- Kevin Hart, the world’s highest-paid comic in 2024, says a key to success is studying to embrace rejection and failure. In an interview with Fortune, the entertainer and entrepreneur mirrored on the occasions the place he was instructed “no” in his profession, and the way he used that as a instrument to develop.
Kevin Hart is aware of a factor or two about success. He has over 177 million followers on Instagram. His leisure firm, Hartbeat, was valued at $650 million final yr. And in response to Forbes, Kevin Hart made $81 million in 2024, making him the world’s highest-paid comic—in addition to the third-highest paid entertainer, pulling in additional than Hollywood icons like Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
In an interview with Fortune, Hart stated a key motive behind his success is his potential to study from his failures—and to “embrace” rejection.
Regardless of Hart’s many hits on the field workplace—movies the place he is a number one actor have grossed over $1.08 billion worldwide; that quantity exceeds $3.6 billion in the event you embrace his supporting roles—his street to success was marked by a number of notable rejections.
“I can’t narrow it down to one,” Hart instructed Fortune. “Not getting into comedy clubs early on in my career. Not getting chosen for comedy festivals early on in my career. Not getting movie roles that I thought were perfect roles for me. Not getting SNL when I thought SNL was the biggest and best thing for me.”
“There are so many things that, if they would have happened, my career wouldn’t have shaped up into what it is today,” he added.
He isn’t alone. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon was rejected twice by the agency earlier than main it to greater than $50 billion in income. The Scrub Daddy sponge was initially snubbed earlier than changing into a large success. And astronaut Mike Massimino was turned down by NASA 3 times earlier than making it to area.
Turning rejection into success
Hart stated it may be troublesome to see the large image in these moments the place you are instructed “no,” however down the road, “you later discover those moments were some of the best for you, that made you work harder,” Hart stated.
The 45-year-old Philadelphia native stated it is important to imagine rejection might be an “asset”—a instrument to encourage you, but in addition to drive you to adapt.
“Without it, you don’t have anything to learn from or anything to adjust to,” he stated. “If things were easy, it would be stupid. It’s supposed to be hard. You’re supposed to understand that the reason for hard work and putting 100% into a craft is because of what you want to get out from it.”
Hart stated not getting the whole lot you need will make you need these issues much more.
“As a person that has experienced rejection on so many levels, I embrace it,” he stated. “To this day, everything doesn’t go the way I want. But just because one roadmap didn’t work, it doesn’t mean you can’t create another. And that’s where I find the most joy in the business that I’m operating in today.”
Learn extra from Fortune‘s interview with Kevin Hart:
- Kevin Hart says there’s one factor nonetheless value splurging on on this unsure financial system, no matter earnings stage
- Kevin Hart explains why recipients of his $10,000 grants may also obtain AI coaching: ‘The train is coming fast—either you’re on it, or get out of the way in which’
This story was initially featured on Fortune.com
