How Kevin Hart Joined the Bored Ape Family—and What Happened Next

Kevin Hart joined the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) by buying an NFT, not by entering a formal club or investing in a company. He purchased Bored Ape #9258 for 79.5 ETH in early 2022. The Ethereum token represented a specific digital collectible from the BAYC collection.

In March 2024, reports said the ape had sold at an 81% discount; another report put Hart’s loss at more than 66 ETH. The reports don’t establish the exact sale proceeds or a dollar value, and the two figures should not be treated as a full transaction record.

The practical takeaway: this is a story about one celebrity’s NFT purchase and later sale. It is not proof that every Bored Ape has the same value, that BAYC ownership guarantees benefits, or that celebrity involvement makes an NFT a safe investment. If you’re considering one, verify the token and its current terms before you spend.

BAYC is a collection of profile-picture-style digital collectibles issued as NFTs on Ethereum. Each NFT is a distinct token associated with an ape image and a token ID. Hart’s purchase was reported as BAYC #9258. Owning that token meant controlling that particular NFT through a crypto wallet, subject to the collection’s terms and the rights attached to it.

“Joining the family” is a casual way to describe becoming a BAYC holder and participating in its community. It doesn’t mean you own Yuga Labs, the brand, or a share of revenue. Nor should you assume that an NFT purchase automatically gives you permanent access to events, products or other benefits. Project features and rights can change, so read the terms that apply at the time you buy.

An NFT is not the image file itself in the same way a physical painting is an object. It is a blockchain token linked to collection information and media. Save your transaction details and keep your wallet recovery phrase private; whoever controls the wallet generally controls the NFT.

Hart reportedly paid 79.5 ETH for #9258 in early 2022. By March 2024, reports said it had sold at an 81% discount and described his loss as more than 66 ETH. Those figures indicate a steep decline relative to the reported purchase, but they don’t give you a complete accounting of fees, taxes, or the precise proceeds.

ETH’s dollar price also changes over time. A purchase made for a set amount of ETH can have a very different dollar value at the time of resale. For that reason, don’t compare a past NFT sale to today’s prices without checking the date, currency, transaction details and any marketplace costs.

One resale is not a collection-wide price index. The ape’s attributes, the seller’s urgency, market conditions and buyer demand can all affect an individual transaction. Treat the report as a caution about volatility and resale risk—not as a prediction for other BAYC tokens or a reason to buy or sell.

Celebrity ownership can draw attention to an NFT, but it does not verify the project, guarantee a return or tell you whether an endorsement was paid for. In December 2022, reporting described a lawsuit involving celebrity endorsements of Bored Ape NFTs, including Hart among the named celebrities. A lawsuit records allegations; it is not, by itself, a court finding that those allegations are true.

Keep that legal story separate from Hart’s NFT transaction. The purchase and later sale concern his ownership of one token. The lawsuit concerned celebrity promotion. Neither fact alone establishes the value of a BAYC NFT or the legal status of every promotional statement. The eventual outcome of the case is not confirmed in this account.

When you see a celebrity promoting a collectible, ask whether the post is clearly marked as advertising, whether the person discloses a financial interest, and whether the claims can be independently checked. Don’t let a famous name replace your own review of the contract, rights, fees and risks.

If you’re thinking about buying a BAYC NFT, start by deciding how much you could afford to lose. NFTs can be hard to resell, and a listed price is not proof that a buyer will pay it. Don’t borrow money or rely on a celebrity purchase as evidence that the collectible will rise in value.

Before you connect a wallet or approve a transaction, use this checklist:

• Confirm the collection is the authentic Bored Ape Yacht Club collection on Ethereum, not a copycat listing.
• Match the token ID and image to the item you intend to buy.
• Check the seller’s identity and the NFT’s ownership and transaction history.
• Review the displayed price, marketplace fees, Ethereum network fees and any other charges.
• Read the collection’s current terms and understand what rights transfer with the token.
• Inspect the wallet prompt; reject approvals or transfers you don’t understand.

A marketplace such as OpenSea can help you browse NFT listings, but a marketplace page does not remove the need to check the collection and transaction. If a deal depends on urgency, a private message or a promise of guaranteed profit, stop and verify independently.

NFT costs are more than the advertised price. An Ethereum purchase may also involve a network fee, while the marketplace may charge fees under its current terms. Costs can vary with network activity and the transaction. Confirm the final amount in the marketplace and wallet before signing; don’t assume that the price shown beside an NFT is the amount you will pay in total.

Selling later can bring additional uncertainty. You need a buyer willing to pay, and the proceeds may be lower than your purchase cost. A floor price—the lowest visible listing—is an asking price, not a guaranteed sale price. If you list an NFT, check any marketplace fees, creator royalties or other terms that apply to that transaction.

Keep records of the purchase, sale and fees for your own accounting. Crypto tax treatment depends on where you live and your circumstances, so consult a qualified tax professional if you need advice. Don’t calculate a gain or loss using only the difference between two headline prices; transaction costs and the currency’s changing value matter too.

The most common mistake is treating a high-profile purchase as a recommendation. Hart’s reported 79.5 ETH purchase and later sale show that an expensive NFT can still be sold at a substantial loss. They do not reveal what will happen to another token or buyer.

Avoid these shortcuts:

1. Buying from an imitation collection: verify the official collection and Ethereum contract before interacting.
2. Confusing a listing with a sale: an asking price does not prove market demand.
3. Ignoring the whole bill: include network and marketplace charges before deciding what you can afford.
4. Assuming image ownership means broad commercial rights: read the current license and collection terms.
5. Signing a rushed wallet prompt: cancel if the transaction or permission is unclear.
6. Expecting easy resale: you may not find a buyer at any price you consider acceptable.

Use a separate wallet for NFT activity if that fits your security setup, and never disclose its recovery phrase. A cautious decision can still end in a loss; the point is to understand the risk before you commit funds.

Hart’s “Bored Ape family” moment refers to a reported NFT purchase in early 2022. The NFT was Bored Ape #9258, bought for 79.5 ETH. Reports in March 2024 described a sale at an 81% discount and a loss exceeding 66 ETH. The precise sale proceeds and dollar figures are not established by those reports.

For you, the main lesson is not that BAYC is necessarily a good or bad purchase. It is that a celebrity’s ownership does not protect you from volatility, weak resale demand, changing project benefits or transaction costs. One sale cannot set the value of the whole collection.

If you’re curious about BAYC, verify the authentic collection, token ID, terms and total transaction cost. Only spend money you can afford to lose, and treat celebrity endorsements as a prompt to investigate—not as proof of value. If you only want to follow the story, you don’t need to buy an NFT to understand what happened.