The Truth About Steve And Marjorie Harvey's Marriage

An iconic comic, an award-winning television host, a bestselling author, and an established author, Steve Harvey has found a lot of success, to say the least. Per Biography, Steve got his big break in the early '90s when he was hired to host "Showtime at the Apollo" — a gig that saw him exercise his presenting prowess to the fullest. He would go on to host "Family Feud," "Celebrity Family Feud," and "The Steve Harvey Morning Show." 

And, of course, he's famously a family man. The father of seven has been married three times, and he and his third wife, Marjorie Harvey, have been going strong since 2007. "I wish every woman can find a soulmate like I've been blessed to find," Marjorie once gushed to Essence. "This is really my best friend. ... We complement each other and we bring out the best in each other so it's just a beautiful relationship all the way around."

The two really are there for one another through thick and thin. Take, for example, the mess happened when Steve read the wrong name at the 2015 Miss Universe competition. "You are a Stand Up Man and A True Class Act the way you went back out on the stage on live TV and took full responsibility alone," Marjorie wrote on Instagram. "I am so proud to be your wife!" Steve and Marjorie don't hold back on letting us in on their lives, and their marriage story proves that it sure can be worth giving something a second chance.

He might now be a five-time Emmy winner, but once upon a time, Steve Harvey was just an up-and-coming comic performing in small comedy clubs in Memphis in the 1980s. And it was during one of these performances that Steve first set his eyes on the woman who would become his third wife: Marjorie Harvey (née Bridges). "I was late and I thought he was gonna give me the business because he got real quiet," Marjorie recounted in 2018. "He finally realized he's gotta say something, he was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know who this is, but I'm gonna marry her.'"

Soon after Steve and Marjorie's first meeting, the two struck up a relationship. This first attempt was simply not meant to be as things went downhill for Steve. "I was becoming homeless, and so we only dated for a year, and I didn't have the money, so I never drove back to see her," Steve confessed during an episode of "Family Feud." By the time Steve got his big break with "It's Showtime at the Apollo," Marjorie was already married, meaning they could no longer be together.

But this was not the end of the road for the couple. Steve and Marjorie reconnected in 2005 and got married in 2007 — two years into their second relationship round and some two decades after their first meeting.

According to Parade, Steve Harvey married his first wife, Marcia Harvey in 1981 but the marriage was short-lived, with the two getting divorced in 1994 and moving on respectively. While much is not known about Marcia's love life as she has since kept a low profile, Steve clearly did not give up on love — or marriage.

Steve met his second wife Mary Shackelford in 1989, but it was not until 1996 — following his divorce from Marcia — that they got married. Like his first, the marriage to Mary was short-lived, only that this time, the split was riddled with drama. Following their 2005 separation, Shackelford accused Steve of cheating on her and leaving her destitute during their union. A judge has however since ruled the claims as false allegations in 2011, according to the Daily News. This was only the tip of the iceberg that was the legal feud between Steve and his ex-wife.

And just like Steve, Marjorie had also been previously married twice. Per Radar, her first husband, Jim L. Townsend, was pardoned by President Barack Obama in 2017, after serving 26 years in prison for attempting to buy 90 pounds of cocaine. Looking back on his relationship with Marjorie, Townsend told the Globe, "We were legally married when I got arrested. We lived in Memphis and had a great life together." According to Radar, Marjorie's second husband, Donnell Woods, served over two years in prison for drug dealing.

If there is one thing Steve and Marjorie Harvey love to do, it is travel. From skiing with their kids in Colorado to camel riding through Egypt, the Harveys know how to have fun and there simply is no stopping them. To celebrate 12 years of love in 2019, Steve and Marjorie took a trip to Italy where they served us the right amount of style, adventure, and Black love. That same year, the couple was in Cancun for Steve's "Sand and Soul" festival, and Marjorie's 55th birthday, per Bossip.

And while some of these trips are aimed at relaxing and having a good time, other times, it is for purposes beyond pleasure. In 2020, Steve and Marjorie went on a soul-stirring trip to Ghana. "Powerful beyond words that I can explain. I encourage as many of you as possible to go HOME for your ancestors," he wrote on Instagram.

Other excursions are a family affair. Like in May 2022, when Marjorie shared the cutest family photo of herself and Steve with three of their kids vacationing in Abu Dhabi. Steve has gone to the UAE a number of times over the years, and has shared how much he enjoys spending time there. As he said in Parade in January 2022, "My recent visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi had personal and professional aspects to it but was wholly driven by my great love of the people and culture."

The poster children for what a blended family could look like, Steve and Marjorie Harvey have seemingly hacked the secret to co-parenting all of their seven kids. It was of course, however, not all rosy in the beginning as there was some initial resistance with the children. But trust Steve and Marjorie to handle it like pros. "When you're dealing with a blended family, everyone is coming from a place of broken," Marjorie told People in a 2016 interview. "We knew this was right. But I just told them, 'Everyone is included. Everyone has access to their parents. Whatever you didn't have before, don't let that interfere with what you can have now." 

From his first marriage to Marcia Harvey, Steve welcomed twin daughters Karli and Brandi Harvey, as well as son Broderick Harvey Jr., per Hollywood Life. Fourth child Wynton Harvey came during his marriage to Mary Shackelford, his second wife. Marjorie has three kids from her previous marriages: Morgan, Jason, and Lori Harvey. Upon her marriage to Steve, the TV host adopted all of his wife's kids and has since raised them as his own.

