Steve Harvey
From Family Feud to his daytime talk show, he’s the award-winning host with the most
S teve Harvey has hardly had a moment to sit down since retiring from stand-up last summer. He’s behind the mic every weekday morning with his syndicated radio program, and he juggles hosting duties on both
Family Feud and his eponymous daytime talk show, recently renewed for a second season. “I’ve had a job ever since I was 10 years old with my first paper route,” says Harvey, 56, who won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite New Talk Show Host in January. “I’m hustling it as hard as I can. I’m talking outof-breath–type hustling!” The veteran performer talks to Erin Hill about family, fashion, and being funny.
Congratulations on your award! Do you feel you represent the guy point of view on daytime?
Absolutely. It’s a male point of view, but from a guy who’s always championed women’s causes. My book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man was written for my daughters, so they can quit being hoodwinked [by men]. I’ve been through the whole gamut—I’ve been married, divorced. I have a blended family. I’ve been rich and poor. I’ve worked all types of jobs. I’ve failed miserably. That’s a lot of experience, a lot of good stuff to talk about on TV.
MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME ABOUT FAITH. MY FATHER TAUGHT ME ABOUT HARDWORKING MANHOOD.”
Were you funny as a child?
No, I was pretty serious and reserved. I had a bad stuttering problem, so there wasn’t a lot that was funny to me. But I broke my stuttering habit right before high school and became extroverted in college.
Are your kids impressed with their dad? [Harvey and his third wife, Marjorie, have seven children between them.]
My kids want me more as their dad than anything, so they don’t care that I’m on TV. They come and talk to me about regular stuff, about problems they’re dealing with. Being famous doesn’t change the rules of parenting. It can have its perks, though. I got my daughter tickets to see [R&B star] Trey Songz in concert and that made me king for a month!
You run a youth-mentoring program. Did you have a mentor?
My father. He was a coal miner in West Virginia, and he wouldn’t allow me to be lazy. I remember him telling me, “One day, son, there’s going to be a woman and kids counting on you, and you have to be the type of man to get up and make it happen. So we’re going to start practicing now.” My daddy would be proud of me today, that’s for sure. If you are a boy without a male role model, it’s like being an explorer without a map, so it’s important to get the right figures in front of boys.
How do you spend Sundays?
I watch a lot of inspirational programming—Joel Osteen, Bishop T. D. Jakes, or Tony Evans. Then it’s on to the football games! My son orders pizza, and I just cool out with my wife and kids. The weekends are family time.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I only have one pair of blue jeans, and I never wear them. I love suits and dressing up. When I’m at home, I like silk pajamas and a cashmere bathrobe. That combination feels pretty good!