Club Shay Shay - Steve Harvey

Episode Date: April 24, 2023

Steve Harvey is here in the club! The comedian, actor and host of Family Feud sits down with Shannon for a wide-ranging conversation on his career, family and tells some incredible stories. It's a conversation not to be missed! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Make sure to listen to the Good Morning Football podcast Monday through Friday on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. My first marriage, I got married when I was 24. I messed that up. The second one... I need another drink. I just said I don't do two, but you got me in here now. Sacrifice, hustle, pay the price, want a slice, got the roll of dice, that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life, all my life, been grinding all my life. Sacrifice, hustle, pay the price, want a slice, got the roll of dice, that's why all my life I've been grinding all my life.

Hello, welcome to another edition of Club Shea Shea. I am your host, Shannon Sharp. I'm also the proprietor of Club Che Che and the guy that's stopping by for conversation on a drink today. When we started Club Che Che, we told you we were going to try to bring you the biggest athletes, entertainers, celebrities, and we think we've landed Moby Dick today. He's one of the most recognized and beloved global entertainers in the world, one of the most powerful voices in media.

He's an Emmy Award- winning TV personality and talk show host New York Times best selling author National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Famer he has a star on the Hollywood

Walk of Fame a comedy legend top rated radio personality popular game show and TV host producer actor writer

fashion entrepreneur media mogul investor motivational speaker innovative business leader active humanitarian and global philanthropist, a true, true renaissance man, none other than the great Steve Harvey. Steve. All that.

Best intro I've ever had. Did I leave anything off? Probably did, but don't worry about it. The card on it's so big, Steve. The card on it's so big. I know. We out of time. How you doing? Hey, man, I'm good. First of all, let me so big, Steve. The card on it's so big. I know. We out of time. How you doing? Hey, man. I'm good. First of all, let me

say this, man. I don't do a lot of podcasts. I've only done a few. But when you called, man, I had to do it because of all the people on television, your commentary, you're the one dude that

thinks just like me. Man, you ain't probably said nothing I ain't disagreed with. Nothing. I like your straight, your honesty, your forwardness, man. That country-ass baritone. That you be mispronouncing

words. Me, you, and Perkins. Me, you, and Perkins ought to have a podcast. Talking about, yeah, they said it. Steve, I know you, you know, health is wealthy, you're doing the right thing, but would you grace me and have a drink with me? This

actually is my own conure. I actually do that. Don't worry about that. Pour that in there. I drank a little bit. A little bit? Yeah, I ain't gonna be drunk. No, no, no, no, we not gonna be drunk. No, we not gonna be. I ain't never been drunk before in my life, man. That's a good thing.

Yeah, I've never had more than one drink. That's a good thing too. My brother. To all the success, thank you, bro. We gonna send you away with a bottle of this. Oh, that's smooth. Yeah, all we need now is a cigar. Yeah, that's all right.

I appreciate it. No, that's pretty good, man. So how have you been? Man, I'm good, you know. Working on my health, man, most important thing right now. I'm good, man. I really can't. You know, I've entered a new phase. Okay.

I was out the country recently, and I was, kept talking to God about these deals, you know. And we'd get right to the edge, and we'd almost get there, something would happen. Then we'd almost get to another one, and something would happen. And then I just figured it out, man. God said, I want you to go home. And I came back out to country and I just went home. He said, I know you're asking me for a lot of stuff, but I want you to just take a minute and look at everything I done gave you. Look at everything I done for you. Now just let me know you all right and then we'll go from there. Right. But I had to come home, man, for the past couple months and just look at all he done for me. I'm good.

So you were thinking that because the deals weren't happening, God revealed to you, you need to go home and be thankful for what I've already given you instead of what you don't have right now. Because my focus was into what I was trying to make happen Mm-hmm, and I was losing sight of what had already happened, right? And if you want more you got to be grateful for what you have, but I was so busy wanting to more I forgot to focus and take a look at what he'd already done, right? I came home man. I went home sat around my house for a while went down to my ranch did some fishing Just look I looked at all that space and stuff,

and all of a sudden I realized, I said, man, I'm really good. I forgot. Okay, God, I see what you were saying. Right. Yeah. He'll give you some more. But would you mind? Be appreciative of what you have.

Would you just please, please be a little bit appreciative of what I've already done? You mentioned your health as well. And I see you, I follow you, and I see you exercising. I see you eating right. What was the turning point that you said, you know what, I'm healthy, but I believe I can do better. I can be more healthy.

Well, you know, man, I had a couple of health issues, man, that I discovered. I'm 66, man. So I got to looking around, man, and I had high blood. I had this thing called Shargasson's, which is an immune disorder. Okay. You know, I get my blood work done about four times a year. Okay. My white blood count was low, couldn't get it up.

And then I was struggling with sleep apnea. Okay. You know, I was waking up in the middle of the night. I had all this going on, man, and I said, wait a minute, man, hold up. I got to do something. So I went to this company, man, and I found this brother who was one of the top nutritional scientists ever come out of Harvard named John Lyons. Okay. And I went to him and I said, hey, man, I found out that drinking green drinks is really good for you. Right. But I, I just can't gag it down every morning. You know what I'm saying?

Kale, like I don't really understand. It's awful. I don't, it's not in the Bible. It's not, kale is for four legged animals only. You got to have short square teeth that's blocked at the top. Cause you got it. You got to get that kale in your mouth and work animals only. You gotta have short, square teeth that's blocked at the top, cause you gotta get that kale in your mouth and work with it. You gotta have extra. And I just gagging it down every morning. I said, hey man, can y'all come up with a green drink

for me that tastes good? And so we formulated, about a year and a half it took, did a lot of tests, and finally we came up with this product called Elevate U, this delicious green drink, and I started taking it. I started feeling better, and it actually gave me more energy. So then I was able to get in that gym, and I could start addressing some of these real issues. And right now, man, I'm getting there, man. You said that you were struggling sleeping. Was it because you have a hard time, because

I think people that are successful really have a hard time turning their mind off boy. They constantly thinking they constantly like I need to do this I need to do this. I need to do this. And so the mind is constantly focused. It never relaxes. So you can't sleep That's exactly right. That's exactly it. And the whole thing is you got to turn your mind off. Yes, you know They come up with stuff like Melatonin or something like that. And then they got a little thing called LDN and all this here.

But really, man, when you hustling and grinding, Yes. that's a cost for everything. Correct. You know, you don't get to where we are, people like this.

You don't get here free. Right. This come with a cost. Right. And it's going to cost you a lot of free time. It's going to cost you a lot of your time. And's going to cost you a lot of

your time. And that's just it. You know, people, they got mad at me one time because I did drop the video where I was talking about if you want to get rich, you can't sleep eight hours. Right. And then here come all the haters online talking about Steve Harvey prefers wealth over health. No, I don't. I would give anything to be fully healthy right but at the same time if you're trying to get it and talk about it really have it you got a lock and load man right you ate if you sleep eight hours you sleep a third of your life one third of your life especially now you tell me how you gonna get successful in the United States of America and you sleep a third of your life. Help me

understand that, how that's possible. Then they come, well, Oprah sleep, Oprah billionaire. Right. But Oprah didn't sleep like that trying to accumulate that. She could sleep, she probably sleep 20 hours a day now. She could stay asleep. She could be real Van Winkle. No, she ain't got to wake up for, she can lay, Oprah can lay that probably about four, five years. Wake up, still have plenty of money. Right. I sleep four, five years, man. I got to start over.

You're from a small town in West Virginia. Yeah. What was life like growing up in that small town? How long did you stay there? Until I was five. Okay, so you didn't spend a whole lot of time there. Then you moved to Cleveland. So most of your formative years, what you remember is in Cleveland, correct?

Right, but that form, because every summer I had to go back. Oh, okay. And work the farm with my uncle and grandfather. Okay. Because we had raised two hogs. Right. And we killed them in the fall. Right.

So we had to go back. And in the summer, I had to go work all the crops because that's what we ate cuz my daddy was a construction worker right so he couldn't my father couldn't work in the wintertime right so we had to go down here kill these two hogs and get all these crops from the summer you know put them in the salt salt house you're all like yes yes and that was work man you had to work so I really learned a lot growing up in the country. But then I was a city boy, too,

so I had the best of both worlds, man. You know, I ain't flushed your toilet till I was five years old. I ain't know what that was. Right. I ain't know they had. I ain't know you could cut your faucet on in your house.

Right. You know, so I learned a lot. I was poor, but I ain't really know it. Because everybody around you was poor. Everybody went to the bathroom outside. Yeah.

Ain't nobody had no water faucet. No, well water. Even the white people. See, you know what, see that's why I think, kind of like when you say that you and I share a lot of the same ideas, because I grew up in rural South Georgia. Yeah.

And I didn't really take a shower in a house until I was in the NFL. I was 21. Really? 22, yeah. We had no indoor plumbing, no running water. We drank well water. I went outside the first 20 years. I didn't know what it was like to use the bathroom inside.

See, people always say that. You're 66, right? Yeah. I'll be 55 in June. This was the 80s. This wasn't 1960. This wasn't 1950, 1940. This was the 80s. This wasn't 1960. This wasn't 1950, 1940. This was the 80s.

Until my brother purchased my grandmother's house in September of 1988 was the first time I actually used the bathroom in someone's house. Other than that, I went outside. See, that's, you know, the average person don't even, they can't understand, like I talk to young, you know, the average person don't even. No. They can't understand.

Like, I talk to a lot of young people. Right. And they say, man, like my sons, dad, you saw everything get invented. Yeah. Color TV. You know, I saw, we had color TV. Well, the one dude had color TV on that street. We all went around his house just to see color TV.

Right. It was 13 TV. Right. It was 13 inches, about 25 people packed in there, you know, trying to watch his damn TV. I saw cell phones getting invented. Right. So, you know, the internet, I saw all that, man. So it gives you a different appreciation, I think.

You said that you had a speech impediment when you were growing up and that you had a teacher that said you weren't going to make it because you stuttered. And there's someone in your community, someone in Delhi that says, slow down, say what you want to, you know, take three and then start over again. How did that make you feel when you like, she crushed my, I'm a kid and she already crushing my dream. She a teacher. Yes.

She's supposed to lift you. Doc, this dream killing helpful. You know, I said, what kind? You know, I said, it's fun in class. Because we had to write an assignment, what you want to be when you grow up. The first day of school. Right. Sixth grade. And I write, I want to be on TV.

She called everybody by name, had them stand up. Then she made me come to the front I go to the front. I think I'm finna get a gold star I got the best answer in right because I knew all my laughs was better Kalani cage had wrote on his paper He won't be a doctor his ass couldn't even read in the reading group So I don't know how long it gonna be no damn doctor This has got to be so at least I wrote something that had a chance right Lonnie ass got about a bigger chance of being a doctor

as I got a walking my ass to the moon by Friday. So when she called me up there, man, and she said, why did you write this on your paper? And I said, because that was our assignment for today. Right. And then I had a little stuttering problem, so I was stuttering a little bit, and she said, who do you know on TV in this neighborhood?

And so I started, by the tone of her voice, I could tell that this wasn't going the way I, this wasn't for your bold, gold star moment. Be real, yeah. This half of trying to break me

in front of these kids, and she was doing a damn good job of it, too. She was crushing me. Who in this neighborhood ever been on TV? Who in your family ever been on TV? Who in your family ever been on TV? Who in this school been on TV?

And what make you think you can be on TV? And look at you standing there. You can't even talk. You write something more reasonable on your paper. She crushed me, man. I said, damn, this is a teacher. This is in the 68, man. I'm sitting there looking at this lady like,

God, dog. But I kept my paper and took it home. Right. And my mama said, your daddy going to beat you when you get home for being a smart aleck. Because she would call home and say, your child is a smart aleck. Right. Because I wanted to be on TV. Everybody was a basketball player, football player.

Right. I don't like tackle. Right. I ain't like it. You know, you throw me on the ground, I want to fight. I ain't good it. You know, you throw me on the ground, I want to fight. I ain't good at this. Right. So when my father came home, she said, Slick, this boy been a smart aleck up at the school.

