Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, Rob Gronkowski, Cooper Flagg, Sean O’Malley, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and IShowSpeed are the seven featured guests joining Kevin Hart for the new Netflix season of Cold as Balls. All seven episodes arrived together on September 20, 2026.
The installment brings the long-running ice-bath interview format to Netflix after earlier seasons built an online audience. The episodes were filmed before a live crowd at Fanatics Fest in New York, giving Hart a room full of reactions while he tries to keep each conversation moving through the cold.
- Release date: September 20, 2026
- Episode: Seven-episode season
- Title: Cold as Balls
- Genre: Sports comedy interview series
- Streaming on: Netflix
Two tennis legends headline the lineup
Williams and Djokovic give the season two of the most accomplished tennis players ever. Their separate episodes let Hart approach elite longevity from different angles, while the ice-tub format keeps the conversations less formal than a standard career retrospective. Both also bring worldwide recognition beyond a strictly American sports audience.
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Their inclusion also explains why the season expanded to seven episodes. Djokovic was added after the initial six-guest announcement, turning the tennis presence into a pair of major attractions rather than a single stop in the lineup.
Football, basketball, fighting and soccer enter the tubs
Gronkowski represents the NFL, while Flagg brings a younger basketball perspective. UFC fighter O’Malley adds combat sports, and Ibrahimovic supplies the blunt personality and international reach associated with his soccer career. Their episodes cover very different definitions of preparation, pain and competitive confidence.
Those choices give Hart different competitive languages to work with. A football player can discuss physical collisions, a fighter can describe individual pressure and a soccer star can look back on performing across countries. The shared ice bath becomes a simple way to level those differences. Hart’s jokes also keep the talk accessible for viewers who do not follow every sport.
IShowSpeed expands the meaning of athlete
IShowSpeed is the unusual final name. His online fame grew around gaming, soccer fandom and athletic stunts rather than a traditional professional league, but the series treats that physical, sports-driven public persona as part of the same conversation. His episode is also positioned to reach the show’s youngest digital audience.
Marcello Hernandez also makes a special appearance. He is presented as the first non-athlete invited into the tub, which separates his comedy cameo from the seven main episode guests while showing that the format can stretch beyond sports.
The complete lineup balances established champions, current competitors and internet-era celebrity without changing the show’s basic hook. The live audience adds energy, but the appeal still depends on what each guest reveals under uncomfortable conditions. Which guest do you think will handle the cold best? Leave your prediction in the comments.
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