Kevin Hart grew up in Philadelphia with his older brother Robert

Kevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart. Photo:

Kevin Hart Instagram

Kevin Hart is one of the biggest movie stars and stand-up comedians in the business today — and he doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects in his comedy, especially when it comes to his relationship with his parents and his brother, Robert Hart.

The two grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with their mother Nancy Hart. Kevin and Robert’s father, Henry, spent the early years of Kevin’s 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood in prison.

Now an adult, Robert has found success as a world-class pool player, competing in global contests. No matter where they are, the brothers are always cheering each other on.

Here’s everything to know about Kevin Hart’s brother Robert Hart and their sibling bond.

They were raised by a single motherRobert Hart and Kevin Hart.

Robert Hart Instagram

Robert and Kevin were raised by a single mother as their father Henry was in and out of jail and not often present.

“We come from a f—ed-up situation,” Robert told Variety in 2017. “We come from the worst living conditions.”

Robert got into a lot of trouble as a kidKevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart in 2021.

Kevin Hart Instagram

Kevin’s older brother had a lot of opportunities to make his own choices when he was young, and according to Kevin, he made a lot of self-destructive ones.

“My mom gave my brother a fair amount of freedom. Any mistakes you could make as a teenager, he made,” Kevin said in his 2019 Netflix docuseries Don’t F— This Up. “My brother was in a gang, he dealt drugs. One afternoon my brother actually tried to snatch a purse from an old lady. That there was the last straw for my mom. She took my brother to court, and got him emancipated.”

Kevin, in turn, was not allowed the same freedoms. “The way that my mom saw it, she was too lenient on my brother,” Kevin continued. “So, she figured if she could keep me off the streets, that I wouldn’t turn out like him. She set up a routine of structured, systematic and supervised movements that she imposed on my life. Her routine for me went like this: we woke up at 6 in the morning, I left to catch the school bus at 7. After school ended, I had to go to an extracurricular activity.”

That structure, though, instilled a work ethic in him that has led him to massive success as both a stand-up comedian and an actor.

The brothers helped their father through difficult timesRobert Hart, Halle Berry, Henry Robert Witherspoon, Kevin Hart on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

The comedian has been open about how difficult their father’s addictions made life for the family — but those difficult times taught him things. “If my dad hadn’t been around and didn’t do drugs, I may be handling my success differently,” Kevin told Howard Stern. “I may be on drugs, I may be searching for something.”

Kevin and Robert eventually convinced their father to enter rehab, which helped him to turn his life around. “I understand that nobody’s perfect, people are flawed, people make mistakes,” Kevin said. “I shouldn’t hold a high level of judgment over your head about things I can’t change.”

Before he died, Henry was much more present in his family in a positive way. “He’s as good as he can be,” Kevin told Variety. “He’s very much in their lives. He talks to them. He sends them messages. He Facetimes. He’s serious about making his presence felt.”

Their mother sacrificed so Kevin could succeed

When Kevin was first struggling to establish his career, their mother paid his rent for a year so he could focus on his stand-up. Shortly after he was cast in Fool’s Gold with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, Nancy was diagnosed with terminal cancer — but she swore Robert and the rest of the family to secrecy.

He recalled his mother saying, “I need him to be able to go forward because I see him doing great things.”

Kevin was able to spend time with Nancy in the weeks before she died, flying back and forth from Australia where the film was shooting.

The loss of their mother made them closer

Robert Hart Instagram

When Nancy died, Kevin told Oprah Winfrey her death bonded him closer to his remaining family.

“All that energy went to my dad and to my brother. This is our little family,” Kevin said. “If we don’t try to make this last name mean something, then we have nothing that’s going to live on. My last name means something now, but it’s because we made it mean something.”

The brothers have an unbreakable bondKevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart.

Robert Hart Instagram

When Robert turned 50 in 2021, Kevin posted a photo of the brothers together, captioning it: “Happy B Day to my brother @robert40hart ….words can’t explain how much I love and appreciate u.”

“Thank you for being the best big brother to ever do it. Ya love and support has gotten me thru some of the craziest moments in my life,” he continued. “U are never not there….the true definition of a ride or die is you man.”

Robert is now a professional pool playerRobert Hart.

Robert Hart Instagram

Robert describes himself on his Instagram as an “African American pool player, working to be #1 in the world 🌎.” He competes on the global stage in tournaments, and is motivated to succeed.

“Ten two letter words I live by,” his Instagram bio reads, “if it is to be, it is up to me‼️‼️‼️”

He’s a proud older brotherKevin Hart and his brother, Robert Hart.

Robert Hart Instagram

When Kevin’s movie Night School came out in 2018, Robert posted a photo of him pointing at the movie poster showing his brother with Tiffany Haddish.

“So proud to witness this entire process & your growth kid as well as see things come together the way things are for you‼️‼️” he captioned the post. “Love ya kid & want the world to know it.”