Kevin Hart’s attempt to explain his strange behavior at the US Open backfires as fans don’t believe him

Kevin Hart made headlines this week for doing what he does best — being naturally funny.

The comedian was spotted at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York, on Wednesday, watching tennis players Frances Tiafoe and Grigor Dimitrov face off in the quarterfinals of the 2024 US Open. But it wasn’t just Hart’s presence at the event that sparked discussion. It was his priceless response.

Earlier this week, the US Open shared a 15-second clip on its X account showing former Swiss tennis player Roger Federer and Hart watching a match with such different facial expressions that it was hilarious.

The video begins with Federer, wearing a monochromatic navy suit and shirt, standing tall and focused on his game. The 43-year-old initially stood with his arms crossed before reacting to the game with clapping and a rather impressed expression on his face.

The video then shows the “Think Like a Man” star looking quite agitated compared to the composed Federer. Unlike Federer, Hart has chosen to sit facing out onto the court, bouncing from side to side on his seat. The video doesn’t show the two players on the court, but the video does show Hart jumping left and right as each player hits the ball across the net to the other.

The US Open X account captioned the video, “Roger Federer watching tennis and Kevin Hart watching tennis. Two-act action,” and it received greater than 9,300 likes.

Many joked about the 5-foot-11 actor’s height, writing comments like, “You know Kevin Hart was standing on his tiptoes watching that!” Another joked, “Someone get Kevin a booster seat.”

But dozens of individuals noticed “Kevin is locked up” while watching the game, leading some to say the 45-year-old could have been under the influence.

One person jokingly wrote, “Kevin Hart was high watching tennis,” while one other said, “He’s not Half-Baked, he’s fully baked.” Someone else said, “Kevin is fried.”

One one who defended the “Lift” actor said the video looks like“Kevin is himself.”

The “Soul Plane” actor put all that speculation to rest Thursday during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” After rewatching the clip, Fallon asked Hart if he knew he was reacting like that, to which he replied, “Absolutely not, no.”

To explain, Hart said, “I have to be honest, right? I just have to be 1,000% honest… I couldn’t see a thing! He claimed it was a ‘boy head’ in front of him blocking his view, so he kept yelling, ‘Move it, man, move your head so I can see.'” The clip ended with Hart jokingly stating, “I don’t know why he sat there. It was so selfish.”

Some didn’t believe Hart, though, including one who wrote, “I didn’t see it, of course the dude was HORNY!!!” while one other said, “Oh he was definitely up there and couldn’t have seen it.”

A 3rd said: “He was high and following the ball. You believe everything they tell you.”

Hart has said he doesn’t do drugs. But the “Ride Along” star claims he was pressured to take molly in 2017 during a wild night of cheating on his then-pregnant wife, Eniko Hart. During a deposition in the lawsuit against the comedian, he explained how an anonymous friend offered him the drug in Las Vegas.

The comedian said he initially declined the offer, saying, “No, I don’t really fuck around with drugs like that,” but after some prodding from his friend, he said, “Fuck it, I said, and I put it in my drink. I had some water in it. It was diluted. Since it’s in my drink, it’s okay. I don’t mind drinking. It’s a good night.”

But there was a twist when Hart allowed two women to come to his hotel that night. Only one stayed and spent the night, and she or he and the father of 4 ended up in bed the next morning. A sex tape was later leaked, showing Hart cheating on his wife, who was pregnant with their first child.

The information was revealed in a lawsuit filed by Hart’s former friend of 15 years, Jonathan “JT” Jackson, who claims Hart failed to honor the terms of a settlement by which Hart was required to clear his name. Initially, after the fraud scandal, Jackson was arrested and charged with two counts of extortion in reference to the leaked sex tape.

In 2021, these charges were dropped.