Kevin Hart Cracks Joke After NBC Used His Photo for Story About Usain Bolt

NBC News reported Bolt's coronavirus diagnosis with a picture of Hart. The comedian responded via Instagram: "This is disrespectful on so many levels."

August 26, 2020

NBC News caught heat on Tuesday after mistakenly using a photo of Kevin Hart for a story about Usain Bolt. Hart, of course, had jokes.

"No comment ... I must of gotten really fast & tall overnight," the comedian said about the mix-up. "I want to take advantage of this moment & race anybody in the world. We can bet whatever ... Shit just got real. I am also no longer doing comedy due to my Olympic training schedule....IM BACK BITCHES ... P.S this is Disrespectful on so many levels....All you can do is laugh. Maybe the Covid 19 shrunk his legs & torso."

The mistake was spotted on NBC News Facebook page, where the network posted an article about Bolt's recent COVID-19 diagnosis. Many social media users blasted the network for the mistake, pointing out that Bolt is more than a foot taller that Hart and about seven years younger.

NBC News has since addressed the mixup in a correction note, claiming it was "due to a technical error." The network's PR department also apologized to Hart via Twitter.

"Correction: Due to a technical error, the social image on this post mistakenly featured a photo of comedian Kevin Hart,” the correction states. "In the content management system, a social image was not selected, and the system reverted to an image of Hart from an unrelated video. The display image has been corrected."