Comedian Bert Kreischer recently appeared on an episode of Club Shay Shay where he talked about his philosophy on success: luck trumps hard work. The statement came during a conversation with host Shannon Sharpe that touched on career trajectories, Hollywood breaks, and what really separates those who make it from those who don’t.
The discussion emerged when Kreischer referenced comedian Kevin Hart‘s well-known reputation as the hardest working comic in the business. While Kreischer acknowledged Hart’s undeniable talent and work ethic, he pushed back against the narrative that success is purely about grinding.
“I believe in luck more than I do hard work,” Kreischer stated plainly. He explained that while Hart’s camp emphasized the relentless work schedule, like waking at 2 a.m., hitting the gym by 2:30, Kreischer wanted to hear about the lucky breaks. “The luck is important. It’s just as important and it kind of makes you a little more relatable sometimes.”
Kreischer referenced what he called “folklore” about Hart’s big break in the film Fool’s Gold. According to the story Kreischer heard, comedian Katt Williams was originally supposed to take the role but encountered legal trouble when he allegedly packed a weapon in his luggage and couldn’t fulfill the commitment.
“They’re like, ‘Look, we got a size 22 waist and a medium shirt waiting for someone. Do we have anyone small and black that can get this role?'” Kreischer recounted. “That’s what I heard. So I want to hear that story. Tell me that story because that makes you relatable to me.”
To illustrate his point, Kreischer walked through several examples of comedians whose careers exploded after one fortuitous moment:
Bill Burr
A viral video of Bill Burr getting heckled in Philadelphia became legendary. “Bill Burr goes on stage at the Spectrum in Philly or whatever. And they had already heckled the guy in front of him,” Kreischer explained.
When the crowd turned on Burr, instead of retreating, he spent his remaining 10 minutes systematically destroying the entire city. Kreischer stated, “It is shot on the sh**tiest camera in the world. But that story goes viral and I’m telling you, boom.”
Jim Jefferies
During a standup set at a London comedy club, someone jumped on stage and assaulted Jim Jefferies. His manager grabbed the security camera footage and posted it to MySpace, and Jefferies became an overnight sensation.
Kreischer said, “Jeffries’ manager was very familiar with the internet and he grabbed that video from the security cam, posted it on MySpace. Jim Jeff goes viral for that one moment.”
Joe Rogan
When Joe Rogan confronted Carlos Mencia on stage about joke theft, his producer Brian Redband filmed it and posted it online. “Now Joe Rogan’s moment goes viral but he gets in a lot of trouble,” Kreischer noted. The incident led to Rogan being kicked out of the Comedy Store and dropped by his agent, forcing him to refocus and ultimately start his podcast.
Kreischer’s perspective stems from his own experience as someone who wasn’t initially “the guy” in comedy circles. At 43, after being let go from Travel Channel, he found himself in hallways at the Comedy Store watching people literally look past him to talk to more successful comedians.
“I was that guy. So then when I went back to those clubs and I was like I’m not going to do that to people because that happened to me,” he said. “When you’re an underdog and I’ve always thought the underdog is the better path to have, the one that no one sees it coming.”
For Kreischer, acknowledging luck doesn’t diminish talent or effort, it makes success more human and achievable in others’ eyes. He contrasted the constant emphasis on work ethic with the reality that countless talented people work incredibly hard but never catch their break.
“There are a lot of people that work hard that don’t make it,” Kreischer observed. “There’s guys watching this right now that are f**king driving to go dig a ditch. And they’re like, ‘Yeah, I work hard at this ditch, but where’s my luck?’ I believe in luck more than I do hard work.”
While not dismissing the importance of preparation and talent, Kreischer suggests that the most honest path to understanding success includes acknowledging when fortune smiled at exactly the right moment.
