Jerry Lewis Telethon is Back With Kevin Hart

For 44-years, it was a fixture on TV over the Labor Day Weekend. It was the MDA Labor Day Telethon, better knows as the Jerry Lewis Telethon. Jerry had hosted the show since it's inception in 1966, and up to 2010 when Lewis departed controversially. It changed big time the next year to become a benefit concert of sorts, but over the next few years, faded away. Not now! It's coming back, but, again, in a new form.

Kevin Hart has signed on to host the return of the Jerry Lewis Telethon next month.

The long-running Labor Day Weekend telethon to fight muscular dystrophy, is coming back as a two-hour event on October 24th. The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced that the event, which will now be called the MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon, will include celebrity appearances by Eva Longoria, Michael B. Jordan, Jack Black, Usain Bolt, and Josh Gad.

The original Jerry Lewis Telethon came out of Las Vegas, and always had major stars appearing. Locally, WZZM TV13 hosted the West Michigan segments. Dick Richards, Bozo the Clown's alter ego, along local media folks including myself, hosted. It was a lot of work, but well worth the effort to assist Muscular Dystrophy.

Money raised by the new event will benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Kevin Hart's charity Help From the Hart.

Don't know if a major network will pick up the show or it will be streamed. Information for the program will be announced at a later date.