Kevin Hart on Not Remembering Car Wreck, His Recovery and Anti-Gay ‘F–k Up’

Kevin Hart is opening up about the road to recovery after his near fatal accident last September.

During an interview with Men’s Health, the Hollywood heavy hitter says he can’t remember what happened when the 1970 Plymouth Barracuda crashed off the side of the road in Malibu.

“I can’t tell you nothing about it. Isn’t that scary? The first thing I remember is being in the ambulance with my wife,” the 40-year-old father-of-three admitted.

Benedict Evans for Men’s Health

The “Ride Along” actor is on his way to a full recovery and says his “second chance” at life is helping him become a better person.

“It’s a resurrection. That’s the best way for me to put it. I feel like the other version of myself died in that moment and this new version was born to understand and to do better,” he explained, adding, “Sometimes you’re not going to get it when you’re supposed to get it. But when it comes and that light bulb goes off, holy f–k.”

Lying in the hospital bed after the crash — unable to move for the first few days — helped the star reflect on what is important in his life, according to Hart.

“It’s not fame. It’s not money. It’s not jewelry, cars, or watches. What matters are relationships. You know, the people that were helping me get up and out of the bed. The biggest realization came from something somebody told me. You can’t be married to your career and date your family. That blew me the f–k away.”

Now he is more committed to his family, where he enjoys “sitting with the kids before and after dinner” and taking the dog for a walk. His wife, Eniko, has noticed a transformation as well.

“There were times where he was here but not really here. Not to say he wasn’t a family man before, but he’s expressed that the accident made him make up for some of the time missed because of work,” the former model, 35, divulged.

Even his “Jumanji” co-stars realize the changes in the comedian with The Rock saying, “When someone stares death in the eyes – and lives – you instantly become newly informed on just how fragile life is,” while Jack Black admitted, “I visited him a few weeks after the accident, and he seemed to be coming from a different place emotionally and spiritually.”

In figuring out how to be the best version of himself after the accident, Hart is focusing on owning his mistakes.

“I’m a firm believer in laying in the bed that you made. If there’s something that you did, then you did it. You know, there’s no wiggle room around it. You can address it, and then you can move on.”

This new outlook has made him reassess last year’s Oscar controversy when he stepped down from hosting the event after his past anti-gay tweets surfaced, including calling someone a “fat f-g,” saying a person looked like “a gay bill board for AIDS” and a joke about him breaking a dollhouse over his son’s head after telling him to “stop acting gay.”

“With the whole Oscars thing, there was a big gap between what I thought the problem was versus what the problem really was,” Hart said.

Benedict Evans for Men’s Health

It took conversations with his celebrity confidants to point out his apology never included him understanding why he was wrong and that he should have condemned any violence against someone for being gay.

“It wasn’t until close friends like Wanda Sykes, Lee Daniels, and Ellen [DeGeneres] talked to me and explained what they didn’t hear me say that I understood. Then I was like, ‘Oh, shit — I did f–k up.'”

“I don’t care if you’re gay or not gay. I’m a people person. I’m going to love you regardless,” he added.

The March issue of Men’s Health hits stands on February 11.

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