- - Kevin Hart reveals how he made millions starting with $25, sleeping in hallway. And it’s not what the public believes

Vishesh RaisinghaniJanuary 2, 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Kevin Hart

Multimillionaire Kevin Hart is not just a successful comedian but also one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. The 46-year-old’s multiple blockbusters have grossed nearly $6 billion in global revenue. (1)

That’s a long way from the $20 to $25 per gig he earned early in his comedy career. In a recent interview on The Diary Of A CEO, Kevin Hart revealed he worked 25 to 28 sets a weekend to make ends meet, while driving from Philadelphia to New York every day, and used to sleep in a hallway bunk bed with his brother.

Despite his hard work and sacrifices, Hart told host Steven Bartlett it took 13 long years before his career genuinely took off. The prolonged grind, he says, taught him three essential lessons about building a career and sustainable prosperity.

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Long-term mindset

Hart credits much of his success to his mother’s insistence on taking a long-term view of his career. “My mom's biggest lesson was you're not quitting,” he told Bartlett. “And not many people are going to do the 13 years of hard [work]. Most people opt out at year two and want to go find a quick return. Well, you keep quitting to start something else that you think is the idea. It's just a cycle. You're never completing anything.”

Despite the low pay, Hart says his decision to stay committed to comedy ultimately opened doors to bigger gigs and even movie deals.

Investors can benefit from a similar long-term approach to their finances. Investing $500 a month into an asset that grows 7% a year, for instance, would leave you with just $34,504 in five years. But sticking with the same plan for 30 years could help you create a nest egg worth $566,765.

Unfortunately, most investors fail to adopt this long-term, buy-and-hold mindset. The average holding period for stocks has dropped from eight years in the 1950s to just 5.5 months in 2020, according to analysis of data from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). (2)

A longer-than-average time horizon could be your secret weapon to wealth creation.

Avoiding shortcuts

Failure isn’t the only reason why many young people give up early. Hart believes there’s always a temptation to try get-rich-quick schemes that lead many people astray. According to him, detecting and avoiding these deceptive shortcuts has been a key part of his success.

“You're telling me that if I put this money in here right now, I get 30x, 20x?” he said. “That’s a scam. I know a scam when I see one. Go find you another idiot because it ain't happening over here, buddy.”

Unfortunately, financial fraud is a lucrative and rapidly expanding problem. In 2024, consumers reported losing more than $12.5 billion to financial fraud, which is a 25% increase from the previous year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). (3)

It’s not just retirees getting swindled. For example, in the U.K., nearly 26% of the victims of investment scams were under the age of 30, according to a 2023 report by Barclays. (4)

If you’re young, constantly online and looking to build wealth quickly, you’re a prime target for bad actors. Avoiding schemes that sound too good to be true could be a good way to preserve your assets.

Read More: This $1B private real estate fund is now accessible to non-millionaires. Here’s how you can get started with as little as $10

Ask questions

Embracing the fact that you might not be the smartest person in the room, Hart says, is a recipe for long-term success. He encourages young people to seek out information and ask experts questions to learn faster and get ahead.

“You can't be afraid to verbalize your ignorance,” he told Bartlett.

The other key point is getting your information from the right sources. Most U.S. adults have access to at least some form of financial information and advice, although that advice might not necessarily be good.

According to a 2025 Gallup poll, the most popular source is friends and family, followed by financial advisors and planners, financial websites and institutions like banks and credit unions. (5)

Some advice may be biased or lacking in expertise. That’s why it’s important to ask questions and seek out high-quality information from credible sources.

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Article sources

We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

The Numbers (1); Reuters (2); Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (3); Barclays (4); Gallup (5).

This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Money”