Comedian Kevin Hart and his global media company Hartbeat have taken more and more of a role in the sports world over the past few years. Hart has been doing his Cold As Balls cold-tub interview series since 2018, in addition to showing up on various other networks’ sports coverage, and Hartbeat has come up with a variety of other sports-related programming during that time too.
And now, Hartbeat is doing some notable things around Super Bowl week. They’ve announced two live tapings of Cold As Balls Thursday and Friday, and will also be presenting Shaquille O’Neal’s “Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam” Friday and Saturday. Here’s more from a release there:
Hartbeat, the global media company creating entertainment at the intersection of comedy and culture, will further expand its ongoing investment into the sports content and experiential space by launching two live events at Resorts World Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend. Starting Thursday, February 8, 2024, Hartbeat will deliver special live tapings of “Cold As Balls” – the hit sports interview series hosted by Kevin Hart – in collaboration with The Giving Back Fund and the Inspiring Children Foundation’s “Big Game Big Give” fundraising event Hartbeat and Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legend Productions will also present the return of Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam at Resorts World Theater.
Cold As Balls (Presented by Old Spice Total Body Deodorant)
Kevin Hart and a star-studded lineup of athletes and sports personalities will take center stage at the annual “Big Game Big Give” fundraising event for back-to-back afternoons of laughs with live episode tapings of the internet’s biggest sports interview series, Cold As Balls (Presented by Old Spice Total Body Deodorant). Watch Kevin Hart interview his guests about their careers as they take the plunge into the “post-game” cold tub. Guests to be announced.
Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam
Hartbeat and Shaquille O’Neal’s Jersey Legends Productions are bringing the beloved stand-up comedy showcase, ALL STAR COMEDY JAM, to Resorts World Theatre inside Resorts World Las Vegas for back-to-back nights of championship-level comedy, hosted by Deon Cole and featuring performances by D.L. Hughley, Earthquake, Desi Banks, and Aida Rodriguez. For more information and tickets, visit the site.
And over email, Hartbeat president and chief distribution officer Jeff Clanagan told AA the live format’s the natural next step for Cold As Balls:
“The synergies between sports and entertainment have long been something we’ve been interested in, dating back to the launch of Cold As Balls in 2018 and the viral Peacock series Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg,” Clanagan said. “At Hartbeat, we’ve created an ecosystem that can produce, market, and monetize IP and experiences all under one roof.
“By expanding Cold As Balls to a new live format alongside our longtime partners at Old Spice, and bringing Shaq’s All Star Comedy Jam to Super Bowl Weekend in Las Vegas, we’re excited to continue our investment in the sports space and unlock new ways to create memorable experiences that unite comedy, culture, and sports.”
We’ll see how this shift to a live format goes for Hartbeat and Cold As Balls. But the show has certainly made an impact over its seasons so far, and has made some significant pivots amidst challenging times. And Hart has continued to be a notable sports figure, including even with ESPN alternate NBA telecasts recently. We’ll see what comes from his live shows.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.