Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey Bio

Broderick Stephen Harvey, known professionally as Steve Harvey, is an American comedian, radio and television host, actor, writer, and producer. Born on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, Harvey has built a multi-decade career that spans stand-up comedy, network television, film, radio syndication, publishing, and live events. He is widely recognized as the host of Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, Family Feud Africa, and The Steve Harvey Morning Show, in addition to starring in the arbitration-based comedy Judge Steve Harvey on ABC.

Across his career, Harvey has received seven Daytime Emmy Awards, two Marconi Awards, and fourteen NAACP Image Awards, and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is also a New York Times bestselling author whose 2009 book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man was later adapted into a feature film. Through Steve Harvey Global and the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, he continues to develop entertainment properties and youth education programs.

Early Life and Background

Broderick Stephen Harvey was born on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, to Jesse Harvey, a coal miner, and Eloise Vera. He is the youngest of five children, and his first name was inspired by actor Broderick Crawford of the classic television series Highway Patrol. As a child, Harvey experienced a severe stutter that he eventually overcame, an experience he has often credited with shaping his interest in communication and performance.

Harvey has said that his desire to work in television began in the sixth grade, when a teacher asked the class to record their personal dreams and he wrote that he wanted to be on TV. His teacher dismissed the goal as daydreaming, but his father believed in him, and after Harvey achieved success, he reportedly sent his teacher a television set every Christmas for the rest of her life. The family later relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, living on East 112th Street, a stretch that was renamed Steve Harvey Way in 2015 to honor his achievements.

Harvey graduated from Glenville High School in 1974 and went on to attend Kent State University, where he joined the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He later transferred to West Virginia University but did not complete his degree, a fact he has publicly discussed as a regret. In 2016, Alabama State University recognized his accomplishments by awarding him an honorary doctorate during a commencement ceremony.

Path to Celebrity

Before stepping fully into entertainment, Harvey worked a series of day jobs, including stints as a boxer, an autoworker, an insurance salesman, a carpet cleaner, and a mailman. He took the stage for his first stand-up comedy set on October 8, 1985, at Hilarities Comedy Club in Cleveland, Ohio. The early years of his comedy career were financially difficult, and in the late 1980s Harvey experienced a period of homelessness that lasted approximately three years, sleeping in his car between performances and showering at gas stations and public pools.

His persistence paid off in 1990, when he became a finalist in the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search, an opportunity that helped open doors in the national comedy circuit. The visibility from that performance eventually led to a long-running role as host of It’s Showtime at the Apollo, where he succeeded Mark Curry. This transition from regional stand-up to a national television platform set the foundation for the broader entertainment career that followed.

Steve Harvey Career

Early Career (1985–1995)

Following his Apollo hosting duties, Harvey made the leap into scripted television with the 1994 ABC sitcom Me and the Boys, which ran briefly but demonstrated his appeal as a leading man. He continued to perform stand-up throughout the early 1990s, gradually building the audience and industry relationships that would lead to larger projects.

In 1997, he joined Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac on the Kings of Comedy tour, which became the highest-grossing comedy tour in history at the time, earning $18 million in its first year and $19 million in its second. The success of the tour established Harvey as one of the most bankable live performers in American stand-up.

Breakthrough (1996–2009)

Harvey’s first major sitcom success came with The WB’s The Steve Harvey Show, which aired from 1996 to 2002 and became a popular, long-running series, particularly within the African-American community. In 2000, director Spike Lee captured the Kings of Comedy tour in the concert film The Original Kings of Comedy, which brought Harvey’s stand-up to a national theatrical audience. That same year, he launched The Steve Harvey Morning Show, a weekday radio program that has since been syndicated across the United States.

During this period, Harvey expanded into feature films, appearing in The Fighting Temptations (2003) alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé Knowles, Love Don’t Cost a Thing (2003), Johnson Family Vacation (2004), You Got Served (2004), and the 2005 family film Racing Stripes, in which he voiced a character named Buzz. In 2006, he released the stand-up special Steve Harvey: Don’t Trip… He Ain’t Through with Me Yet, filmed at MegaFest, and in 2009 published his first major book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, which spent 64 weeks on The New York Times best-seller list.

Notable Works and Milestones

Harvey’s signature television role remains his long-running tenure as host of Family Feud, a position he has held since September 2010 and which represents the longest hosting stint in the show’s history. He is also the creator and host of Celebrity Family Feud, the co-creator and original host of Little Big Shots, and the host of Judge Steve Harvey, an arbitration-based court comedy that premiered on ABC in January 2022. In entertainment industry recognition, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and earned multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and Marconi Awards across his career.

Steve Harvey Award Nominations

Harvey has earned nominations across several major entertainment industry awards, including Daytime Emmy Awards, Marconi Awards, and NAACP Image Awards. In 2013, he became the first double host nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, receiving recognition in both the Outstanding Talk Show Host and Outstanding Game Show Host categories for his work on The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Family Feud. His continued presence on television and radio has made him a recurring nominee in talk, game show, and outstanding host categories throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s.

Steve Harvey Awards Won

Over the course of his career, Harvey has accumulated seven Daytime Emmy Awards, two Marconi Awards, and fourteen NAACP Image Awards. His Marconi Awards recognize his influence in radio, while his NAACP Image Awards reflect his long-standing impact on television and entertainment. In 2022, he and Chris Tucker received the inaugural Man in The Mirror Award from the Heal Los Angeles Foundation during the annual Halloween Thriller Night, presented by Prince Jackson.

Steve Harvey Family

Harvey was born to Jesse Harvey, a coal miner, and Eloise Vera, and grew up as the youngest of five children. He has been married three times and is the father of seven children, including four biological children and three stepchildren whom he adopted. From his first marriage to Marcia Harvey, he has twins Brandi and Karli and a son named Broderick Stephen Harvey Jr., and from his second marriage to Mary Shackelford he has a son named Wynton.

In June 2007, Harvey married Marjorie Bridges, with whom he shares an extensive blended family that includes Marjorie’s three children, Morgan, Jason, and Lori, all of whom Steve adopted. The couple has welcomed five grandchildren through their combined family. Harvey and Marjorie are the founders of the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports youth outreach, including a yearly camp for fatherless children and scholarship partnerships with Kent State University.

Personal Life

Harvey has been open about the personal challenges that shaped his early adulthood, including a period of homelessness in the late 1980s, which he has discussed publicly as a defining experience that motivated his later success. He frequently credits his Christian faith for his achievements and has described himself as an advocate for religious harmony, expressing reverence for multiple faith traditions. He has also discussed following a vegan diet for health reasons and has presented the rationale for that lifestyle on his television program.

Through 2017, Harvey split his time between Atlanta, where The Steve Harvey Morning Show was broadcast and Family Feud was recorded, and Chicago, where he hosted his talk show from the NBC Tower. In 2018, he relocated his talk show, radio show, and Family Feud production to Los Angeles. He and Marjorie live a family-centered life that includes their shared philanthropic work and ongoing involvement in entertainment, live events, and youth education initiatives.