And he said, well, what'd you do? I said, I wrote on the paper I want to be on TV. My father said, well, what's wrong with that? And I saw a little glimmer of hope because I wasn't going to get this ass whooping I thought I was going to get. He said, well, this boy can be whatever he want to be. And I, it was like, I was fitting to get executed. Because when my daddy came home, it was time for that.

He was the executioner. My mama was the judge. She handed down the sentence. My daddy was the executioner at the house. So I'm fitting to get executed. And being when he said that, the red phone rang from the governor's office. He got a reprieve. That was a reprieve. And he said that, the red phone rang from the governor's office. He got a reprieve. That was a reprieve.

And he said, don't worry about that. You keep that paper and you read your paper every morning and every night. And I did. I kept that paper until I was about 27 years old. And then I got in comedy at 27. I didn't get on TV until I was 38 years old. Wow. So in school, were you a good student in school? I don't know.

You paused too long when that was you. Yeah, I was trying to figure out what are you, I was there. I had perfect attendance because missing school was, I would get murdered. Right. My father, my dad didn't play that. But you had to work. If you missed school, they put you in the field. You wasn't sick. You couldn't stay home because you was sick. You had to work. Sick?

Yeah, you had to work. What do you mean you sick? Get your ass up to school and learn yourself something. Right. I couldn't be sick. Right. Went to school. Wasn't a good student, man, because I just wasn't interested.

Right. And I just... Were you a class clown? Mm-mm. Not at all. Not at all. So, because a lot of times, Steve, because I just wasn't interested. Right. Were you a class clown? Mm-mm. Not at all. So, because a lot of times, Steve, you know how it is. They call it bullying. We call it picking. Oh, he picking at such and such. Did kids pick at you because you had this speech problem? Oh, I had a stuttering problem.

You can't have a stuttering problem in no public school in Cleveland. Mm-mm. Oh, man. And then big lip boy with some stuttering problem? I come in the room and they have my silhouette on the chalkboard. They have my nose and then my lips would go all the way to the other end of the chalkboard. And they say, Steve, guess who that is? I know who the hell it is. And you know, and then they talk to me and they go,

look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, listen. T-t-t-titty titty so I took a speech impediment speech therapist came right and that's when I knew I was in trouble cause speech therapist for people who stutter They don't they've never stuttered so they can't fix a stutter so they give you these dumbass Drills yeah Avoid words with PR-R in it. Right. Avoid words with S-T in it. My name's Steve. Lady, where we going with this now?

So now I got to avoid my own damn name. Right. Now I'm sitting here, man, trying to. What's your name? Mmm. And man, it was just a disaster, man. I got picked on a lot. But that's what I started my wit at, because I had to develop comebacks. Yeah, you had to get them above you.

Because I was the target all day. Right. And so when we went to the basketball court, and that's the one game I could play was hoops. Because I had hops. I was real thin, but Lord have mercy, I could play was hoops right because I had hops I was real thin but Lord have mercy I could fly okay but I would go to the court and stand behind the chain link link fist and I'd be talking so much trash I would put my lips up against the chain lick fence and be nothing be out there on the court but my lips and I'd be talking much trash, man. Right. And everybody would be dying laughing.

And that's when I learned my first lesson of how to study the room. I was talking about this dude so bad one time. He got tired of me. And he said, hey, little man,

keep on. I'm going to hurt you. But it was some girls watching. Uh-oh, you can't let it go. So now I got to go hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So now I'm pressed up hurt you. But it was some girls watching. Uh-oh, you can't let it go now, Steve. So now I got to go hard. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So now I'm pressed up against the fence. Now I don't see he done looped around. I'm watching the game. I'm looking for him. I don't see him. I didn't know he had looped around behind me. When I realized where he at, he had his whole hand against the back of my head. He was pushing my eyes and everything

No, everything was through the fence. That dude was hamming me boy. He got me good. And that's when I first learned. Okay You got to learn how to read the room, right? Because all these jokes and that was the beginning of it, you know was talking trash, right? So you you you're in Cleveland you going back back, but basically the majority of your years are in Cleveland. What was it about Cleveland that helped shape young Steve into what we see? Cleveland hard, man. Cleveland hard. You've been to Cleveland. I have. It ain't nothing kind. Cleveland is a tough city.

Right. You know, if you come out of Cleveland, it's like coming out of Detroit. If you come out of Cleveland, you can make it. Right. You look at the dudes like Arsenio Hall, Drew Carey, you know, cats like that.

Come from Cleveland, man. Arsenio's daddy was a minister over there because he went to John Adams. I went to Glenville. We both went to Kent State. Okay. You know,

and it's just a hard place, man. It was a lot of gangs, but it wasn't gangs like today. Everybody was in a gang because we had to cover each other when we walked to school. Right. So we was, you know, the Jets. We had to cross Pee Wee Marquis to Delamore to Devil Disciple, Lord Noble Prophets. We had to cross their territory to go to school. So it was a track meet.

Right. All the way to school and all the way back. And you had to have your dudes with you. And then we'd ride our bikes down to Edgewater Park and fight on Saturdays at the church parking lot. You bring six, I'm going to bring six. Now, if you bring six, you stupid. Because I'm going to bring nine. Whatever the agreed number was. It ain't the agreed number was, I padded it.

We go down there so everybody in my neighborhood had hands. We threw hands man, everybody could box. That's what got me in golden gloves, all like that. And it was just my father's rigid upbringing man about manhood. Do what you say you're gonna do be honorable be tough and never quit that that and then my mama was a sunday school teacher okay so that combination of faith and my daddy's uh work ethic and manhood combined my mama was never pray boy pray pray right go to church go to church love the lord the lord ain't gonna leave you. My mama just ingrained that in me. Did you understand that, what she was saying

when you were that young? Because a lot of times you don't realize what they're saying is so impactful until you're much, much older and they're gone. Of course not. I didn't get it. I thought all this going to church, this is why we in here.

Right. Monday night prayer, Tuesday night Bible study, Wednesday night practice. What we doing? You know, I don't even want, I got so sick of, I was so sick of going to church, I asked my big brother one time, I said, hey man, let me ask you something. How hot is hell? Because if he could have gave me a number that I could work with, like 126, I was just

going to like, just go on go to hell right because dog I ain't on the sports teams or nothing because I'm at church all the time right but I didn't get it I didn't get it until I I didn't really get it until I was homeless I ain't really get it and everything she said to to me, I heard it over and over and over and over and over. But as you write, as a child, no, man, I didn't get it. I didn't see it. You say you went to Kent State. Why did you go?

And you said about the guy that was saying that he wanted to be a doctor. You had told me that you weren't a good student. Why would you go to college if you're not a good student? I don't, amen, tell you the truth. My best friend Ricardo Mm-hmm. I heard he was going to Kent State. I didn't even apply for college But see Kent was where they had killed the four kids right the National Guard. Yeah. Yeah, so a lot of blacks Quit going to college right down there, right?

So they had this thing called Cleveland scholarship Program that would give you free room and board if you went to Kent State. So he had signed up for that program. So when I found out he was going, I had no ambition of going to college. It never crossed my mind. I was gonna work construction with my daddy, just like my two brothers.

That's why I was gonna be a construction worker. Right. And every summer, when I was in high school, I worked construction with my daddy. That's when I knew this ain't for me. Yeah. No, I got to do something else. Yeah, that's hard work. Boy, just standing out on this bridge.

It hot. With a hot tar mop in my hand. I said, no, I'm going to go to college. But I went there. I didn't have no study habits or nothing. Right. Because I had worked all through high school. Right.

Picking pay and Grocery stores and stuff like that. I had a bike and I was a senior man I had enough credits while I was through school at 12 o'clock right at 1 o'clock I was on my job what day how you you done cuz I wasn't done with my college I wouldn't go with high school at 12 o'clock. I have a no credit and I was I was an okay student I was great, but you did enough, you did so, you applied. It was you didn't apply yourself. You were a good student, you didn't apply yourself, did you?

I was a better criminal. You talking about cheating. Boy, I knew who to set next to. We had systems. I'm gonna graduate. Cause we had systems. You know, we was getting tests. I was doing everything. I ain't even gonna lie to you. I did everything, man, just to graduate. Right. Because we had systems. Right. You know, we was getting tests. I was doing everything.

I ain't going to lie to you. I did everything, man, just to graduate. So I had plenty of credits. Right. Wasn't no A's or nothing like that. The only A I ever got was in gym, physical. I got straight A's in gym. Right.

Because I love anything to do with that. Right. But I got out of school. I had no, plus Cleveland Public School, man, come on. We had Valley Victorian and all that. I didn't even know what that was. Yeah, I was at the graduation just sitting there. We had 695 people in my

graduating class. Wow. I graduated 690. 695, that's a huge school from back then. No, it was 3,000 people at our high school. We was number one track team in the state every year I was there. And Teddy

Ginn just won the first state football championship for East Center School in the history. That Glenville boy's special place. I went to school with Teddy Ginn. It's a special place, man. I heard you say that when you did construction, you realized like you

were standing on that bridge with that hot tarm up in your hand This ish ain't for me Is that and I tell kids the exact same thing what you said have a lot of jobs as a kid? Because it let you know what you don't want to do as an adult Because if you're a kid with all that energy And you don't want to do that when you get on the door that you get older you don't want no parts of that Yeah, man, it was it was crystal clear to me. I said, man, I'm not the laborer dude.

Now my father made us know hard work. I've been working on farms since I was a kid. I was plowing behind a mule when I was 11. By myself. Handling a teal plow with that little iron blade. I know exactly what it is. Gee, I'm working. Yeah.

So I always knew what hard work was. But that thing I had wrote on the paper when I was 10 that never left my mind. Right. That I want to be on TV. I kept, like I watched everybody that was on TV. Bill Cosby was the greatest influence because he was on I Spy. Early 60s. In 66. Yeah.

So when he came on TV, he was the first black person that had a speaking role. So I'm looking at this dude. He talking to white folks and telling them what to do. Right. And then Muhammad Ali was out here. Right. Okay. Saying I am the greatest.

So I had worked. That had. We had the same here. Right, okay. Saying I am the greatest. Right. So I had worked, that had, we had the same birthday, man. Right. So I adopted Muhammad Ali as my mentor. Right. In my head.

And when I met him for the first time, I cried for 30 minutes. Non-stop. I got the two pictures of my heroes. I met Richard Pryor. I got the picture the day I met Richard Pryor. I got the picture the day I met Richard Pryor,

and I had a photo the day I met Muhammad Ali. And I'm in tears in both them photos because they meant that much to me. That Muhammad Ali talking to white people the way he was talking to them, calling rounds, I am the greatest. The thing he said that stuck with me the most was, he said, I said I was the greatest before I was the greatest.

And that etched in my brain. So that's what taught me to manifest things before it happens. I would say all the time. And so those were the two greatest influences in my life, man, that pushed me to want to follow that dream and pursue it, you know? You didn't know what you wanted to be on television. You just wanted to be on TV. I had no idea. I didn't even think it was comedy. I knew I was quick-witted as a child because my mama used to take me to church on Friday nights to get me prayed for,

because there's something wrong with this boy. Because this boy just say whatever on his mind. I couldn't cut it off, Shannon. If you said something to me, I said something back. And what I had to say was pretty sharp. And I got a lot of ass whoopings for that. I got put in the principal's office for that a lot of time. I just couldn't cut it off. My mama thought something was wrong with me. I didn't know

that was my gift. Right. But I didn't know how to harness it. I didn't know how to work it, man. And I was just firing it off. It took me until I went to Kent State and a girl named Ida Washington who married one of my best friends named Wayne Knowles when I was a freshman she was a sophomore she sent me down she said Steve can I talk to you I said yes she said why did you come to college would you say good question yeah I don't know it's free she said you don't belong here Wow she said're wasting your time. She said, you don't even belong here. She said, you don't know it, but you're going to be a star one day.

And I went, what? She was the first person that ever told me that. I was a freshman sitting there going, that sounds good. I want that, but I have no concept of how to make it happen. And then, as a freshman, I heard Richard Pryor's album. I was listening to Wanted. And then I went and got everything Carlsby did, everything Pryor did.

