Kevin Hart Addresses LGBTQ Controversy That Cost Him Oscars Hosting Gig & Katt Williams' Criticism

On his business-side success:

“That’s the business. The business of return. Sometimes people don’t respect the ROI—the return on investment. I’m a secure investment.”

On the debate between his commercial clout vs. skill and craft:

“I do know what I’ve done for the craft of comedy. By that I mean I’ve changed the business of stand-up comedy. Whether you’re a fan or not, you have to respect what I’ve done. Point-blank. Because you don’t do it by accident—and you don’t stay here by accident.”

On reviewing a recent standup show:

“That was a tight 59 minutes. I’m going to get to an hour straight. I’m going to move three to four things, where I want to hear the laughter be as loud as it is in other places. I should be able to feel the laughter from the top to the bottom. It’s fun, it’s fun, it’s fun, it’s fun. People look up? It’s been an hour, but it didn’t feel like it.”

On the themes of the act he’s refining now:

“My transition as a father, my hope for family growth and gain, the idea of old age.”

On his stature:

“In the beginning, I was tall. Then people started to shoot past me. That’s when I was like, Oh, sh-t, this is my reality.”