One of the smallest things we all take for granted turned into one of the biggest milestones in Kevin Hart’s recovery after his September car crash.
On Wednesday’s episode of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” the comedian, 40, revealed his biggest accomplishment during his recuperation following the accident.
“I started showering by myself. I started dressing by myself,” he said. “And the biggest triumph is when I put my socks on one day. You couldn’t tell me nothing. When I put my socks on? It was the biggest thing in the world.”
Hart, who made his first public appearance since the accident at last month's E! People’s Choice Awards, says he couldn't contain his excitement when he put on his own socks.
“Ran around the house. ‘I got my socks on! You ain’t have to do it. I did it myself,’” he said, while the audience laughed. “It was the biggest thing. The biggest thing for me.”
Hart continues to work his way back after the accident.
“I’m about 65 to 75% back to my physical self,” he said.
The "Jumanji: The Next Level" star also said the back injuries he sustained meant he was at square one when it came to resuming a normal life.
“You don’t realize that your back is connected to everything, so coming out of back surgery everything changed,” he said. “You’re kind of helpless, so that’s when you get to see what really matters, who really matters. Life kind of hits you in a completely different way.”
The physical toll did come with a surprising benefit, though. Hart, who has previously said the accident taught him to "see life from a whole new perspective," told DeGeneres this experience has showed him what’s important.
“I got a completely different look on life now, a much better one," he said. "I think there’s something special about any journey. You know, it doesn’t matter what the journey is, I think there’s an amazing thing about knowing that there’s a road that you got get down and along that road are a lot of peaks, hills, valleys and at the end of it all those peaks, hills and valleys make so much sense because of the punctuation at the end.”
The accident forced Hart to remain at home with his family for three months, a change of pace for someone who never spent more than 10 days in a row there. He sees that as a blessing.
“It made me so happy,” he said. “Being home for that amount of time made me happy. I was sat down. I feel like God sat me down.”