And then in 1976, Pryor came out with Bicentennial Nigga. And that album, I memorized everything. Everything. Every joke he said on the album. Everything. So when the dudes was in the room getting high, I'd get up, chair, stand up in the chair, do Pryor,

do Cosby. I'd do stuff I had written. But I still didn't know it was comedy at that time. So when did you start writing jokes? Okay, you fell in love with Pryor, you fell in love with Cosby, you know what they did. So when did you start writing jokes

and started morphing and moving in that direction? Well, it was by accident, really, because a comedian named A.J. Jamal was a friend of mine, and he a friend of mine and he worked at IBM and I worked at General Electric and he was doing comedy but I didn't know what that was and he would come to me and say hey man I wrote this joke what you think because he knew I was funny right and so I would correct it I would say no man say this this and this. And he would give me $10 every time I gave him a joke.

So I'd make an extra $40 a week. I'm going like, yo, it's 1980, man. That's cool. I didn't know what he was doing with the joke. I'd never heard of a comedy club before. I'd never heard of how I could be a professional comedian. And then one day I was over his house turning these jokes in and this girl named

Gladys Jacobs was there and she said you the dude that's writing these jokes for Jamal? And I went yeah. She said he the funniest comedian at the comedy club. I said really? With your jokes? Yeah. I mean he wrote his own

But I wrote so hell and I was going what what you talking about? She said at the comedy club. He the funniest one I Said what are you talking about comedy club? She said you ain't never been to no comedy club I said no, she said why are you writing them jokes for him? Why don't you do him yourself? Now I'm 26, about to be 27. Okay. I got two kids, twins.

I'm struggling. I'm lost. I still don't know what I want to do. But that I want to be on TV was just in the back of my head, you dig? So, she said, I'm going to pick you up Tuesday night, and I'm going to take you to this place called Hilarity's Comedy Club, and I want you to see what they do.

So I went down there. She picked me up. We rode 40 minutes down to Hilarity's. It was in Cleveland? Where is this now? It's in Akron, Ohio. Akron, Ohio. Kyle Hogarth Falls, Ohio.

Okay. Right between Cleveland and Akron. Gotcha. Now, that's down there right by Kent State, too. Okay, Ohio. Okay right between Cleveland and act gotcha now. I'm just down there right back. Can't stay great Yeah, I go in and she say sign up for next week. So I signed up I don't even know what I'm doing and I'm sitting down and I'm watching these comedians go up and it's ten of them It's amateur night, right and I'm I'm not laughing. She said why are you not laughing cuz I'm rewriting all these jokes Oh, okay. I'm just not, I'm sitting there

going, man, he should have said this. He should have said that. And, um, finally got to number 10 and they call this guy's name and he ain't there. And they call his name again and he ain't there. And they said, well, he's not here. We're going to go to next week's list. Give it up for Steve Harvey. Now I'm eating a chicken wing and I hear her say, give it up for Steve Harvey. Now I'm eating a chicken wing and I hear her say, give it up for Steve Harvey. I turn to her and say, it's a dude in here

got the same name I got. She said, you a stupid son of a bitch. She was a hood chick. She said, you a stupid son of a bitch. She looked at me so disgusted. You just a stupid son of a bitch. And I guess I was. She said,

that's you. And they kept clapping. They said, where's Steve? And she said, here he is. Uh-oh. He said, Steve, come on up. I just ran up on stage, man. And I was just standing there. This room full of all whites. Uh-oh. And I said, hey, y'all, listen here. I ain't even supposed to be here. I'm on next week's show. And they started laughing. You know, white people laugh different. Yeah.

You would have said that in front of black people. Well, why is your ass here? Yeah, exactly. Why are you up there? Immediately. But white people thought it was the joke. Right. And then I was lost. I didn't know what to do. Right.

She said, tell them about when you was boxing. She just hollered out. So I was telling her on the way down about this dude named Bernard Taylor that I had fought at Golden Globes. Uh-huh. And it was a big dude, and it was a whole joke about how he had punched me one time.

And he didn't have nothing but a left hook. He didn't have nothing but a left hook to the kidney. That's all he had. You could whoop his ass the rest of the fight, but if he got that left hook in, he was going to crumble your ass. And he got it in. And I imitated how he got in the ring

because he was pigeon-toed. These white folks was dying laughing. So they got a laugh laugh and then I said, well, man, I got a laugh. Let me keep telling jokes. So I wrote another joke for Jamal that I hadn't sold him yet. And back then, I can't do this joke now,

but it was a joke. This was 85. It's a joke about AIDS. Which was perfectly acceptable back then. Nobody knew the horror of it It hadn't quite so I did this joke and they was dying laughing horrible joke Completely horrible right distasteful everything knowing what you know today, right? But then died laughing I Walk on stage. They bring all ten of us back up. They have a clap-off. I

Win the clap-off. I win $50. You hooked. An agent came up to me and said, man, how long you been doing this? You been at this about three years, huh? I said, yeah. I look right at him and lie. I ain't have no problem.

I got the $50. I'm driving home 40 minutes. I'm crying the entire ride home. Right. Gladys looking at me, she said, what you crying for? It ain't but $50. I said, you don't understand. Right. I went to work the next day

and quit my job with $50. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps, and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick

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Catch the podcast at NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal every day. Subscribe today and you'll immediately be smarter and funnier than your friends. And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So that was the moment that you said, OK, this is what I want to do with my life. I ain't got nothing else. This was the brightest light bulb ever came on for me. That light bulb had never switched on better for me at nothing.

Lincoln Electric, General Electric, carpet cleaning, rib joint, Amway products, Shackley products, Dick Gregory Bohemian Diet, A.L. Williams Insurance, Commonwealth Insurance. I had all these jobs. The light bulb went off. I was born that night. And I went to work next day

and quit my job. Came home and told my mama I quit my job. Uh-oh. She tried to talk me back into it, told my brothers. They said, man, you crazy. Created a lot of problems

with my ex-wife. That wasn't her fault, man. That was me. I shouldn't have been nobody's husband at 24. I made a lot of mistakes, right? But I told my father, and my father again said, well, boy, if you think you can make it, go ahead. And so that was it.

I struck out. You lucky. Because a lot of fathers back then, it was like if you went to school, you did school and you came and did what the father did. Or you dropped out of school and did what the father did. Your dad was very unique, Steve. I don't know if you realized

it at the time, but you probably do now. He encouraged you to follow your dreams. Because he, my daddy was funny, man. He told me one time he came to see me. I was selling out arenas. You know,

my father told me, he said, boy, I could have done this shit you're doing and I would have did it. Look at you. My father would cry

all the time. Look at him. He'd come to shows, man. My mother never saw me live because my mom was saved. Right. She didn't want to hear me cussing.

Can't cuss. My daddy, he came down to hear me cussing. Can't cuss. My daddy, he came down there for the cussing. My daddy was down there cussing with me. My father. Go ahead. Finish the story. My father was a front row one time in Mississippi

at the DeSoto Center. He came to see me, him and my brothers. He turned around. They were laughing. This lady said, you're laughing real hard at this show. He said, you know who the fuck that is up there? That's my boy. I made that motherfucker right there.

That's my little motherfucker. That motherfucker come out of these hills. I said, this motherfucker down here. My father, man, was a hard-ass cat. But he was the one that encouraged me the most. He did. I'm looking at guys like Samuel Jackson and Morgan Freeman. Samuel Jackson found success at 40.

Morgan Freeman was 52. You was almost 40. You said 38 when you got your big break. Yeah. Do you think that really helped you because you didn't have success so early? It made you appreciate the trials and tribulations that you had gone through gone through to get to this point you know it really did man see the thing i learned is gifted people god almost runs you through the furnace with your gift before he allows the gift to manifest itself like you you had to go through all the different levels before you became a pro.

Correct. And it made you appreciate your career. Absolutely. You worked hard. Yes. Your ass was a dog, man. You came to every practice, everything, because you appreciated it.

Yes. If he had gave you that at 18, you'd have messed it up. Right. If he'd have gave me this at 30, I'd have messed it up. Right. If he'd have gave me this at 30 I'd have ruined it. There's no way I could have had this much success these checks at 30.

I'm telling you right now I would have used all my powers for evil. Dog ain't no way to work. I would have been abusive. There's no way. The women that I would have gone for

in my thin, well-built, broke-ass life, if I had any money to go with that, if I could have got the haircut I could afford to get laid on right if I could afford the wardrobe I could afford then oh lord have mercy I would have ruined it I would have taken it and thrown it out the window but he shaped me he took all these years to gather me he let me live in that car a little over three years right now I had learned a lesson when I was homeless I was good right and I told him I said hey

God I'm good you know I got it I don't know what you're trying to tell me but trust me I got it it's working whatever you try to tell me you got my undivided attention yeah but he said no little bit longer yeah I got I got it I got it I got it I got to put keep you in this furnace a little bit more when you're living in the car. What's you? Besides obviously you're living in a car, but what's your lowest? What what was like damn? What did that go wrong? Should I have done this? Should I say what where did that go wrong? What's your lowest? Pensacola, Florida You know, I used to

park my car in like expensive parking lots like Ritz, Carlton, you know, stuff like that, you know, high-end hotels. Right. Because they had the bathrooms, they had linen towels in the basket, and they had

the bathroom doors that went all the way to the floor. Right. So I would take them linen baskets and run hot water over the whole basket and get some soap and go in there and shut the door. And I'd lather up and shower. Right. And then I'd wait until I don't hear nobody.

I'd go out there and get another basket, wet it all up, and come and get all the soap off of me. Right. One time, man, I was catching it real bad, and come and get all the soap off of me. One time, man, I was catching it real bad, man. I was in Pensacola, Florida, and I went into this bathroom, and I got this soap, and I

lathered up. But there was a convention, and they had let out, and so it was just me and coming in the bathroom continuously. So I couldn't get back out there to get to fresh cloths. So I couldn't get back out there to get to fresh cloths. So I set the toilet lid down

and that soap just dried on me. And I was sitting there, man, and just tears. I said, man, look at my life. I'm washing up in bathrooms. I've been taking baths and washing up at rest stops and gas stations I'm

going home man I quit this enough I'm gonna go home call my daddy ask him cuz my father had a simple rule once you leave here don't come yeah yeah can't come back so I said let me let me call home ask him can I can I just come home for six months, find me another job. I'm in my 30s now, man, and see if I can start over. So I go home, I call him, he ain't home, ain't nobody home. But I had an answer machine in the attic, so I called the answer machine, and a message came through from a dude named Chuck Sutton. Rest in peace, he passed now.

He said, Steve, this is Chuck Sutton from Showtime at the Apollo. I just saw a videotape of yours. You're extremely funny. We got an opening Sunday night. This is a Thursday. We got an opening Sunday night at Showtime at the Apollo,

Harlem, New York. If you can get here, let me know. Now, this is after I done got up off this toilet. Toilet, but you got dry soap on you. So I just put my clothes on, and I went out, got me my quarters, and I called the house. And then this machine comes up. I still got soap on me.

I got my clothes on. I'm giving up. I'm going home. I'm going to drive to Cleveland. I'm going to go home. He said, if you can get here Sunday, I appreciate it. Click. Call me if you can make it. Now, I'm going to go home. He said, if you can get here Sunday, I appreciate it. Click, call me if you can make it. Now I'm in Pensacola, Florida. I got $35. He said Sunday. How the hell am I going to get to New York by Sunday? So now, man, I'm in the car. I'm wiped

out again. The first chance I got to be on TV, and I can't even get there. Oh, dog, you don't know, man. That moment for me was so crushing. I feel it. I don't like telling it because I feel it. Man, it crushed me. So I said, this is God, really? So I went back to check the machine,

make sure he said this Sunday. Right. I called him back. He said the same thing. Saw a great tape. If you can make it this Sunday, let me know. And when I got ready to hang up, boop, it beeped again. Now this time it didn't beep before, but another beep came through. So that means another message. Says Steve Harvey, this is Tom Sobel from the Comedy Caravan. I don't know where you are, but I got an opening tomorrow night in Jacksonville, Florida at the Punchline on Bay Meadows Boulevard. If you can get there, I got

$150 for you. I called Tom. I said, hey, man, I'm in Pensacola. I can make it. Friday night, I went and made $150. I was so funny. He fired the guy whose place I was taking and said, if you do a Saturday night, I'll give you another $150. I was so funny. He fired the guy whose place I was taking and said, if you do a Saturday night, I'll give you another $150. Saturday morning, I called Showtime at the Apollo, asked Chuck,

I said, hey man, is that thing still open for Sunday? He said, sure it is for you. I said, I'll be there Sunday. I performed Sunday night. Now I got $300. Eastern Airlines was open then. I got a $99 ticket. Flew all the way to Harlem, New York. Everything I had in two bags. Went to the Harlem, New York, 2 o'clock in the afternoon. They said, you can't come in here till 6. I said, man, I ain't got nowhere to go.

