Steve Harvey has been making people laugh since he first stepped on the comedy scene in the early 1980s. Best known for being the host of Family Feud for nearly 15 years now, Harvey is recognized for his wit, observational humor, and relationship advice, which he also offered in his hit sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show.
Growing up, Harvey knew he wanted to be on TV. In fact, according to a clip from Oprah’s Master Class, when he was in the sixth grade his teacher asked the class to write down what they wanted to be when they grew up. Harvey, who had a stutter at the time, plainly said he wanted to be on TV. His teacher told his parents he was being a smart aleck. How did Harvey respond much later when he landed on the small screen?
“Every year when the teacher was living, I used to send her a TV for Christmas,” Harvey told People. “I wanted her to see me.”
Harvey has continued his success both on and off the boob tube as a comedian, actor, author, and television and radio personality. Below we break down Harvey’s lengthy career and his enviable net worth.
Getty Images/Eric McCandless
Steve Harvey’s Net Worth
From his early career in comedy to his time as the host of Family Feud, Steve Harvey’s upward trajectory is one for the ages. While Harvey may not have known he would make it big, his reported estimated $200 million net worth per Celebrity Net Worth (an unconfirmed but believable figure) proves he’s hustled his way to the upper echelon of the entertainment industry, with a smile naturally always on his face.
Steve Harvey’s Early Life
Harvey was born in Welch, WV, on January 17, 1957, to his mother Eloise Vera and coal miner father Jesse Harvey. When he was young his family moved to Cleveland, OH, and stayed there until Harvey graduated from Glenville High School in 1974.
After graduating, he moved on to Kent State University where he studied advertising before dropping out after only two years, something Harvey has noted on more than one occasion that he regrets.
“It really threw my life into a downward spiral, and I regret not getting that degree,” he told Parade in 2014.
But that setback didn’t keep him from following his dreams. After leaving college early, Harvey did just about anything he could to make ends meet. Throughout his twenties, he worked odd jobs as an insurance salesman, postman, and more to make a living while he searched for his true calling.
He found that calling when he stepped on a local comedy club stage in 1985. That night many moons ago, he won an amateur night contest that would spark his life’s trajectory.
Related: Dave Chappelle’s Net Worth Means He’s One of the Biggest Comedians of All Time
Steve Harvey’s Comedy Career
Once Harvey caught the comedy bug, he didn’t want to stop. For the next several years he continued to work part-time jobs and comedy gigs where he could find them, living in his car for years at a time just trying to get by.
“It kills me when I hear very successful people say, ‘I always knew I would get here,’” he told People. “I didn’t. I always hoped I would get somewhere, but this is above and beyond. My imagination didn’t even go this big.”
Harvey speaks about this time with a heaviness, the point in his life where he almost gave up.
“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,’” the star explained. “It was like God said, ‘Don’t quit, you’re almost there.’”
In 1989 he started to gain national recognition when he made it to the finals of the Second Annual Johnnie Walker National Comedy Search. His career took off after that with his big break coming in 1993 when he took over as the host of Showtime at the Apollo. He stayed on Showtime at the Apollo until 2000 but left to pursue his sitcom, The Steve Harvey Show, full-time.
Both of his first major shows set him up to partner with some of the biggest names in the comedy industry. Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, D.L. Hughley, and Harvey joined forces from 1997 to 1999 on The Kings of Comedy roadshow, which became a nationwide hit. It made more than $19 million by its end and became the highest-grossing comedy tour ever to date at the time in the U.S.
A year after the tour ended, Spike Lee released a documentary about the show’s success. The Original Kings of Comedy earned more than $38 million at the box office.
Though his time as one of the kings remains his most popular era, Harvey has continued to reap rewards through his radio show, The Steve Harvey Morning Show; best-selling books like Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, and Straight Talk, No Chaser; and his many years as the host of Family Feud.
“I know what it is to have no money,” Harvey said in Oprah’s Lifeclass. “I know what it is to start at the bottom. I know what it is to get back up. I know what it is to overcome. I know what it is to win. I know what losses feel like. I know what failure does—I know how to use it to your advantage.”