Kevin Hart snuck an iced-out goat into Madison Square Garden during his and Chris Rock’s show with surprise-opener Dave Chappelle last weekend and presented it to the former as a gift.
Hart detailed the exchange while on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonand said the gold chains-wearing goat served as the cherry on top of a legendary night of comedy at the Garden that featured performances from all three comics.
“I told Dave, I said, ‘Hey man, I’m gonna gift Chris a goat at the end of the show,’” Hart said. “He said, ‘What do you mean?’ I said what do you mean, what do I mean? I’m gonna go get a goat.”
He continued, “So we get the goat but I hid the goat from Chris. I didn’t want him to see it. Dave knew about the goat, and at the end of an amazing show we all come back onstage and we’re saying goodnight and I said Chris you know, Chris is a mentor, friend, inspiration, but he’s a large part of the reason I am where I am today in my career, just from his advice, his insight, et cetera, and he’s my GOAT. Like, he’s my guy and I wanted him to feel that and experience the world of understanding of how I feel about him in front of that audience. So I gave him the goat and said please give my guy his flowers.”
While Hart described the exchange as a “real moment,” the comedian couldn’t help but get one joke off before formally handing over the animal, announcing its name is Will Smith. The goat followed that up by emptying its bowels before all those in attendance at MSG.
“The goat took a shit onstage...Chris had on some white moon boots and that goat got him,” Hart told Fallon.
Hollywood Reporter journalist Jordan Hoffman was at the show and wrote that Rock shouted, “I’m not taking care of that shit!” Chappelle said it had to be “the worst night of this goat’s life.” Rock countered, “He’s just happy he’s not at a Jamaican restaurant.”
Rock is currently in the midst of his Ego Death World Tour, which kicked off the morning after Will Smith slapped him across the face during the Academy Awards. Smith’s slap occurred after Rock referred to his wife Jada Pinkett Smith as “G.I. Jane,” likening her shaved head to Demi Moore’s character from the 1997 film. Jada has been open about living with alopecia, and the joke set off her husband, who followed up the slap by demanding Chris Rock keep “my wife’s name out your fucking mouth.”
The assault resulted in Will voluntarily resigning from the Academy and led it to impose a 10-year ban on the King Richard Best Actor winner. Multiple projects involving Smith were also put on hold after the slap.
“I’m not a victim, motherfucker,” Rock reportedly said during a performance in New Jersey last week. “Yeah, that shit hurt, motherfucker, but I shook that shit off and went to work the next day…I don’t go to the hospital for a paper cut.”
