Steve Harvey is the living proof that no matter how tough life is, there is always a way back. The now-legendary Family Feud host once wanted to be a comedian but was forced to sleep in his car to survive. He had to steal to make ends meet – and at one point it looked like it was game over for him.
Fortunately, Steve Harvey never gave up, and today, he is living his best life. After two divorces he married the love of his life, Marjorie, in 2007 and today, they are still happily married.
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Despite some rough times – when Marjorie was accused of sabotaging Steve’s second marriage – the couple are stronger than ever. And weeks ago, Steve Harvey shared beautiful words about her that made fans tear up.
Born on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, Steve Harvey was the youngest of five children to parents Eloise and Jesse Harvey.
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Growing up, he had a stutter, which made him very uncomfortable around people. But as we know today, this would change.
In 6th grade, Harvey and his classmates were supposed to pen down their dream job. He wrote that he wanted to become an entertainer, only for the teacher who gave the assignment to ridicule him in front of the whole class.
The teacher thought he could never become an entertainer with his stutter and even went as far as to call Harvey’s mother to tell her that her son had to dream about something else.
But young Steve had a dream that he would pursue no matter what other people thought. Instead of lying down and accepting that it was impossible, he sought the support he needed.
It was his speech impediment that gave Harvey low self-esteem. However, his family backed his dream to the moon and back and always encouraged him to strive for greatness.
As a child, he loved making people laugh. Regarding his stutter, a local deli man helped him slow down his speech and calm down while he was talking. In the end, he outgrew his stutter – and was able to exact the sweetest revenge on his teacher.
Speaking with Oprah, Harvey revealed that he would never forget the day his teacher mocked him for stating that his dream was to become an entertainer.
Instead of getting petty, Harvey decided to “kill with kindness.”
“Every year when the teacher was living, I used to send her a TV for Christmas ’cause I wanted her to see me,” he explained.
Harvey and his family moved to Cleveland when he was young. In 1974, he graduated from Glenville High School.
Steve Harvey was homeless and forced to live in his car
After graduating from high school, Steve studied at West Virginia University. After that, he worked several jobs, including as an insurance salesman and postman – but didn’t find his true calling.
A few years later, Harvey finally stumbled upon his real passion. In 1985, he started performing as a stand-up comedian for the first time and spent years perfecting his routine and steadily becoming a well-known actor.
He eventually landed his first headline gig at Bruce Ayer’s Comedy Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
In the beginning, things hardly went the way Harvey expected them to. Speaking to People, he explained that he had been homeless for three years. He even had to steal things to make ends meet.
Harvey lived out of his car, using a small cooler as a refrigerator and showering in different rest-stop bathrooms. He mainly survived on sandwiches. He was forced to steal fuel from gas stations to get to comedy gigs.
As reported by People, Steve Harvey made approximately $3,000 in his first year as a comedian. He and his wife Marcia had separated – their divorce finalized in 1994 – and Harvey’s relationship with his daughter had fallen apart.
“I’m married, I have twins. I’m supposed to provide for them, but I had to take this chance,” he recalled thinking.
Around 75% of his paycheck went straight to Marcia and twins Brandi and Karli. As a result, Steve had pretty much no money left for himself.
‘If you keep going, I’m going to take you places you’ve never been”
He explains it was an “ugly” period of his life, and once, while trying to wash up in the sink of a hotel restroom, he was forced to hide from guests for hours until they had left.
“I sat down and started crying, but a voice said, ‘If you keep going, I’m going to take you places you’ve never been,’” Steve Harvey told People.
“It was like God said, ‘Don’t quit, you’re almost there. Not long after, he finally got his big break in the form of a televised gig at the Apollo.”
The Apollo changed Steve’s life and career. In 1993, he became the host of the program Showtime at the Apollo, which he stayed on until 2000. At that point, he also landed his sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show, which became his next career springboard.
Working with Cedric, the Entertainer – who starred as Harvey’s best friend on the show – Steve appeared in the now-classic The Original Kings of Comedy alongside Bernie Mac. The comedy film became a huge success, with Harvey becoming a celebrated comedian all over the US.
After the success of The Original Kings of Comedy, Harvey also got his radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning Show. However, he still wanted to pursue a career in television and comedy and hosted a short-lived reality television show in the mid-2000s. He even tried his hand at acting.
Harvey was excellent in front of the camera and the radio studio, but he wanted to do even more. So he started writing, and in 2009, he became a best-selling author with the relationship advice book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man. He followed up with the sequel Straight Talk, No Chaser in 2010, which also became a best-seller.