Just let me, I'll go upstairs. I won't move. Security let me go upstairs. I asked him, can I go get some chicken four hours later? He said, man, I told your ass you can't go nowhere. You know, this Harlem, they don't play. I said, man, I just got to get me something to eat. He said, if you ain't back in 20 minutes,

just don't lock. I got back in 20 minutes. Six o'clock came. All the comedians on the sixth floor. I meet a dude named Dwayne Johnson. Not The Rock. Dwayne Johnson. I met a dude named D.ne Johnson, not The Rock, a dude named Dwayne Johnson. I met a dude named D.L. Hughley. I met another dude named Jamie Foxx. Wow. This is 1991, 92. We looking

at each other, man. I had never heard of them. They had never heard of me. I saw a couple pictures in comedy club. That was it. I met him. We start going on stage with six comedians at night all them got booed off but when they start booing Jamie Jamie ass starts singing and they want a ass back I had never seen that I'd never seen the Apollo audience stopped booing before Jamie Foxx starts singing I said man who is this dude right here and then he went back to the jokes, and they got his ass. Now, I'm last. Now, imagine this, man. I'm sitting there, man.

I mean, I can't. I'm shaking. Nervous. I'm scared to death. Yeah. Ladies and gentlemen, Cleveland, Ohio, Steve Harvey. I went out there.

I had just wrote this joke about Mike Tyson getting in a fight with Mitch Green. Yeah. And Mitch Green was talking, and then I took over. Right. And I had just wrote that joke, and I did it for the first time on Showtime with Apollo. Them black folks tore that place up, hollering, laughing.

I got a standing ovation walked off two weeks later they said would you come back again I went back two weeks later they said Mark Curry's missing would you do us a favor and host amateur night Steve Harvey when hosted amateur night I've been on TV ever since man ever since but did you know like when you told that joke the Mitch Green joke

and they invited you back did you know I'm here to stay? I it was no way I was going back. I was so ready the second time

I wrote a set the second time that I thought was funnier than that. They was just waiting on that Mitch Green joke. Right. I put a plastic shower cap on my head. I was doing this thing

about why they always go get the black dude at the fire with the shower cap on to explain what happened. Right. They laughed at that, but they were waiting on that eye joke. Do the eye! No problem. Let me get the eye. I moved that eye joke right on up. Right. I did that eye joke again. They ass fell out again.

And that was it, man. And then Chuck Sutton said, hey, man, it's between you and a few other people. We're considering making you the permanent host of Amateur Night. I did that for one year. I was so good. They said, hey, man, would you host the entire show? And I said yeah, but I said under one condition, you had to get rid of all the warm up acts. I'll stay out here on this stage

and keep the crowd warm between acts and everything. And they let me do it. Because Apollo was a dangerous place, man. The first year I had a warm up act, he would go out there and they would get pissed I would hear them booing and stuff now I got to go back in here resurrect this dead-ass crowd right so I just started doing it all myself and I stayed on TV man so not we're gonna get back to that is that kind of why you do the way you do it family for you bro because I noticed like I said, I haven't seen

a whole lot of behind the scenes, but it's like you impart life lessons on the audience. That comes from when I was homeless. I was so distraught at one point. I couldn't

deal with God. I said, God, if you let me make it when I get there, I'm going to tell everybody who it was, and I'm going to tell them about you. So whenever we go to commercial break, I try to give people that come see me, instead of a laugh, I try to give them something. Right.

Just something. I'm old enough, man, that I done a lot. I try to give them something. And at the end of the show, everybody called it church. I had this moment. Now at the end of the show, it's just all about the creator and what he's done and how you can have relationship with him and stuff.

You know, and like, I ain't no, I ain't no minister, you understand? I'm a, I'm a, at best I'm entry level. best, I'm entry-level. I've been practicing entry-level Christianity for a long time. Right. Because I found out I didn't do good at advanced Christianity. Ain't no need of me doing that.

I'll still slap you, you understand? You can't get up in my face but for so long. Right. I still cuss, I shoot dice, I drink a little cognac, I smoke cigars and I gamble. Now, I don't think that's all Christian-like, but when I'm in Vegas, you know, I'm trying to win my tithe.

Now, when you tell the Lord, I'm trying to win or something, Lord. That 10% is strong. My 10% is strong, dog. So I try to shake them loose. Right. The Steve Harvey show comes. How did that come about?

I was on radio in Chicago. I had finished up this show on ABC called Me and the Boys. Yeah. Which got canceled. The highest rated show in the history of ABC to ever get canceled. I finished the season number 21 out of 144 shows. But this dude, Matt Williams, I think his name was, who had the TV show Home Improvement with Tim Allen. Yes.

He had a deal where if his show finished in the top 10, he could get the time slot after him. And that was my time slot. So they took me off TV. And they gave me a pretty large time slot after him. And that was my time slot. So they took me off TV. And they gave me a pretty large holding deal after that. They don't do them deals no more, but they gave me a pretty large holding deal. And I went and bought a house with my holding deal because I figured if Hollywood, I'd at least be a homeowner.

Right. I bought my first house. My first house I bought was in 90, 95 my first house was a million dollars and in 95 for me that was like crazy I didn't even go to the bank I just cut the deal I had I took my whole

holding deal 400,000 and gave it to a developer that was building the house he finished the house and then I worked it out with him that's how I bought my first house and then I worked it out with him. Correct. That's how I bought my first house. And so I was going somewhere with you. But I... Steve Harvey started it.

Yeah, I bought my show and then I was doing radio in Chicago and they called me and said, we have a show idea for you. And they flew me out to L.A. This is my second show. Okay. And they said,

we want you to be a music teacher at this school and your best friend is going to be this dude named George Wynn and George Wynn played on the show Cheers yeah he was the mailman yeah know him at the end of the bar yeah he said you guys would be great together I didn't know him right but I had met this dude in 1989 named Cedric the Entertainer. Right. Who had came through this comedy club I was gigging at one night. And I thought Ced was just the funniest dude I'd ever seen, man, in my life.

And so I said, well, I do the show, man, but I want y'all to look at this guy named Cedric the Entertainer. He said, we've never heard of him. Okay, but y'all need to at this guy named Cedric the Entertainer. He said, we've never heard of him. Okay, but y'all need to talk to this dude. So the dude, George Williams, said he wanted to do the show. But I didn't know him. Nothing against him. I just didn't know him. And I'd been on TV once and y'all took my show, so I figured

like, this next time I'm going to do a show, we're going to do it my way. And so I said, so they bought Ced out and they liked Ced, but they said, but he's not as famous as Norm. I said, but hold, but let me ask you something, man. Who really looked like he'd be my best friend? I'm finna be roommates. Why would I be roommates with this dude from Cheers? I don't, I wouldn't even do that. Right. So they was debating, debating. I said, I tell you what, here's the deal. I either get said to entertain or I'm going to pass on the show.

I was scared when I said that. Because I didn't really have that kind of power yet. Right. But that's how strong I felt about it. So they said, we'll give him a try for one season. We did 145 episodes. That one season turned into syndicated show. Said the entertainer, man,

funniest dude I've ever sat with in my life, man. And then you ended up having a situation where you do the Kings of Comedy. You said Bernie Mac DL. How did they put that together, Steve? How did you guys come together and say, okay, DL, said, Steve, Bernie? See, the first year, it was just me, Bernie, and said.

Okay. And that was rough, man. And this kid came up to his name, Walter Latham, 26 years old, and said, hey, man, I want to create this thing called the original Kings of Comedy, and I want, and said, hey, man, I want to create this thing called the original Kings of Comedy, and I want y'all three to be it, and we only going to do basketball arenas. We looked at him and said, we're going to do what, dog? He said, we're going to do basketball arenas.

I said, dog, we can't sell out no basketball arena. He said, no, I've been looking at Polestar. He said, no, I've been looking at Polestar. All y'all, all three of y'all can sell out 5,000 seats by yourself. He said, if I put y'all together, we're going to sell out basketball arenas multiple times. So we three of us were sitting there talking about it, and we said, man, this dude crazy, man. He can't do this right here. So he said, I got a sponsor, Royal Crown Royal. He said, we're going to guarantee y'all X amount a night. It was like quarter of a million.

And we said, don't. You finna do what, though? I looked at it, say it, say it, say it. Let's just get the deposit. Get on out. If it don't work, let's get the deposit. The kid paid us this deposit for the first night, and that's how we got started.

And it was rough, man, because it was just the three of us. And the first night we did it was a disaster, man, because it was just the three of us. And the first night we did, it was a disaster, man. It was for me. Great for Bernie and Ced, because they went up first. Ced went up first. Now, the deal was to do 30 minutes. Right.

Ced went out there and did 45. Bernie did 52. I don't know if you've ever followed Bernie Mac before. It ain't what you want. Day down now, Bernie done cussed out everybody in the crowd. And he's

hysterical. They're stomping. The arena about to fall. And we're performing at this arena in Charlotte where the hockey players play. So they had put down the floor on top of the ice. All the black people in there with coats. And then the dude said, we got to have a 45-minute intermission.

What? So you got Sam, Bernie, 45-minute intermission. These black people just sitting there on top of this ice with this little sheet of plywood between, and they freezing. Then here I come.

Now, the disaster in that was my mama had died in December right our first performance was December 26th the day after Christmas but my mama had died that month my comedy special had came out December 21st on HBO. I ain't even watch it, I was in a blur. My mama gone, man, it was like, for two months, man, I thought I was gonna die, y'all. I thought, I said, I ain't gonna make it, man, because I had lost this girl, man.

I was devastated. So my special came out right before the first night. I wasn't even thinking. So I'm out there. When I finally come on stage, they freezing. And now I'm doing the jokes from my special that I forgot had just came out. And all my fans done heard these jokes. And I'm out there just, and they hollering out punchline.

Do some new shit, you know, black people. Steve, we heard that. And I'm going, why is they saying this? And I didn't even understand that my special had just came out. Right. But I was so devastated. So that night,

man, I didn't do well at all. Right. The next morning, this comedian on the radio asked him, we driving to the airport, Steve Harvey don't deserve to be no king, I don't know how he on the show, he wasn't shit, he on the radio just eating my ass a lot and I'm hearing this going to the airport. Now I just stayed up all night, I ain't had no sleep, because I ain't, I would, I just had a horrible night. Right. Now I'm writing. Because then I finally realized they was repeating my special.

So I'm writing all night. I ain't even go to bed. I stayed up. I sat on the plane writing. I got in Kansas City. I wrote all the way up to Showtime. I've been up all night, man, getting old jokes,

reworking them, putting them together. Came up with a whole new set. Next night, Kansas City. Now we arguing now. Me and the bros is arguing because I'm saying bros. 30, 30, 30. 90 minutes.

Y'all got to help me. 40, 48, 15 minute intermission. Here I come. That night I got a standing ovation. I had redeemed myself. Right. And so the first year was rough because I wanted to switch up sometimes.

Right. You know, we all kings. Right. You wanted to maybe go first sometimes, go in the middle. Hey, man, let me sit in the rocking chair. Right. Let me be second. Right.

Bernie sat in the rocking chair. And I went, man, because you got Sid warming up, sit in the rocking chair. Right. Let me be second. Right. Bernie sat in the rocking chair. And I went, man, because you got Sid, one of them, Bernie in the rocking chair. You closing behind these dudes is rough. So that's where we had our little. Is that where you and Bernie butted heads? That was our only odds. That was our only odds.

