Kevin Hart has shared a story about how his mother’s insistence that he read the Bible led to an unexpected surprise that helped him through a difficult financial period.
Speaking on the IMO podcast with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson, the actor looked back on a time when he was struggling to pay rent and facing eviction notices.
He said his mother kept encouraging him to read the Bible, even while he was asking her for help with his rent.
According to Hart, she agreed she would help — but only once he had read it.
When he eventually opened the book, he discovered multiple months' worth of rent cheques hidden inside its pages.
He said: "My mum, there's the Bible story of when she puts cheques in a Bible.
"She used to ask me, 'Am I reading the Bible?' and I'm like, 'Yes, mum, I'm reading the Bible,' and I was lying.
"And she was like, 'Well, let me know when you read the Bible.' But at the time, you know, the rent was getting crazy. I was getting notices. Like, 'They are about to kick me out, mum. Like, right now I'm having a hard time.'
"And she was like, 'Well, read the Bible. Talk to God about it.'
"'Mum, this ain't no game. I get it. I get the spiritual side of it. I believe, okay? But right now they put a notice on the door. You need to help me out this month until I do these open mics next month.'
"'Read your Bible.'
"I'm getting frustrated. So one night I opened the Bible and she had put there all the checks for the year. They all fell out."
Hart has often spoken about his mother, Nancy Hart, and the influence she has had on his faith, something he has become more open about in recent years.
But his public statements on faith became more prominent after a near-fatal car crash in 2019.
Following the crash, he said: "When God talks you've got to listen."
He added: "I swear life is funny because some of the craziest things that happen to you end up being the thing you needed most.
"In this case I honestly feel like God told me to sit down. When you're moving too fast and you're doing too much, sometimes you can't see the things you're meant to see.
"After my accident I see things differently, I see life from a whole new perspective," Hart said.