Steve Harvey is an all-around entertainer from the United States who has worked as a comedian, a television host, a producer, and a radio personality, to name a few. Harvey began his career as a stand-up comedian before transitioning towards acting. Surprisingly, his television and film debuts happened virtually at the same time. His main show, ‘The Steve Harvey Show,’ which aired from 1996 to 2002, was what made him famous. He became a household name and a huge celebrity as a result of the show. ‘The Steve Harvey Morning Show,’ ‘The Steve Harvey Talk Show,’ ‘Family Feud,’ ‘Little Big Shots,’ and its offshoot ‘Little Big Shots: Forever Young,’ followed, as did ‘Steve Harvey’s Funderdome.’ Harvey has won five Daytime Emmy Awards and 14 NAACP Image Awards in various categories over the years. He is without a doubt one of the most gifted entertainers in the United States in recent decades.
Childhood and Adolescence
On January 17, 1957, Broderick Stephen Harvey was born in Welch, West Virginia, to Jesse Harvey and Eloise Vera. Jesse, his father, was a coal miner by trade.
When Steve was a child, the Harveys moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Glenville High School was where he finished his primary education. He went on to Kent State University and West Virginia University after graduating in 1974, where he was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
The career of Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey worked as an autoworker, an insurance salesman, a carpet cleaner, and even a mailman before starting his comic career. On October 8, 1985, he gave his first comic performance at Cleveland’s Hilarities Comedy Club.
Harvey took part in the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search in 1990. His participation in the talent contest won him the opportunity to host the music television show ‘It’s Showtime at the Apollo.’ In 1994, he landed a leading role in the ABC series “Me and the Boys.”
In 1996, he made a major professional breakthrough when he began hosting his flagship show, ‘The Steve Harvey Show,’ which he hosted until 2002. The show was particularly well-liked among African-Americans.
Harvey continued to perform stand-up comedy alongside his television career. He collaborated with other stand-up comedians on a number of pieces, which were later put into a DVD film named “The Original Kings of Comedy.”
Harvey created the show ‘Steve Harvey’s Big Time Challenge’ in 2003. He was cast as both a comedian and a host on the variety show. Until 2005, the show aired on the WB Network. He even wrote a book called ‘Steve Harvey’s Big Time’ at this time.
Harvey tried his hand at the big screen in 2003 after establishing a name for himself on TV and on stage. That year, he appeared in the films ‘The Fighting Temptations’ and ‘Racing Stripes’ (in a supporting part).
As an actor, entertainer, author, and TV host, Harvey was making waves in all forms of entertainment by mid-2005. He wrote the critically praised bestseller ‘Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,’ and followed it up with the film ‘Think Like a Man,’ which was released shortly after.
In 2008, he hosted the Disney Dreamers Academy, a career-focused show for teenagers. Harvey went on to host the television show ‘Family Feud‘ two years later. The show went on to become the second most watched daytime syndicated show, despite its poor ratings. In 2010, Harvey was also the host of Celebrity Family Feud.
Harvey’s 27-year career as a stand-up comedian came to an end in August 2012, when he did his final stand-up comedy performance at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Harvey started his self-titled chat show, ‘Steve Harvey,’ a month after his final stand-up set. It lasted until 2016, when it was replaced by a new syndicated chat program called ‘Steve,’ which premiered in November 2016. Harvey had more creative flexibility on the latter show.
Aside from television and movies, Harvey has played an important role in radio. He hosts ‘The Steve Harvey Morning Show,’ a weekday morning radio show that began broadcasting in 2005 and continues to this day.
Since 2015, Harvey has been the host of the Miss Universe contest. He hosted the final events in Las Vegas, Philippines, and Las Vegas recently. Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutiérrez, was mistakenly declared as the winner of the Miss Universe title in 2015, instead of Miss Philippines, Pia Wurtzbach. After Gutiérrez was incorrectly crowned, the error was quickly corrected.
Major Projects of Steve Harvey
With his flagship show, ‘The Steve Harvey Show,’ Steve Harvey made his biggest breakthrough in 1996. The series was highly popular and earned him numerous prizes and accolades during its six-year run. From 1999 to 2002, he received the NAAC Image Outstanding Actor Award in a Comedy Series four times in a row, while his program won the NAACP Outstanding Comedy Series Award three times in a row from 2000 to 2002.
Achievements & Awards
In five different categories, Steve Harvey has won the prestigious Daytime Emmy Award. He’s also the 14-time winner of the NAACP Image Award.
He earned the BET Humanitarian Award in 2011.
In 2013, he won the People’s Choice Award for ‘Favorite New Talk Show Host’ for the 39th time. He was also honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame that year. He was honored into the NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2014.
The street where Harvey grew up, East 112th Cleveland, was renamed Steve Harvey Way in 2015. Harvey received an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Alabama State University a year later.
Personal & Family Life
Steve Harvey has had three marriages. Marcia Harvey, with whom he has twin daughters and a son, was his first wife. After that, he married Mary Shackelford, with whom he had a second son.
Harvey married Marjorie Bridges in 2007, two years after his divorce from Shackelford. Bridges is the mother of three children from her first marriage. They have seven children and four grandchildren together.
Harvey professes to be a committed Christian.
Estimated Net Worth
Steve Harvey has a net worth of $200 million. He is an American comedian, businessman, award-winning show host, and performer. He is best known for hosting “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and the game series “Family Feud” and “Celebrity Family Feud.”