Because I just, man, y'all got to give me a chance to win, too. And they ain't never want to switch. So the whole year we did that. And then we brought in Guy Torrey. And Guy Tor't never gonna switch. So the whole year we did that and then we brought in Guy Torrey and Guy Torrey hosted the show. Next year he added DL. Now we got a problem. We can't have four acts because who gonna go last

now? So the argument was Steve, you're going last again. I'm going hell no. No. No, man. We all getting the same check. Dog, I'm out here working. He said, it's hard to follow. Now I got to follow DL, Ced, and Bernie? Bernie by herself.

Mack, yeah. Mack was just, he was, of all of us, man, he was the, that boy could put some pressure on you. So I said, I said, I'll tell you what I'll do. So then Walter said, why don't one of y'all host the show? Ain't nobody want to be the emcee. My hand was shot straight up. I got it.

I'm hosting. Because that, for me, was cool. I make it like it's my show. I bring everybody out, lay it out like that. And then they switch up. Whenever we did St. Louis, we'd close. Whenever we did L. Louis said with clothes, whenever we did LADL clothes, when we did Chicago Bernie clothes, you know, everybody moved it around. And then we settled in and then the Kings was really born at that moment. But we toured for

three years, man. And nobody but black people heard of us. That wasn't a white person in the crowd for three straight years. Never did an article. We just did black radio. We sold out the MCI Center four times two weekends in a row, 64,000. We sold out the Georgia Georgia Dome, 44,000.

We sold out the United Center six times. We was walking through this country. Then a dude in USA Today, black dude came and did an article on us. And that was it. We was making so much money after that, man.

We couldn't. What happened? Why did it end? After the movie, man, that was probably... Blessing and a curse? Yeah. The Four of Us. It was the largest comedy movie ever in history.

It was the largest comedy tour in the history. But these white boys came along called Blue Collar Comedy Tour. It was Larry the Cable Guy, Jeff Foxworthy, Ron White, and Bill Engel. And they said, we're going to show them kings who the real kings is. So they came out with the blue-collar comedy tour. They couldn't fuck with us. They wasn't even close. They wasn't even close.

Polestar came out. Kings was kicking their ass. We was filling up buildings, man. And they thought, like, I don't think Fox was in that, but Bill Engvall had said, we're going to show them what the Kings really looked like. And they started selling tickets, but they couldn't compete with us, man.

The Kings of comedy was, we was, and plus we was that other kind of funny. We was tear your mouth out funny. Right. You get up out your chair, your asshole still in the seat. You know, that type shit was happening. Right. Because when black people laugh, they get up and run to the back of the room.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ah, boy, you got to get me. They slap you, man. Break shit off the concession stand. Take all the popcorn. They were, the black people. Yeah. They were letting us have it, man. And so when it ended,

the thing that the Blue Collar Comedy Tour did was they stayed together. We split up. You wish you would've stayed, kept it together, could've kept it together a couple of- We tried everything. But, you know, dudes felt like they was movie stars I never saw myself as a movie star now always yeah I was gonna ask you that because you you kind of

like stayed in your lane you see said branched off Bernie did movies you kind of stayed I mean you had a couple of roles but that didn't seem to be that didn't seem to be your passion that didn't seem to be where you wanted to go never read for a movie man didn't care nothing about it passion. That didn't seem to be where you wanted to go. Never read for a movie, man. Didn't care nothing about it. I was a TV star. I wanna be on TV. So TV and radio was your bag. Right, because I could do this.

I could do this. I could become household if I stay on TV. You know, you got, hey man, to be famous in a movie, you know how long it take to be Denzel? Yeah. Yeah, that's be Denzel? Yeah. Denzel been in this a while. I remember him in Glory because they filmed Glory in Savannah, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. So that was like

85, 86. He was a gangster, though. This dude, you believed him. Yeah, yeah. I can only play me. Yeah. See, let me just do TV. Right. Why I just do me? Well, you're Steve Harvey. I ain't been no acting class to do this here. Right. Why just do me? I ain't. Well, you're Steve Harvey. I ain't been no acting class to do this here. Right. I'm not fitting to care. I'm fitting to sit up here and just care.

I don't really like you. I can't cry. Right. Cry with you. Right. We in the scene. I'm fitting to cry. I don't even know your ass. My father died. Well, OK. I don't know you or your daddy. So me trying to work these tears up just probably Just let me go be me so I knew but Bernie got a lot of roles Say it got a lot of roles and uh, they just wanted to do it man. That was cool and I understood it So I just knew but the thing that they did though Well, they wouldn't got so many roles, they stopped doing stand-up. Right.

Me, I felt so strongly about stand-up, I never stopped. Right. When I got my TV shows, I still toured on the weekends. Right. And I never went back

to comedy clubs. Once I was in them arenas, that's why I stayed. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I just stayed in big theaters and arenas. I was going to the Staples Center, Nokia, Madison, by myself, take two people with me, Radio City Music Hall.

I was selling. I stayed right there while the guys was doing the movies. They got stepped away from the stand-up. They stepped away from the craft, you know. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news,

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And who doesn't want that? Listen now on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. But you walked away at the height of it, Steve. You walked away from the stand- up and really hadn't come back. Would you be willing, what would it take Steve Harvey to do the crypto.coms?

What would it take for you to do SoFi? What would it take, how much would it take for Steve Harvey to do what they're doing on Netflix? You see everybody, you see Chappelle, Quake, all those guys have specials on Netflix. What would it take for Steve Harvey to give us 60 minutes? Well, first of all, I have to be done with the TV career. Because once I do the special, I'm going to be done with my TV career. Oh, man, you curses up a storm. You killing everybody, Steve. No, they're going to take me off TV.

It ain't no way. The council called Culture 2 live. See, the reason I stopped was because I saw, okay, I got Family Feud. I got Little Big Shots. I got all this stuff being offered to me. At one point in time, I had seven shows on TV all at once in one season. Wow. on TV all at once in one season.

Wow. I had Thunderdome, Little Big Shots, Amazing Grace, Celebrity Family Feud, Family Feud. I had two other shows. Showtime with DePaulo had came back on Fox. I worked seven days a week, man. I went through a 41-week period with seven days of taping. And I knew that if I performed as a stand-up, that whole TV career would crumble.

Everything would go on. And I was making enough to really solidify myself in television. So in 2012, I had to walk away because I was at the height of everything. I had everything going for me. So now, man, then I watched Chappelle and Rock and all these boys get 60 million here and

all this here. I thought about it, but I couldn't, I couldn't dump what I had for that. Right. Because I knew the longevity, I was going to make it up anyway. So like today, man, I've been, this is probably been the first year I've been thinking about it. Just doing one more. And I'll probably have to call it something like fucking I'm out or something like that. Because I know that's going to be it. It's going to be career ending. Right.

Because what I really want to say, I'm not going to do a special unless I can say what I really want to say. Right. I want to be like Rock and have selective outrage. I want to be like Chappelle and really say something. But what I really got in my heart to say, if I say it, my career is over. Why has radio been

your most consistent staple? Because it's theater of the mind. Look, man, when it comes to adult contemporary radio, ain't nobody done it this long. Ain't nobody been consistently number one. I've been since the year 2000. I've done 23 years of black radio, black radio.

I got the largest market share today. I got the largest number of people radio. Black radio. I got the largest market share today. I got the largest number of people today. Ricky Smiley is my dude. I introduced Ricky Smiley to radio. I told him he was the dude. I put Earthquake in radio. I told him he was the dude. D.L. Hughley, got him

in radio. I told him he was the dude. and they've all watched Bill Bellamy all of them Adele Gibbons I've had I've had Quake on I've had Sandy entertain on I've had Ricky Smiley on and talk to others why will you like this everybody's not like you Steve everybody said well this is what Steve did Steve said let's go down we're gonna do these things we're gonna do this we gonna do the radio show. Who was that?

No, Quake. He had you at Atlanta Uptown Comedy. He said, they sold X amount. He's like, no, we're not doing that. Give them their money back. We're going to do radio. Next morning, we're going to get up early. We're going to go get donuts and we're going to go pass them out. This is what we're going to do. Blah, blah, blah. Ricky Smiley said, Steve Harvey

did this, this, this for the comedy. He got me on radio. Quake said the exact same thing. Sid said the same thing. Why? Because everybody's not like you. Everybody keep talking about black, black, black. We want to see black succeed. And they ain't trying to see black succeed. Why? See, man, when I was a little boy, my mama told me something. Remember we was talking about how your mama say something you don't really register it in? She told me, she said,

Son, one day God going to give you a big house up on the hill. When you get up there, you got to tell somebody else how to get on the hill. It didn't mean nothing to me at 12, 13. But I've always kept that because there's room at the top. Yes. Because the top ain't crowded. You know, a dude named this record guy, Ricky, I can't think of his name. He had a book out. The title of

the book was, Ain't No Traffic on the Extra Mile. It ain't. If you go to Extra Mile, it's free. You can do donuts. You can flip your car over. Ain't nobody going to hit you. Right. It's room at the top.

But we have an obligation as brothers to show each other how to get there. See, I ain't got to worry about you taking my market share because what's for me is for me. Oh, okay. See, why I'm worrying about it, that's what people get wrong. People think if they blow out your candle, it'll make their candle brighter. No, your candle's still a little-ass flicker. It's your punk ass. I don't know how you think, because your little bitch ass that sat up here and blew my candle out,

you think your candle fitting to be bright? Same punk-ass flicker, dog. That same punk-ass flicker you've been having because you're trying to blow my candle out. That ain't how it work. You need more candles, man. Right. And so my thing has always been to uplift, to teach people the way

it's done. Show them how to do it. So Ricky Smiley is a competitor of mine, technically. But you put him on. So? D.L. A competitor. Quake, a competitor. So you're not concerned, because there are a lot of people like,

okay, I got a big house, but I don't want you in my neighborhood. You get a big house somewhere else. And maybe as long as it's not as big as mine. You don't care. You can put a bigger house right next door to mine. What that got to do with me? You got a big... Dog, I can't sleep in all these rooms I got now. What I care if your house

is bigger than my house. What I care if your house is bigger than my house. What I care if you got more cars than me. I like my cars. But, Steve, how have you been able to handle that? Because you know that people, there are a lot of people that smile and say things in your face, and you know they say things behind your back. How do you handle that? Who are you?

First of all, man, real players? Yeah. Them real dudes, they ain't reading blogs, and they not blogging. Mm-hmm. They ain't writing in the comments section. Mm-hmm. Bloggers are not shakers and movers, decision makers, or power brokers. Mm-hmm. I give a damn what you say about me. You don't even know me. bloggers are not shakers and movers, decision makers, or power brokers.

Give a damn what you say about me. You don't even know me. Most people talking about me don't even know me. You know how I know you know me? You got my cell number. Right. Now, dog, you ain't got my cell number, dog. What you say about me don't even matter. Now, if you got my cell number,

like if cell was somewhere dogging me, that'd hurt me. Because this is a dude that we got history. Yes. If Ricky Smiley was dogging me, that'd hurt me. If Quake was dogging me, that'd hurt me. If 50 Cent dogged me, I ain't never done nothing 50. We ain't got

no beat, but I'm just using him as an agent. I wouldn't be as effective. Right. I would be going like, what you talking about me for? Right. See, my mind ain't down there. And then I stay on the wall. If I stay on the wall, even if you throw rocks up,

if I stay on the wall, even if your rock hit me, how much steam it got, you had to throw up on the wall. But if I come down off the wall to address you, you can bust me dead in the head with the rock. I don't give a damn about haters, man. They don't even know how I'm moving. You know, Jay-Z got hated when he cut the deal with the NFL. Y'all hating on

Jay-Z for? Jay-Z making moves y'all don't know nothing about. Y'all sitting over here in your little punk-ass life. You ain't got shit going, but you steady knocking somebody that's out here shaking and moving. How they give Shannon a podcast. They ain't gave him nothing.

He took it. He went out and built it. He didn't go get permission. He built it. How he got these people. Oh, what you worrying about that? You know what? My grandma used to say something.

