immature. You act accordingly to the young situation that you jumped into. So I was all over the place. Mentally I wasn’t ready. And I guess you could say my maturity level was nowhere near where it was supposed to be at the time. So going through those problems and doing the things that I did and arguing the way that we argued basically made me shine the light on myself and I stepped out of that situation because I didn’t like the man that I became. And I didn’t want to prevent her from doing what she wanted to do in life, which is move on and go onwards and upwards.
At the end of the day, you gotta realize that sometimes people just aren’t meant to be together and you find that out differently. But you know, I think the good thing about me and my ex-wife [Torrei] is- I love the fact that [she] is the mother of my kids. I wouldn’t ask for a better person to do it. She gave me two amazing kids and because of that, that’s [her] invaluable purpose to our relationship and in our life.
So from this day on, we’re in each others’ lives. We’re friends. We’re [amicable]. It’s not a thing where we don’t get along or we’re fighting all the time. We’re good.
You have ‘House Husbands of Hollywood’ and it’s been confirmed that your ex is going to do an ‘Atlanta Exes’ show. What were your thoughts on her doing the show?
I don’t have thoughts about her doing the show. She’s grown. She’s pursuing whatever it is she wants to pursue in her career. At the end of the day, that’s her individual journey. It’s not my job to knock her down or go against it. I basically say ‘Do what you do. Do it to the best of your ability. At the end of the day, you have to walk in your shoes and be happy with what you do, regardless of my opinion or anybody else.’ So I support her in my own right. As the father of her kids, I make sure that my kids are stable and that they’re cool and I do my job. She’s out there now trying to pursue her [life].
I read somewhere as well that you mentioned admiring Bill Cosby and his “my wife is the boss” approach to love and marriage. Is it safe to say that Eniko is your boss?
[laughs] Is my what?
Is your boss?!
Ah man. She’s got me pretty good. She’s got me pretty good. I can’t even lie. Right now- possibly [laughs].
You also did mention that she’s marriage material. So for us single ladies looking for a romantic and handsome catch like yourself, what makes her, or any other woman in your point of view, “marriage material”?
Well you know what? When I say that, a woman that comes into a situation- I mean, we had a lot of time in. We had a lot of time in to where we are- you know, we know each other, we’ve grown with each other. Through some of my darkest days, she was there. And the thing that makes me laugh most is, people assume that they know you and they know your life. In the public eye they all:
‘Oh my God. He walked out on his wife and got with this woman.. I can’t believe he got with this girl. She ain’t there for you. You don’t even know that girl. His wife was faithful to him.’
To be honest with you, me and my ex-wife, we had our problems. We had REAL problems. So we both walked away from that. And we’re happy that we did and we’re in a better space.
After that, I found somebody who put a smile on my face. I found somebody who genuinely made me happy. Which people don’t realize is not an easy task. You know, the word ‘happy’ is a strong word. I’m not talking about facilitating happiness, I’m talking about genuinely making me happy. And she does that. Eniko is a strong woman in my life. Not [just] in the way she embraces me but from the way that- in the beginning of our relationship, for years I kept my kids away from what we were doing until I felt [they] were ready and when I finally did [put her around my kids] she embraced that as well. And the way that she stepped up to the plate and just accepted me for who I am, accepted me as a man coming in with kids and not even blinking an eye. I think she’s shown that she’s a woman who has my back. And that’s what you want when you’re in the position that I’m in and you’re in the entertainment business. Everybody’s going to question everything you do. Everybody’s going to question everything you say, but you have to come to a strong decision of what’s right and what’s wrong. And right now, the one thing I can say is right is having that woman in my life.
From the outside looking in, you seem extremely busy and most people use that as an excuse to why they can’t handle a relationship. How is it possible that you’re able to find balance between career and relationships?
That comes with prioritizing. You gotta understand what’s important to you. What you want to do. You can always make time for what you want to make time for. I make time for my kids. I make time for my lady. At the same time I stay driven. I stay motivated.
You mentioned praying or talking to your mother before shows. Your mother whom you lost a few years ago. Do you ever struggle with being at the highest point of your career and not having one of the most important people in your life by you or does prayer help you through it?
I never struggle. At the end of the day, that’s my mother. That’s my angel. She is not here, but she is here. She is not here physically but she’s here spiritually. I got an angel over my back. I believe everything that happens, happens for a reason. And that’s my guidance counselor. I’m able to maintain this and have a humble outlook on it for a reason. My upbringing. I love my mom to death you know, she’s in a better place.
If you could go back in time and tell your 18-year-old self something, what would you tell him?
I would tell myself that you don’t have to rush. Patience is… a virtue. A lot of people don’t understand that. Patience is something people need to actually spend more time, I guess you could say ‘addressing.’ Because when you’re patient about any decision that you make in your life, nine times out of 10, it’s going to be a great decision. I’m in no rush. That’s what I was talking about. In time, everything will pan out.
True Story!
A little sidenote: Kevin’s voice changed during the interview when he started talking about his girlfriend. It was soo adorable.
This weekend, Kevin proved that he can rake in big numbers, when his newest romantic comedy “About Last Night” raked in $30 million at the box office. Congrats to the cast!
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