Steve Harvey and wife Marjorie – love story
Steve Harvey became known worldwide after becoming the next host of the iconic game show Family Feud. With his funny approach to questions and answers from contestants on the show, Harvey became a phenomenon on the internet as social media spread worldwide.
However, nothing was more important than when Steve Harvey met the love of his life. In 2007, he married Marjorie Bridges. –later Marjorie Harvey – and the two are still happily married. However, their union also came under some controversy.
Harvey and Marjorie met for the first time back in 1986. They briefly dated for some years, however, the stars weren’t aligned just yet.
Still, already back then, Marjorie saw how good of a guy Steve was.
“Steve was always a sweetheart — he was a sweetheart then. Steve just gets a bad rap sometimes. He had a lot of people that just mistreated him, but he was such a sweetheart. … He’s got a heart of gold, and it would just break my heart to see those that would mistreat him and take advantage of him, but we have to go through it. It’s one of those things; you have to accept the good with the bad,” Marjorie Harvey told Essence.
“We dated years ago, and I think it was the long distance more than anything with Steve and I [that made us go] our separate ways,” she added. “Nothing happened. He didn’t break my heart. I didn’t break his heart. It just was a long-distance relationship, and someone would have had to make a decision back then. No one made a move. But it didn’t mean we didn’t care, it’s just sometimes life gets in the way. Obviously, it wasn’t the perfect timing, or it would have happened. We sometimes kick ourselves now because we’re so perfect for each other. If only we had just done something about it back then.”
After divorcing his wife in 2005, Harvey and his wife found each other again. But what he had with her was nothing like he had experienced before.
“Marjorie changed the way I existed,” Steve Harvey told People Magazine in 2012. “I’d never been in a healthy adult relationship. I’d never been loyal, I’d never been fully respected.”
Marjorie was accused of destroying his previous marriage – it made their union stronger
Sadly, when the couple began dating again, Marjorie was accused of being the one breaking up Steve Harvey’s previous marriage. The talk show host wouldn’t stand for any negative comments or rumors about his beloved wife. She had three children, Morgan, Jason, and Lori, from a previous marriage, and after their wedding, Steve legally adopted them.
But as mentioned, their relationship received bad press because of how Marjorie allegedly sabotaged Steve’s marriage. He wouldn’t have any of it, saying they didn’t get together until after the divorce was finalized.
“Y’all quit talking about ‘she was in my other marriage and ruined it. She didn’t. She was nowhere around that. I got divorced in 2005,” Harvey said on his radio show, Steve Harvey FM, adding that she didn’t marry him for his success.
“Steve Harvey had nothing [then],” he continued. “I’m telling you, this woman got in the hole and built this with me. She didn’t steal nothing. And I’m tired of y’all talking about my girl because my girl is one of the best women I’ve ever met.”
Moreover, Harvey concluded that the negative narrative around him and his wife strengthened their union.
“We’re a tighter two-hand circle now. So thank you for doing that. You’re not gonna split us up, we’re not going anywhere, and she is none of what you say she is, and she’s the best chick I know,” Steve Harvey said.
Steve and Marjorie Harvey have created a wonderful life with their children – and now grandchildren. They run The Steve Harvey and Marjorie Harvey Foundation together, “which helps under-resourced communities receive the tools for success.”
Meanwhile, Marjorie has another program within the foundation that helps young girls get better self-esteem, mentoring them through their education, giving out scholarships, and hosting meet-ups.
Steve Harvey’s emotional words to his beloved wife
On November 25, Steve Harvey was honored at TheGrio Awards, receiving the Television Icon Award for his longtime work in Hollywood. The Family Feud host went onstage to accept the award and decided to praise his wife in his acceptance speech.
His declaration of love for her didn’t leave an eye dry, telling the crowd how she had been with him through all his highs and lows in life.
“That woman right there, she’s been down with me like four flat tires,” an emotional Steve Harvey said. “That woman right there has been faithful to me, loyal to me. 85% of what y’all up here talking to me about happened after I married that girl right there.”
He continued, “We’ve been 18 years strong — I don’t know what y’all been trying to do, but we’re covered though … Imma give this to you. I love you, Marjorie Harvey. I appreciate you riding with me.”
As reported by Good Housekeeping, fans quickly turned to social media to share their love and appreciation of Steve Harvey’s beautiful words to his wife.
“I teared up watching this! I love Steve,” one person wrote on X ( previously known as Twitter).
“That’s what I’m talking about!! Much [love] to your family!!” another shared.
A third concluded, “Love this! Steve is the real deal! Love him. He’s showing he [100 percent] loves his wife! What an awesome man.”