She'd say, boy, sometimes God will put you in place people don't think you belong. And anytime you're somewhere where people don't think you belong, you know what they say, Steve? He don't deserve that. Who are you to tell me what God has made a mistake on me? He don't deserve this. He don't deserve to have

Steve on his show. He doesn't deserve to have this. I'm like, bro, you got so much going on for you. You don't want deserve to have this. I'm like, bro, you got so much going on for you. You don't want me to have a little success? Dog. What? The reason I'm doing this show, dog, is because of how you are, the way you move,

the stuff I hear you say. I've never heard a dude talking out loud that sounds just like me. Dog, you got that bravado. Fuck how you feel. Yeah, I said it. And you strong with it.

That's why I came here, man. Look, dog, let me tell you something. You the best dressed dude on television in all of commentary. You hear that? Y'all heard Steve Harvey say it? He the best dressed dude in all of commentary. Now, I know who think he the best dressed.

I know. I got TV. I watch. Nice. But this dude right here be killing the game. I'll be watching you. We killing the game, Hollywood. You straight killing the game. I'll be watching. I said, that boy sharp right there. That cold right there, he cold.

But then what you say, though, skip your knowledge of sport. That's an instant. You played the game. But your commentary about these dudes' life, what you try to say to young people, man, so they can learn from you, and you use that hard, southern, tough, grandma, granddaddy logic. It is. To where they got to go. They might not like it where he old.

Yeah, I'm old, too. You old, Steve. I'm 66. Right. What the fuck you think that is? Right. I ain't 23. I've been your age.

You ain't been mine. Dog. See, I've been where you at. I already know that trip. You need to pay attention. Right. In case you get here. Right. Just in case. Right. If you got any plan. Hey, you old been where you at. I already know that trip. You need to pay attention in case you get here. Just in case. If you got any

plan, you old. Hey man, old is the goal. Now if you don't like old, here it is. Tomorrow, shoot yourself. Step your ass out in front of the bus. Motherfucker, go jump off the building. You can stop this old

shit right away. Old is the goal, dogfucker, go jump off the building. You can stop this old shit right away. Old is the goal, dog. It's the whole goal in life. I'm so glad, somebody asked me the other day, they said, if you could go back to any age,

what age would you go back to? I said 65. Because, dog, this is the best I ever had. Do you wish in your 20s and 30s you had some of the knowledge that you've acquired in your 60s? Well, you know how much I would have saved myself? You know, the pain I would have been.

I could have avoided homelessness. I could have avoided bad decisions. I could have avoided so many things. I could have kept money I lost. I wouldn't have been with some of the people I've been with. I wouldn't have did some of that. I wouldn't have went some of the places I went. See, now I'm together.

You know this, you don't see me on TMZ. Go through TMZ. I'm not fitting to be on TMZ. You know why? Because I go home. I go home, dog. I go home. Can't feel me in my house.

Do you think people are actually... What I've learned since I've been in TV, TV celebrity is different than athletic celebrity. It's almost like people are trying to catch you in something. Trying to get you in the wrong. They cheer for you when you're coming up,

but they can't wait to see you fall. But the one cheering a lot of them is the one that's trying to bring you down. It's the very same ones. See, it's okay when they think they got a shot with you, but when they see your shot actually worked and now they look at you as over them, and instead of trying to hold

you up, they want to do everything in their power to bring you down. It's funny, Denzel taught me the best lesson. We were at Sweet Georgia Brown, Sweet Georgia, whatever it was, out in L.A. This restaurant used to be very popular. And

it was one of the nights Sam was up for Oscar or something. And we were standing there at this thing, and Denzel said, I'm going to show you the difference between me and you. He said, I'm a movie star. You're a TV star. He said, watch this.

Just stay with me. People would come up. Oh my god, Mr. Washington. Oh my god, Mr. Washington. I watch every movie. I go everywhere. Thank you so Washington. I watch every movie. I go everywhere. Thank you so much. It's so great.

It is treating with reverence. He said, you know why, man? He said, because to come see me, you got to get a babysitter, get in your car, stand in line, buy a ticket, stand in another line, get your popcorn and stuff,

go to a seat, wait, and I come up on the screen 25 feet tall. He said, then they leave and they don't see me no more unless they come to another movie. He said, I'm a movie star. He said, watch how they come up to you when they know you. Soon as they see me, Mr. Washington,

oh my God, Steve, what's up, man? They know you. What up, dog? Steve, remember that time? And I'm looking at him. He said, you see the difference? He said, the difference is I'm a movie star.

You're a TV star. They got to pay to come see me. They invite you to their house every day. He said, dog, they think you a relative. He said, don't nobody have nobody come to their house let's stay like them they invite you in their house then they're making sandwiches sitting in their drawers watching you you a relative to them he says so man went so when you go out in public you can you got to be different

from them than me and Sam man let me tell you I was on vacation with Sam one time Sam Jackson we was in Portofino. We had finished dinner one time. We walking back to go get on this boat. Hey, you're Samuel Jackson. I want to take a picture. He said, what's the magic word, motherfucker? That's him.

And I went, Sam. And it froze the white dude. He said, no, I'm taking a picture. He said, I said, what's the magic word, motherfucker? And I'm going like, I don't even know the magic word, but I just want to give it to him. I thought it was a riddle or some shit.

And so his wife, Latonya, was going, Sam, Sam. No, man, fuck that. What's the magic word, motherfucker? And he done said it so harsh, the guy said, please? All right, come on, man, fuck that. What's the magic word, motherfucking? He done said it so harsh, the guy said, please? All right, come on, take the goddamn picture. Steve, can I get a picture? Yeah, come on. You ain't got to give me no magic word, dog.

I'm on TV. We different. Sam treats you any kind. Look, you one person with $25, he don't care. What? I move different when I'm in public. I got to be a lot more accommodating. I'm loved by kids, old people.

I got somebody, grandma. My grandmama love you. I got to take pictures, puppies and shit. You know, I got to be that, man. I think it's amazing, Steve, that you've allowed so many people to eat off your plate. People don't realize how much money is out there. I mean, think about all the billionaires and all the millionaires. And there's still money out there.

Plenty. But we haggle over a few dollars. See, because you know what it is, we get to a point that we ask God to get us to it. And then we want to complain about it and safeguard it and act like it's fitting to go away. There's a

saying, man, that I love. It says, I can't complain about how much is on my plate when my whole goal was to eat. Right. So now, dog, you got all these groceries on this platter. My platter full. Dog, I can't let you have some.

Right. Or I can't show you how to get a platter. They making money. They printing money every day. Right. It's available, man. And you get more of it. And I think that's a big part of my success.

I think because God will always keep me covered. Right. Because I just honor the principle of, I don't mind helping and sharing. You definitely don't. Man, I've given people stuff, if, when the story do get told, I've actually thought about doing a documentary myself. When the story does get told, I've actually thought about doing a documentary myself.

When the story does get told about the number of people that I help that I don't even know. Man, the kids, me and my wife that's sent to school, that we don't even know. The scholarships we done passed out.

The things we've done. I'm talking about people that, when the hurricane came through and passed out the things we've done I'm talking about people when the hurricane came to and wiped out the Bahamas man no idea how many people we went over there and helped what we did and and it's because I understand that principle and I don't the Bahamas don't owe me nothing right and the people who get these degrees don't owe me nothing. But God gonna give me back tenfold. Dog, I'm always working. I'm always good. I'm always showing

up for some new project. I just keep showing up, man. And that can only be God. Like you said a minute ago, you said people look at your success and they say he don't deserve that. Well, grace ain't fair. Grace is God's unmerited favor. It's when God just do you some favor. He do you a favor. You can't earn grace. You ever hear old people say, all I

want is a little more grace. You can't buy grace. Bro, if I could buy grace, I wouldn't have no money in the stock market. I wouldn't have no money at Merrill Lynch right I wouldn't have a quarter nowhere I would take every dollar I got and give it if I could purchase this one thing called grace God's unmerited favor because he did and he do above and beyond right for you right for me I mean really dog why I'm sitting right now I can't even really explain it dog I ain't that damn funny. You know, really. Right.

Not really, dog. I'm just, God just, he keep on blessing. Man, that's all it is, man. At your lowest, when you had the situation with the, I think it Miss Universe, and you misread, maybe it was on the card wrong, I think you probably read the prompter. What was in the prompter?

Exactly what was in it. And it came down. So what was that moment like? Okay, you read what was in the prompt. Clearly it was wrong. Now we got to come back and have a do-over.

Shannon, here's the crazy part. They handed me the card. Okay. We had bought Miss Universe from Trump. Yeah. The lady that used to work for Trump was mad because we had decided in rehearsal

to change the way we do it. Like all pageants, they say, and second runner up is so-and-so. Right. And then it's the two people standing there. Then they always say, and the first runner up is Miss and so. Right. And then it's the two people standing there. Then they always say, and the first runner up is Ms. So and So.

And then that's really anticlimactic because now you know who the winner is. Correct. So they had changed it in rehearsal. All week long we rehearsed. We're not going to do,

we're just going to do the second runner up. Right. She get out the way and then next we're going to announce the winner. Okay. The lady that worked for Trump didn't like that and she put it

on the card anyway, but she put it on the corner. It wasn't even up there in the one and two. Right. So she put it in the corner. So when they handed me the card like this, I got it face down. My thumb is over number three anyway. So now when I read the

teleprompter, it's got one and two on there. Right. And I read and the new 2015 Miss Universe is, after we done the second run up, and he said read the next name on the card, Steve. In my ear, it's Miss Columbia. And the new

why else would I say and the new 2015 Miss Universe is. Right. And what number, why else would I say, and the new 2015 Miss Universe is? Right. It wasn't nothing but one more name on the card. I said, Miss Columbia, great job, Steve, go in the back. I go in the back. Two minutes in the back, they're out there celebrating.

My boy come up to me, Terrell, he said, oh, gee, you said the wrong name. I said, I ain't said shit wrong. I read the card and I read what was in the teleprompter. He said, no, brother, lady, she put the name down here. You supposed to read that one. And I said, dog, that ain't what we rehearsed.

So I read the fucking, I ain't stupid. I read the card. I said, all right, I'm gonna go back out here and fix it. The dude said, where are you going? I said, I'm gonna go out here and fix it. He said, no, we'll fix it tomorrow in the car. I said, all right, I'm going to go back out here and fix it. The dude said, where are you going? I said, I'm going to go out here and fix it. He said, no, we'll fix it tomorrow in the newspaper. Fuck that. We live. I'm going to go fix this shit

now. Stupidest shit I ever did. You should have left it alone. I should have let them fix it in the newspaper. My stupid ass walked right out there and took the full hit, man. I took it dead in the teeth.

Like it was all my fault. And it wasn't. Because if you say, and the new 2015 Miss Universe, and he said, read the next name on the card, either one of these names, what? The next name was Miss Columbia. Boom, I read it. Boom. Great. So when I did it. Boom. Great. So when I did that, man, this shit went crazy.

I didn't know how crazy it was until after the show, man, and I went to the press conference, and the Colombian press was there. This dude was in my ass, man. How could you do something like that? This has never happened

before. I said, hey, man, shit happened. I said, I read the wrong name, but I really didn't, but I'm just trying to fix it. You bit the bullet. You took one for the team? Took all of it, man. The cue card lady, her job gone. The director ass going to be in trouble because he said read the next name.

I ain't do none of that. I said, I read the wrong name. I went to dinner with my wife to Nobu that night. I'm feeling a little sick in my stomach, but I went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, oh my God. Oh my God. It was the, I had never seen anything like it. Skies falling.

Bruh, I was everywhere. I was the lead story of everything. I've never been ridiculed. A dude, man, that I really liked on CNN, I ain't gonna say his name, T.J. He beat you up pretty good? Toe my ass, man. I'm cool with the bro. When he first came down here to Atlanta, man, I took him around. Hanging with him. We cool.

I'm watching, seeing that this dude is roasting me. How could he? Oh, my God. That's got to be the most absurd thing. What was he thinking? I'm sitting going, damn, TJ. But then a couple other people I thought I was cool with. You know, they just, they was, everybody was attacking me.

