Steve Harvey has become one of the most beloved talk show hosts around. For decades, the West Virginia native has made people laugh with his comedy. As of today, he hosts game show Family Feud.
But in fact, Harvey’s life hasn’t always been easy. He had considerable problems in school thanks to a stutter, and for a while was forced to live in his car while struggling to feed his family.
These days, Harvey and his family have it very good indeed. Even though he’s turned 64, the famous TV host has recently transformed himself into something of a fashion guru.
We’ve even got the pictures to confirm it!
Steve Harvey has grown into what some would call a television superstar in the last few decades. Not only is he very well-known in the US, but the fact that clips from his game show have spread across the internet has made him famous in other parts of the world as well.
Steve Harvey
To be honest, there are few things more funny than seeing Steve Harvey look surprised or offended at a contestant’s answer, or just simply listening to him dishing out his hilarious one-liners.
All in all, Harvey has made a great name for himself, but his hasn’t been a simple and easy road. No, Harvey went through plenty of rough times before he finally made it. It was only down to his dedication and motivation that he managed to succeed.
So how did Steve Harvey get to this point? Here’s all you need to know!
Even as a young kid, Steve Harvey was forced to contend with issues.
Born Broderick Steven Harvey on January 17, 1957, in Welch, West Virginia, he was the youngest of five children to parents Eloise and Jesse Harvey.
Steve Harvey had a serious stutter
Growing up, Steve had a stutter, which made him very uncomfortable around people.
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 that 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 laying 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. With regards to his stutter, it was a local deli man who 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 in the process.
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.
First work as a comedian
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.
After graduation, Steve went on to study at West Virginia University. He thereafter 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 act.
He eventually landed his first headline gig at the Bruce Ayer’s Comedy Club in Birmingham, Alabama.
