Kevin Hart says he was not honest with doctors after the 2019 car accident that left him partially paralyzed for some time.
The actor and comedian was a guest on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Monday, where he talked about his excruciating recovery after he suffered devastating injuries when his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda went off Mulholland Highway and rolled down an embankment near Calabasas, Calif.
Hart told Rogan that his entire spine is essentially metal now because so many vertebrae were damaged. What’s more, he was told that had he not been in such good physical shape when he was injured, he would likely have been paralyzed for life.
Doctors explained to Hart he could make a full recovery, but he needed to have patience, which he said was something of a problem because his motivation to heal led him to conceal his pain, Hart told Rogan.
“I lied in the hospital because I didn’t want them to know that I was having pain, because I thought they would stop letting me try my walks,” he said, adding that he refused all pain medication due to the fact his father was a drug addict. “Every night was a horrible night.”
After nearly three weeks, Hart said, he was moving without a walker, but he was pushing it too much.
“I should have had the walker, but I am giving the perception that it was better than it was,” he said. “I had the back brace on. I don’t want you to worry. I don’t want the worry placed on anybody else.”
Hart said he is “98 percent” physically recovered but changed forever in that his family is now No.1 in his life and his career is second, explaining his film shoots and stand-up tours are now scheduled to allow more time with his wife and kids.
Watch the entire segment below.