But it was a funny thing. Because I just wrote on my vision board, I was asking God to increase my global brand and persona. Because I just wrote on my vision board, I was asking God to increase my global brand and persona. Uh-huh. In 48 hours, Sharp, my name had been Googled 4 billion times. Wow. I was the most Googled subject of the year on Google. 4 billion impressions in 48 hours.

I was the most famous person in the world. God had increased my global brand and persona. I sure appreciate the way you did it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I appreciate what you did, but you didn't have to do it like that. Man, Lord, you didn't have to. That was a dark moment. That happened on a Saturday.

Now, a week later, it's Christmas. I've been getting beat up, man. I've turned down every interview request. I'm been getting beat up, man. I've turned down every interview request. I'm talking about every news outlet. I shut my social media down. I was getting cussed out in Spanish. I learned more. All I know is I'm a punta. That's all I know. No idea what it was, but every last one of them punked them. I was that, so I said, let me cut this off.

My kids had to cut their social media off, man. They was throwing bricks over my gate at my house in Atlanta with notes on it. That drug cartel was serious, man. We had serious problems. To this day, I have armed security guards in my house 24-7, to this day. They was doing a number on me. So for a week, I was just in the dark, man.

And then I just said, man, I ain't gonna sit here and let these people beat me up like this. So on Instagram, on Christmas morning, I posted in my backyard, I was smoking a cigar. I said, Merry Easter, everybody. I remember. And that was my post and they said he back Steve got back and I waited I came back on my talk show and in February I did no interviews about it until I bought Miss Columbia on my show

to apologize to her because I had to apologize to her father right because her father was mortified man and I would have never done that to nobody's daughter, man. Right. But then after that, man, like my wife and I, we have 13 villas across the world that have been given to us as gifts from different countries for being the most honest man on TV. We vacation for free all the time. We can go to villas in 13 countries.

You have a villa access anytime you want it. And then I got a T-Mobile commercial out of the deal, the Super Bowl commercial that year on T-Mobile. I made more money than one Super Bowl commercial. I made it all the damn Miss Universe put together.

But now you own a piece of Miss Universe, Miss America, Miss ChessCast. Miss Universe, Miss America, Miss... Chess cast. So Miss Universe, Miss Team something, Miss... Miss America. Because when they told me to come back next year, I said I'm not coming back. Because y'all let me eat this bullet by myself.

Y'all never said he read the teleprompter. The company never came out and said, I'm the director. I told him to say that. Y'all just left me hanging. So I'm not doing this no more. I said, I'm out. I ain't doing it. My lawyer sitting right over there, man. He said, I tell you what, he get ownership or he don't want it. So then I, they gave me ownership. I went right on back to work, smiling hard as hell. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news, previews, recaps,

and analysis delivered straight to your podcast feed by the time you get your coffee. No dumb hot takes here, just smart hot takes. We'll talk every single game, every single week, but I can't do it alone so I'm bringing in the big guns from NFL media. That's Patrick Claiborne, Steve Weiss, Nick Shook,

Jordan Rodrigue from The Athletic, and of course Colleen Wolfe. This is their window right now. This is their Super Bowl window. Why would they trade him away? Because he would be a pivotal part of them winning that Superbowl.

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I believe that you lost everything twice. Yeah. In 2005, you had $1,700 left. This was after Kings of Comedy. Yeah. You got $1,700 after you made, what, like $30 million on that tour. No, we made more than that.

And you got $1,700 to your name. What the hell happened to the money? Were you, were you, were you? It's called a divorce. I got, I got, I got jumped on, man. Like, but it was even before the divorce. Right. Cause, not gonna say who did it,

but they got in cahoots with my financial planner and I was writing checks to the government yeah for seven years right writing tax checks signing the tax checks giving them to turn in they was keeping them taking the money out the account like I was paying taxes and keeping it for they self. When my accountant passed, a lady went in the office and found a box on the floor and I had seven years of unpaid taxes. And I'm thinking I'm even and then my lawyer said to me,

hey man, you ain't paid taxes in seven years. Ooh, so you haven't paid in seven years plus the interest. Then I saved some millions, but before I split the assets, she took all of that out to pay, moved it. See the funny thing, I got divorced in November 2005, but then they went on a rampage to destroy me and act like we was in a divorce fight. We were actually just trying to split some assets right the divorce was over right? It was no fight for nothing, right? It was just let's split the assets, but you took all the assets right and I was stuck with this tax bill, right?

So I had to pay seven years of back taxes with interest and get current, I was in a world of trouble, man. So when I looked up, man, I had $1,700. But that's when I went to New York and signed a contract for syndicated radio. Here come God again rescuing me. That just gave me a little bit of money. I wasn't making what I make now. I make like 10 mil a year off radio.

Back then, you know, because I just wanted to get in the dough right and that kept me at least be able to survive right and then that was 2005 I reconnected with Marjorie in 2005 right after the divorce 2006 you reconnected so y'all had dated before I dated in the 80s really yeah I dated in the 80s I thought they say love is like a eclair. Once it goes cold, it can't be reheated. Your mind ain't go cold. Red hot. Polka hot.

Hot tamale hot. I'm talking about Tabasco. So? It's just I got in trouble. Right. When we started dating, I became homeless. Right. Wasn't no cell phone.

Right. I just had a house number. She had a little baby. I figured, what do I got to offer this woman I'm in trouble now right so I just drove off we never had an argument or nothing right you know Wow why did you continue to believe in look after everything that you've been like you're telling me you've gone through a divorce and things happen with the taxes and and she took half money, three quarters of the money. Here I was, thought you was selling your money

cause you made all this money on Kings of Comedy and you got $1,700 to your name. Why did you believe in love twice? Why did you believe in you could love, find love again? Cause of my mom and daddy. My mom and daddy's married 64 years. I saw what it looked like. Right. I saw what it looked like. Right.

I saw what it looked like when it was hard, when it was good. I watched a man honor a woman. I've never seen nobody love nobody like my daddy loved my mama. That boy with that third grade education, my mama taught my daddy how to read and write. I never seen nobody love nobody like Slick Harvey love Illos Vera.

He'll kill you about her. And he embedded that in me and my two brothers. Anybody say anything about your mama, get that ass right there, right then. If you can't get that ass, come to this house, get your brothers, but go back and get that ass. She off limits. Ain't no jokes about your mama. Ain't no nothing. That carried me to this day, man.

You can't say nothing about the ill-office of Vera Harvey. She off limits, man. We ain't playing them games. You start that your mama shit up at the school, we finna fight. When they was suspending me from fighting, my daddy said, what was you fighting for? I said, he said something about mama.

He said, okay. He embedded that like, okay, When they were suspending me for fighting my dad I said what was you fighting for I say he said something about mama he said okay He embedded that like okay how he felt about his your mother his wife You care that with your I just saw it man. I went wow that's how you do it And so you never had that before in all your relationships before in the marriage You never had that what he had with marriages, you never had that. What he had with your mom, you never had that. My first marriage, I got married when I was 24. I wasn't the man my daddy was. I was trying to do something he was doing, and I ain't had equipment for it.

Okay. I ain't know how to problem solve, navigate, negotiate. I didn't know how to shut up in the argument. Right. I was just losing arguments because I kept them going. Right. I messed that up. The second one,

I had that one right there, dog. I need another drink. I just said I don't do two, but you got me in here now. You got me in here deep, Shannon. me in here deep Shannon. Oh, okay The second one obviously that was the worst one

Normally after a really really bad traumatic experience like I'm done. I'm done with it. It ain't a for me. I was Let me tell you something when I got divorced in 2005. I was living in Trump Towers in New York, right? on 48th and 1st. Yep. I said, after that, this is what I'm finna do. I had learned about private jet travel and stuff by then. Even though I didn't have no money, I had just signed this other contract trying to get back from that 1700. I said, I'm going to put bus schedules on my walls.

I'm going to have arrival and departure times. That's how many women I'm going to roll up in here in 60B. Bus schedules, arrival and departure times. I'm going to roll them up in here on a continuous basis.

I'm going to live my best life. God said, no you ain't. Oh, I was going to say, you about to be Nick Cannon before Nick Cannon be here. Nick is different. He's different. I know where the drugs still at.

So you was like, okay. I'm sorry, I don't wanna say, sorry Nick. You said okay, I'm about to. Nick, I don't know where that came from, Nick. I swear to God, it's a Kevin Hart prank. I didn't mean to say that. I don't even know. Did I just say I know where the drugs started?

You didn't say that. I don't even know where that came from, man. See, that's that gift that just followed. Yeah, yeah. But yeah, man, that was the plan. How did you and Marjorie connect? God said, no, you're not. No, you're not.

You're not fitting to do that. You're fitting to get yourself together now I don't you done lost everything twice why is you you wanna do it again you want to do it again or you won't see what I got for you you like a cat Steve the day after my divorce I went to Vegas okay I'm gambling my bodyguard boomerang on the phone talking to this girl named Sharon in Memphis. He asked about Marjorie. He said, Marjorie doing pretty good now? And I hadn't talked to her in years.

Right. Boom, tapped me on my shoulder and said, hey, man, I got a phone call. I said, dog, I'm gambling. You know I don't talk to nobody. He said, no, dog, you need to take this phone call. So I thought something was wrong. So I got up from the roulette table. I said, hello.

She said, boy, what you want? I said, Marjorie, I said, hello. She said, boy, what you want? I said, Marjorie? She said, yeah. So I just said, so how your punk-ass husband doing? That was the first thing. Shocked, first thing I said. Because he's a punk-ass dude to me. I still hold strong to that one.

I've never retracted that statement. Okay. I said, how your punk-ass husband doing? Because I had heard she had got married. Right. She said, boy, I've been divorced three years. Uh-oh. Light bulb go off? You start smiling? I'm talking about man, like a head, like a halogen light

bulb, and it hadn't even been invented then. Ding! I ended up going to Memphis, met her for lunch. She told me about her divorce. I said, I'm divorced too. She said, boy, shut up, lad. Because it hadn't went public.

Right. And she said, shut up. I know you got married again. And I said, no. She didn't really believe it. It took me two weeks to convince her. We talked on the phone that New Year's Eve. She was in Hawaii with her kids.

I'm on the phone with her all night, man Just remembering stuff hadn't seen her in Valentine's Day 2006. She came to New York That was it dog. She left me side since now and God said you that arrival and departure sign You're gonna take that down off the wall Wow. I showed it to you one time you didn't get it then But you and after her man I mean really you look at my career in my life after her it's just been a rocket show credit her for everything that we see Steve Harvey sitting here today you credit her for that the man that you became the way you

dress the way you talk the things that you have going on good great in your life you said that woman over there because I know what it is now a lot of the way you dress, the way you talk, the things that you have going on great in your life. You said that woman over there. Cause I know what it is. Now a lot of dudes won't do that. Now I understand that. You want to get your shine on, you this and you that. But I was that before.

And I wasn't this or that. Right. I was a comedian before. Right. I was a TV star before. So you tell me what the difference is. It got to be her. Right.

Because for the first time, man, I had peace at my house. Oh. When you got peace at the crib, dog, you can plug in your battery pack and get rejuvenated to go out here and deal with the rest of this shit you got to go deal with. Right. Because, hey, man, you know, them folks out there, they ain't nothing to change. Racism out there. Right. It's out there. Right. It's on TV.

It's on the Internet. It's alive and well. She would give me the juice and the charge I needed to go back out there. She encouraged me. She told me I was something when I felt bad. She gave me the, but we was at the house laughing, having a good time, man. If you look at since we got married in 2007, if you look at from 2007, I got Family Feud in 2009. The book came out 2009. Miss Universe after that. The talk show after that. Little Big Shots after that. The judge show. The radio show got big after that. Four books later, the movie came out. Think like a man. All this after that.

What what else is it? I just locked in with this chick, man. And she gave me a lot of good advice, man man she made me see things in a different way and it was her man and it's okay man it's people people don't want to do that now I know they tired of hearing me saying but what you want me to say shit I ain't got nothing else for you shit it wasn't just all me right she gave me the mindset to be me and that's crazy man it It's like there's a dude named Nuri Mohammed. I wish I had my phone, man. You could hear what this dude said about relationships. It's the coldest thing. He said. Other than your relationship with God, who you choose to spend the rest of your life with is the single most important decision you will ever make. Because your other half will either, will either,

your other half will be your better half or make you half of what you could be. She will either inspire you to greatness or reduce you to mediocrity. And then he went on to talk about, he quoted Minister Louis Farrakhan, and then at the end of it he said, so choose wisely. And that was the first time, man, that I'd ever chose wisely.

