Hart hosts virtual MDA telethon

Kevin Hart says hosting an online fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association is “a major level-up for me.”

“It’s different from anything that you’ve really seen me do. And there’s a great reason behind it,” said the comic and actor, who is leading the MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon online on Saturday.

It’s the first telethon in six years for the MDA, once known for its popular hours-long Labor Day broadcast hosted for decades by famed comic and actor Jerry Lewis. Lewis last hosted in 2010 and died in 2017.

Hart says he’s honoured to fill Lewis’ shoes. “There’s no way not to acknowledge the works that he’s done,” he said. “What he’s done for so many and the money that he’s raised while doing it, is just astronomical.”

Joining Hart will be a starstudded group of friends including Gabrielle Union

Wade, Usain Bolt and Jack Black. The comic, who suffered major back injuries in a car crash last year, says he hopes his charity work helps to “plant a flag of reason for my existence.”

The two-hour event will be streamed on LOL Network platforms including YouTube and PlutoTV.