Shaquille O’Neal’s Off-Script Onstage Move Leaves Kevin Hart Visibly Uncomfortable
Kevin Hart thought he knew the bit on Real Husbands of Hollywood — until Shaquille O’Neal went off-script, humped him mid-scene, and turned a routine gag into TV chaos.
I know the internet loves to turn old TV moments into memes, but Kevin Hart just confirmed one of the wilder ones: that time Shaq straight-up humped him on Real Husbands of Hollywood? Yeah, not in the script. It happened, everyone froze, and the crew basically pretended it didn’t. Very normal day at work.
The day Shaq decided to improv
On The Breakfast Club a few months back, Hart broke down what actually went down. The episode riffed on the running bit that Shaquille O'Neal was a cop — which, to be fair, he really was in real life. In the scene, Shaq pulls Hart over, and because Real Husbands lived on improv, everyone had freedom to play. Shaq took that freedom and ran with it.
Hart says after he stepped out of the car, Shaq grabbed him, bent him over the hood, told him 'You dont know what I can do,' and started humping him. Not part of the plan. Not on any page. Just a 7'1'' Hall of Famer committing to a bit way harder than anyone expected. That moment is the clip you’ve probably seen bouncing around the internet ever since.
Hart was careful not to turn it into some big scandal. His point was more about how comedy styles collide. Some people are surgical with improv; others bulldoze. Shaq bulldozed.
Set reaction: pure, stunned silence
According to Hart, Ralph — the episode’s director — was just as shocked as everyone else. Hart looked over mid-chaos like, 'Are there new pages I missed?' The answer: a lot of awkward shrugging. Nobody wanted to tell Shaq to cut it out. They called the take, said 'We got it,' and moved on. No debrief. No postmortem. Just... next scene.
'Honestly, I couldnt do nothing about it. This was before I put a little size on... that was a very frail version of me.'
What Hart would do now
Hart joked that if it happened today, he’d at least set a boundary. Not a fight — it is Shaq — but a firm 'Dont do that. Stop it. Right now.' Still, zero bad blood. Hart made a point to say he’s got a lot of love for Shaq and understood he was just trying to be funny in the moment.
How deep their history goes
The conversation also hit on Shaq’s real impact on Hart’s career. When asked if Shaq helped launch him, Hart didn’t dance around it. He said Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam was a big break — the special that kicked open the bigger doors for him. The irony? Hart says he did that gig as a favor.
So yes, their dynamic is chaotic onscreen and genuinely meaningful off it. The humping gag got laughs and a meme; the comedy special helped build a career. Both things can be true.
Quick refresher: Real Husbands of Hollywood
- Premiered: 2013
- Seasons: 5
- IMDb: 7.7/10
- Streaming: BET+
Bottom line: a bizarre improv choice turned into one of the show’s most infamous moments, nobody on set wanted to be the person who told Shaq 'no,' and the internet will probably keep looping that clip forever. Meanwhile, Hart and Shaq are still cool — just maybe with clearer ground rules now.