And it was the best thing, because a woman, like an elevator button, man, they can take you up or down. If you get the right one, you got something. You get the wrong one, but it's like a man to a woman. If you get the right man, you can go somewhere. If you get the wrong one you got something you get the wrong one but it's like a man to a woman if you get the right man you can go somewhere right at the wrong man you all like I heard you say one time I was laughing so hard you said you paid for a divorce yeah I said this dude right here was committed but see I won't be with like she was getting the divorce already I didn't

break the whole law I don't I don't give a damn. Because you know how people take it and run with it. Yeah. She was getting a divorce. And he wanted money. Right. Right. What's wrong with that?

Right. I'm trying to invest in my future. Right. See, these dudes kill me. That's what's wrong with this generation today. These young boys today, what do she bring to the table? The hell you mean, man? What do your ass bring to the table the hell you mean man what do your ass bring to the table you got a woman that can come to the table that can make

another you what else you need to slide up to the table with what about your job what happened to me and who was supposed to be responsible do you know that it's our job to take care of a woman and some children, to have a family? That's our damn job. But what happens to when the woman tell you, I don't need a man, Steve? Well, they need to, what? Okay, if you don't, how that's working? You know, how that's working?

Who don't need no man? I'm independent. I can do for myself. Yeah, but what do you want to? Yeah, okay, you can drop a transmission you can say and blast your house But hell do you want to know if somebody could get out there and drop this transmission for you and sandblast your house Why don't you go get your nails done? I'm not trying to reduce a woman to nothing else be all you can be but damn who don't need a man That's a lie What man don't need a man? That's a lie. What man

don't need a woman? I tell you what. I tell you what. I tell you what. Try to live without them. Try to live your life without women. This ain't about a lot of dollars, man. This is some bullshit without women. If it wasn't for women, what would you... Aristotle Onassis said it best.

He said, if women did not exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning. Women is everything. They'd have catched me out. They'd have licked, man. But these young boys done forgot it because these women out here, they trying to be,

they've had to be independent because they ain't got the right man. Okay. But this system of marriage is still good. Okay. This system of a man taking care of a woman, that's really how it's supposed to be. All the rest of it's bullshit, man.

And y'all need to quit tricking yourself with this new way of thinking. Because there's no way of thinking. This new way of thinking ain't getting y'all no damn way. I'm sorry. I got in trouble on one time. This group came after me

because I said Marjorie belonged to me. And they said she's not a possession. She's a person. She's a human. She is. She mine. What is you talking about? She belonged to me. But I got news for you. I'm hers. I belong to her. See, if you don't like that system, carry your punk ass on. Go do something else and let me know how that work out for you. I want to belong to somebody. Right. I want somebody to belong to me.

I take care of my wife and my family. Did you ever feel like you belonged to somebody? In your previous relationship, did you feel like they belonged to you or you belonged to them? Yeah, I did. My first marriage, yeah. I felt that way. I just didn't have the equipment. I just wasn't the man I needed to be.

Did the best I could. I just came up short. I've apologized to her because it really was my fault. I got married too young. How's your relationship with her now? We're cool. We're cordial. We're cordial. She gave me three beautiful kids. I got twins. My oldest

son's sitting over there. You got three kids. Marjorie had kids. How was the blended family? How did that work, Steve? Oh, that shit hard. That shit, that shit, that shit.

I thought you were going to get me cool about y'all. No, that shit hard, dog. They wasn't in agreement. They went bowling one night in Memphis when me and Marjorie first got together. We brought all the kids together, all seven of them.

And all the girls went bowling and came back and decided they didn't want us to get married and said they don't think it's the right thing to do and they need more time to get to know us and I'm sitting up here looking at some people that ain't got shit y'all ain't got a relationship a good-ass job a career I'm paying for colleges and shit on how I'm listening to y'all making some damn decision y'all ain't got one boyfriend that didn't work thus. I don't know how I'm listening to y'all making some damn decisions. Y'all ain't got one boyfriend that done worked thus far.

I don't know how the hell you finna tell me how to live. My sons was over there cool with it. Roger, Jason, and Wynton, they sitting over there, they cool with everything. The four girls, total just mayhem. Totally against it. Totally against it.

Ain't none of them got nobody. Why am I listening to this? How did you win them over? I didn't. You're like, I'm doing this. Me and your mom, we're doing this. I love this girl. This girl best thing for me. Now we're going to work. Now we're going to create an atmosphere of love and everybody's invited

into it. Right. And everybody want to come into it can come into it. And it was a point, man, where like all of them except the oldest one, my two daughters had graduated from college. Morgan was out of college. So the three girls were living on their own.

Everybody else lived in the house. The three boys and the daughter. Lori grew up with four damn brothers. We could protect Lori at the house with them brothers. Shit done got out of hand now. We can't, you know, we can't watch it now.

Cause I'd have been the sawed off a bunch of these little. You know, but like at the house, or we had full control of what was going on. And it was hard, man, because they were trying to evolve and get to know each other. And, you know, some of the relationships is really good. Some of them is just they cordial, you know, but that's just the way it is, you know. And I love to tell you it was a kumbaya.

I remember we had some great family vacation. We've had some great times recently. We had great holidays. But, you know, I think for the closeness, the boys are the closest, you know. And then Wynton and Lori is the closest of them all. Wynton and Lori, they like, they mud together. They mixed. But, you know. And then the boys, they good, you know. The sons, they all good. You have all the, you mentioned you have 13 villas, you have all these lavish places. You have all the, you mentioned you have 13 villas.

You have all these lavish places. Where does Steve Harvey go to relax? To just be Margie's husband. 1,600 acres. An hour, 30 minutes south of Atlanta. I bought the, well, we bought the Chick-fil-A ranch. 1,600 acres. Is that where you be fishing at? I got nine lakes down there sharp. You got to come down there.

I come down to beat you. No. Hold on. Steve. You can come down there and fish. No, I'm going to beat you fishing, Steve. I know. Everybody says that. I'm from... Steve! I grew up in rural South Georgia. How old you say you was? I'll be double nickel in June.

I'm two sixes. Steve. I got 11 years on your ass. Steve, I got a fish so big the pitcher weighs six pounds. I'm telling you, Steve, I fish. That's a Shannon Shaw mess right there. I caught a fish so big the pitcher weighs six pounds. I got

some hogs down there. Let me tell you something. I got a lake for you that I don't let nobody fish. What you got there? Trout, crappie, catfish? Trout is in there right now feeding but they're going to die off as soon as it's 70 degrees. They're going to be dead. I used to use

them for winter fishing. But man, I had a guy come through and turn my lakes out for me. I killed off all the fish. I brought in nothing but big female bass out of Florida. Nothing but females. Bigmouth. So they ain't sitting on the beds nesting and all that. They steady hunting. Yeah. I got, I put 400 pounds of bluegill in there. And they just walking around just eating their eggs. Well, I want to, that's what I want to fish in.

Because see, if I catch them when they're bedding, see, I throw out their bed, they're going to try to get that lure out the bed. Yeah. See, but it's a dog fight now. Because I got one lake in the back. I don't let nobody fish in. Why, what's's a dog fight now. Because I got one lake in the back I don't let nobody fish in. Why? What's in there? Hogs. All hogs.

I loaded back then five pounders in there. So they probably like seven, eight? No, sir. I got hogs. You got some double digit? You got some? Yeah, dog. I got a 12 pounder. I'll show you a picture.

You catch a relief though, right? Yeah, all the time. I got chips in my fish. Okay. My fish is monitored. Okay. That's why I don't know nobody come back there. I'll catch you with a string, a fish.

I'm going to shoot your ass. Dog, you're going to get burned. I'll shoot your ass. If I catch you trying to fish. Is there any fish that you eat out of this? Yeah, I will. I got one pond where you can fish and eat. Any trout you catch, you can eat.

But they're going to be gone in a minute. Because once that water hits 70, they're going to die. But them bass, my hybrid bass for my kids' camp that come down there, they're going to die. But them bass, my hybrid bass for my kids' camp that come down there, we can cook them. But I don't really got much of that going on. I very rarely do that.

You got to come down there. I'm going to come down there. So that's where you go. You got this big mansion on the Chattahoochee. Is that your prize? Yeah, I can't complain about that. Overlooking the half of Chattahoochee. That dropped in my lap. Man, my girl did that.

My girl bought that house when COVID first struck. Right. And I told her, baby, we can't buy no house like that. What are you talking about? They just sent me home. Family Feud shut down in March. Right right we take for March to the summer we I income yeah I said baby we can't do nothing like this right now you know Marjorie told me what she said Steve you don't know how much money you got you make it I watch it she said I

can put this whole deal together I said baby it ain't the right time she said, I can put this whole deal together. I said, baby, it ain't the right time. She said, if I do it, will you sign the papers? I said, baby, I'm telling you, because I don't keep her. That's how much I trusted her. But, you know, she don't do nothing without telling me. Well, I know what's there, but I don't really.

She did the whole deal herself, man. She found the house and everything. Because Tyler built this house, man. Yeah. Let me tell you what this dude did. When he first built it, he invited me over. I was walking up the front steps. I told God, I said, God, I got to have something like this.

How you, can't nobody see you in the front or the back? I said, man. And then Tyler put it on sale for way more money. And it sold to this dude that sold his arm and company and I went out to Beverly Hills and got a house and then when that was over with I was going back to live in my house mother house I got a nice house man the kids grew up here and everything I was moving back and on my mama's birthday I was very depressed that morning. March 27th, I was crushed, man.

We was out of work, going home. And she said, I put an offer in on the house. She told my mama she put an offer in. The real estate agent said he will never, ever sign for that much. He'll never take that amount. It's impossible. Ms. Harvey, you're wasting your time. She wrote him a long letter, too.

She said, this is not a negotiation. I am offering you this. My husband loves the house he's been at. We'll buy it sight unseen. If you don't want this amount, it's okay. I'm not trying to insult you. On my mama's birthday, he called and said, I take the offer. That's how I got the house.

Wow. That girl, and the house she really wanted was around the corner. It was on 17 acres too. And I was gonna save my money and get her that house. Wow. That girl and the house she really wanted was around the corner. It was on 17 acres too. And I was going to save my money and get her that house. She said, no, Steve, you go to work every day. I don't turn no corners.

She said, well, I'm going to get the one you want. I said, baby, but you like the other one better. She said, we're going to get the house you want. And she did. I'm going to get you out of here on this. Being from Cleveland, obviously you're a Cleveland sports fan, what's your favorite sport? What's Steve Harvey's favorite sport to watch?

Football. Football. There ain't even no question. Brown's your favorite team? They play hard from week one. They do. They asses in at week one. Yeah.

Ain't no load managing. Ain't no... Sooner preseason over with. Hike is on and cracking. Here they come. See, basketball, you got to wait till the playoffs. Baseball, you got to wait till the playoffs. I can't stand watching baseball.

I'd rather watch some ants build a new hill. I'm a Cleveland Brown diehard fan, man. I've been dying with them boys forever. I'm a huge Deshaun Watson fan. I have no problem with Deshaun Watson. I do have one suggestion. My only suggestion is, ain't no problem with getting massages. It's just you have got to stop turning over.

Just stay face down, dog. Just stay face down, dog. Just stay face down. It'll all be good. Just do not turn over. We're going to wrap on that one, ladies and gentlemen. Guys, let's put some hands together for Steve Harvey.

Yeah. Thank you. Want a slice? Got the rolling dice? That's why all my life I've been grinding all my life. Wake up with football every morning and listen to my new podcast, NFL Daily with Greg Rosenthal. Five days a week, you'll get all the latest news and the best analysis delivered by the time you get your coffee. The show hits every single game every single week, but I can't do it alone, so I'm bringing in all the big guns from NFL media like Colleen Wolf.

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