The Peacock host also asks gold medalist Michael Johnson if his shoes were “legal” when he broke the world record for the 400m
Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson’s “Olympic Highlights” show hasn’t event started and already it seems like a blast. In two clips shared exclusively with TheWrap, Hart and Thompson try to match breakdancer Kid David’s moves and Hart grill legendary sprinter Michael Johnson on the legality of his iconic gold shoes.
Paris 2024 will mark the first time breaking will debut as an official Olympics sport. Because of this change, David “Kid David” Shreibman will serve as NBC’s breaking correspondent. The professional dancer has appeared in movies such as “Step Up” and shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars.” Kid David stopped by Peacock’s “Olympic Highlights” to give Hart and Thompson a taste of this new sport.
Toward the end of Hart and Thompson’s interview with the dancer, the duo ask him to bust a move. As Kid David performs, Hart and Thompson cheer him on, with Thompson yelling, “You see your rivals just entered the club!” to up the ante. After Kid David finishes up, he turns the challenge back around and asks Hart and Thompson to break.
Thompson started with a dance set that involved some two steps and a lot of wiggling before passing it off to Hart. The “Jumanji” star’s moves seemed to be inspired by mix of popping and locking and a take on the running man.
But that wasn’t all. In the same episode, Hart and Thompson also interviewed four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson, who set world and Olympics records for the 400 m and the 200 m. During the 1996 Olympics, Johnson was nicknamed “The Man with the Golden Shoes” because of his custom-made Nikes. During that same event, he ran the 200-m in 19.66 seconds, breaking the record that Pietro Mennea previously held for nearly 17 years.
“Were the shoes legal? Like what was the deal with that?” Hart asked Johnson.
“Yeah, they were legal,” Johnson said, trying to hold back laughter.
“By the way, I’m not trying to start anything,” Hart said.
“Questionable,” Johnson shot back. That’s when Thompson stepped in to ask the very valid question: “What is an illegal shoe?”
“There you go. Look what you just started,” Johnson said to Hart.
Hart went on to say that if he was in the Olympics and saw the man beside him wearing gold shoes, he would have called a time out. He also joked that Johnson had “nitro” in his shoes and that he had a “turbo boost” for his gold Nikes. Thompson also asked the athlete if he knew he was breaking a world record in 1996.
“You know you’re breaking a world record when you’re breaking a world record because you’re doing something that you’ve never done before,” Johnson said. “When every decision you make in the race is happening exactly like you want it to, that’s when you know you’re on track for a record.” Watch both videos above.
“Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart & Kenan Thompson” offers a funny and more light-hearted behind-the-scenes look to the Paris 2024 Olympics. The series premieres Friday following the Opening Ceremony. New episodes will air on Monday, Wednesday and Friday through August 11 on Peacock.
