Kevin Hart Pays It Forward to Trainer Who Helped Him Walk Again After Accident in ‘Celebrity IOU’ Sneak Peek

Almost two years following a horrifying car crash that left him unable to walk with a crumbling backbone and some long-term health effects, Kevin Hart is back to his old self and baring his heart in the best way possible. In a sneak peek for PopCulture.com ahead of Monday night’s new Celebrity IOU episode airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV, the comedian and actor is paying it forward for his personal trainer and friend who helped him amid a debilitating recovery.

In the episode, “Kevin’s Heartfelt Thanks,” Hart expresses his deep gratitude to Ron, also known as the “Boss,” who helped the husband and father of four to learn how to walk again after a 2019 car accident in Los Angeles that stunned millions of fans around the world. Paying homage to their first meeting, Hart will team up with Property Brothers stars Drew Scott and Jonathan Scott to help design a custom barbershop for the Boss’s new space.

Helping to knock down Boss’s old kitchen and tear up some rotten floors in the backhouse alongside Drew and Jonathan, Hart’s smart design strategies hope to create a space reflective of his friend’s style, including a modern kitchen with a hidden bar, large stone island and an open living area for entertaining with expansive sliding doors to the back yard. “My life got flipped upside down by a tragic accident, and I had to kind of start over,” Kevin said, per a statement from HGTV. “It’s good when you have somebody to do it with you and walk you through it. And Boss was there with me every step of the way.”

Previously reported by PopCulture.com, Hart suffered major injuries on Sept. 1, 2019, after the driver of his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda lost control and tumbled down an embankment, per a statement from California Highway Patrol. The driver, Jared Black, also suffered multiple injuries in the accident and was not under the influence of alcohol. Neither was wearing a seatbelt at the time either.

Hart appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast two months later, sharing how he had the “biggest cry” of his life upon returning home from the hospital. “My biggest cry in life came from the first day that I came home from the hospital because I never had to see that house again,” he said. “Like there was an option of me never seeing that home again. There was an option of me never walking on that driveway again. There was an option of me never seeing my wife and my kids again.”

Admitting he was fortunate to make it out alive, recovery was hard in those works after the crash. “I lied in the hospital because I didn’t want them to know that I was having pain because I thought that they were gonna stop me from letting me continue to try my walks,” Hart admitted to Rogan, further sharing it was so bad that at times he was also unable to wipe himself. Being in the hospital for seven days, Hart also revealed he was using a walker to help him walk but was really pretending to use his feet. It was the Boss who helped him regain that strength and build his upper lumbar.

Telling HGTV of his paying it forward for the Boss on tonight’s Celebrity IOU, Hart says this renovation with the Scott twins is a “small token of [his] appreciation” for Ron. “[Hopefully he] won’t see [it] coming, and that will hopefully floor him. This renovation is well deserved because of the person that he is.”

Celebrity IOU airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV, check your local listings. The episode is also available to stream now on discovery+. For more with Drew, Jonathan, Kevin Hart, and all your favorite stars paying it forward, stick to PopCulture.com for the latest!