Kevin Hart's 'Muscular Dystrophy': Release date, plot, host, trailer and all you need to know about the legendary telethon

In 2020, comedian and actor Kevin Hart is looking forward to filling some very large shoes as the show makes a comeback
Kevin Hart (Getty Images)
Kevin Hart (Getty Images)

In June 1950, Paul Cohen, a prominent New York business leader living with muscular dystrophy, focused on the urgent need to raise funds to advance research seeking treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy. One of the newly created Muscular Dystrophy Association's first goals, when it started in 1950, was to recruit celebrities who could help promote them to the American public.

On June 29-30, 1956, renowned comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis co-hosted their first MDA telethon from New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall. On May 16, 2011, Jerry Lewis announced his retirement as host of the annual MDA Labor Day Telethon. In 2020, comedian and actor Kevin Hart is looking forward to filling some very large shoes as the show makes a comeback.

Release date

The special will stream live Saturday from 8-10 p.m. ET on Hart's LOL Network and its YouTube and Pluto TV channels, as well as on TikTok, Triller and Twitch. SiriusXM will air an encore of the show on its Laugh Out Loud Radio channel on October 26 at 4 p.m. ET and October 27 at 10 am ET. 

Plot

Throughout the decades, the legendary Labor Day broadcast originated from different locations, including New York, Las Vegas and Hollywood. The telethon will look dramatically different in its newest iteration. The ongoing coronavirus necessitates it being a virtual event, it obviously falls later than Lewis' Labor Day weekend event; and Hart's version will only last two hours as opposed to Jerry's scheduled 21½ hours of running time.

Cast

Kevin Hart is a stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. His career suffered a slow start, as he was booed off stage several times, once even having a piece of chicken thrown at him. Hart came to prominence from his guest appearance in 'Undeclared'. He made his film debut in the film, 'Paper Soldiers'. Hart then gained further recognition from his other films such as the 'Scary Movie' franchise, 'Soul Plane', 'The 40-Year-Old Virgin', 'Death at a Funeral' and 'Little Fockers'.

Trailer



 

Kevin Hart did a promotional video for the telethon where he can be seen receiving phone calls from famous celebrities.

If you like this, you'll love these:

‘The Graham Norton Show’

‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman’

‘60 Minutes’

‘A Little Help with Carol Burnett’

‘The Daily Show'

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Kelly Baldwin’s groundbreaking discovery on Titan comes with a devastating cost as the Season 5 finale leaves her stranded with no way home
2 hours ago
Adam Rodriguez confirmed that production is already active for the historic season of 'Criminal Minds: Evolution'
3 hours ago
‘The Pitt’ leads the way with twelve nominations, while ‘Shrinking’ has emerged as the top contender in the comedy category with ten nominations.
4 hours ago
The new ‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 trailer teases the devastating war fans expected last season, with dragons and rival claims colliding.
8 hours ago
Thirty-nine years to the day that the original ‘A Different World’ premiered in 1987, its Netflix sequel series of the same name will also premiere in 2026
18 hours ago
The show will follow the duo and SailGP’s Australian team across a global racing season
18 hours ago
BBC drama A Good Girl's Guide to Murder has returned with a moving tribute to Danielle Scott-Haughton at the end of the first new episode
21 hours ago
'Big Little Lies' creator David E. Kelley will adapt Michael Connelly's 2024 novel into a gripping detective procedural for the streamer
1 day ago
A ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ star joins ‘Shrinking’ Season 4 cast alongside Harrison Ford, Jason Segel and more
1 day ago
Natasha Calis has been tapped for a heavily recurring role as Dr. Astrid on the upcoming eighth season of Netflix‘s Virgin River, which recently started production in Vancouver.
1 day ago