Kevin Hart has made a career out of joking about his family — and especially his father, Henry Robert Witherspoon.
On Thursday, Oct. 13, the Philadelphia comedian, who has used his father and his antics as fodder for some of his jokes, announced his father’s death and posted a tribute to the man who helped give him life.
“RIP to one of the realest & rawest to ever do it…Love you dad. Gone but never forgotten….Give mom a hug for me…. y’all did good man. Thank you for everything…. I’m a better father because of you 😢💪🏾🙏🏾 We will all make you proud….”
Hart did not mention how his father passed but has given him high praise throughout the years after revealing his father wasn’t the best example growing up.
According to Entertainment Tonight Online, in a 2017 interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the comedian discussed how he made amends with his father and how the relationship was repaired. He stated that, although Witherspoon had been in and out of jail and had done drugs, it taught him what not to do as a parent.
“My kids think I’m dope! And that’s what makes me happy, like, my kids actually think I’m the coolest dad on the planet. … I know why I am the way that I am, my dad has a lot to do with that — the mistakes that my dad made, you know, the decisions to do drugs, being in and out of jail, in
and out of our lives. I saw firsthand what not being present did and because of that, I now know what being present means. I know what that can do, I know what effect it can have on your child coming up.”The strength of his renewed relationship with his father many years ago has allowed Hart to have the proper mindset to keep a great relationship with his father.
“Now, I was strong enough to deal with it coming up because I have a different attitude, I’m a positive guy. I choose to go positive instead of negative a lot and because of that, my relationship with my dad is amazing now! And my dad understands how I feel and how I look at things, and now my dad is focusing on being the best grandparent that he possibly can.”