Speaking in 2009, Steve revealed on "Good Morning America" that he and Marjorie decided to ditch the term "stepchildren" because it didn't feel right for their family. "I never refer to my youngest daughter as my stepdaughter. She is my daughter," he explained. "I don't want them to feel alienated when I introduce them."

Of the numerous things they enjoy doing together, Steve and Marjorie Harvey understand the importance of giving back to society and have teamed up to do just that. The power couple founded the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, a nonprofit initiative aimed at providing young people from low income homes with mentorship and educational resources. According to the official website, "The Foundation strives to be a change-agent by fostering excellence in the areas of education, health, and social well-being in urban and diverse communities."

To achieve their objectives, the foundation employs different strategies, which sometimes includes them partnering with public figures. In June 2022, media personality Willie Moore announced that he will be partnering with the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, to serve as a mentor to young boys. Also, in May 2022, Business Wire reported that Steve and Marjorie purchase a ranch in Georgia, which will serve instrumental to furthering the goals of their foundation. "Marjorie and I share this vision — we are going to give young people and the community of Upson County pathways that will help develop their dreams," Steve explained to the outlet.

Like every other power couple, Steve and Marjorie have been through a lot together but if anything, it has only made them stronger. In 2018, Steve and Marjorie were faced with cheating and divorce rumors after Radar Online reported that the fashion designer was asking for $400 million in divorce settlement after catching her husband in an affair with Kris Jenner. "There was a huge blowout fight and Marjorie walked out threatening divorce," an insider claimed to the outlet. Though there was no substantial proof to back up these claims, it was not long before another rumor about them sprung up.

In 2019, Radar Online once again reported that the television host was preparing to file for divorce and liquidating his assets to that effect. "Steve learned a lesson from his drawn-out divorce from second wife Mary," a source told the outlet. "It took him years to get their properties into his name." This time however, the Harveys were not having it and were quick to refute the rumors. "We're good — always," Marjorie later said to Hollywood Life, "We're prayed up. Prayer works. We're covered."

Understandably, the Harveys were not thrilled that these salacious stories were making the internet rounds. Per The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Steve told reporters in 2018, "They act like I don't have family. They act like my kids can't read. They don't care. They just go out to destroy people with no facts behind it."

Behind every successful man is his lady and Steve Harvey is seemingly no exception. To celebrate the couple's 15th anniversary in June 2022, Steve penned a sweet letter to Marjorie for Good Housekeeping, reminiscing on their years together. "Nearly two decades have flown by, and I have felt lucky every single one of those days," the famed comic wrote.

In the letter, Steve recalled his earliest days with Marjorie, how they lost touch at some point and how they eventually reconnected. He finished up by thanking Marjorie for her love and support through the years. "You are the single biggest reason outside of God's grace that I am where I am today," Steve added. "You're the one. I feel like if I lost everything, you'd stay with me and we'd build it up again. As a matter of fact, I know you would."

In an interview with Washington Post, Steve credited Marjorie for creating a safe environment for him and providing him with the needed peace to thrive in his career. "It freed my mind up to become the creative that I wanted to be," he said. Talk about a man who appreciates his lady.

Steve Harvey has redefined dad fashion and we just might have Marjorie Harvey to thank for it. In a May 2022 interview with E! News' "Daily Pop," Steve opened up about his sartorial journey and the role his other half has played in it. "She said, 'Steve, look, you've been on TV, you've got a brand, you protected it for so long,'" he recalled. "She said, 'So, this is what I want you to think. I want you to start dressing like you dress offstage, but I'm gonna get you some help because you don't have time to go shopping."

Marjorie would later team up with Steve's stylist Ellie Karamoh for a major closet overhaul, and the result? The result is what we all see and love today. But we're apparently not the only one's feeling it as the television host is most grateful for Marjorie's wardrobe intervention. "It was a breath of fresh air for me, because it took the shackles off," Steve told GQ in October 2021. "And even though I'm 64 years old, my motto is to be fly 'till I die.

Of course, Marjorie's involvement in Steve's fashion is barely a surprise seeing that she has over the years, proved herself to be as stylish as they come.

A typical grass-to-grace story, Steve Harvey went from being homeless to being one of Hollywood's most revered talk show hosts. And according to him, none of this happened by chance. "You can't grow without change, and that's the one thing that I have been willing to do," Steve said on MSNBC's "PoliticsNation" in 2013. "I have been willing to accept the changes that are necessary, in order to reinvent yourself and grow." As expected, Steve's success has translated to him making big bank through the years. At the time of this writing, Steve's estimated net worth is $200 million, per Celebrity Net Worth — with most of it coming from his work hosting gigs across radio and television. In 2018, Steve made his way to spot number five on Forbes' list of highest-paid TV hosts, with a reported $44 million salary from over the previous year.

Though not quite as wealthy as her husband, Marjorie has also seemingly amassed a fortune for herself over time. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Marjorie is worth a whopping $50 million with her main source of income listed as fashion design.

As for what they do with their heaps and heaps of cash? Plunk it down on impressive real estate, of course. As Dirt reported in 2020, they bought a jaw-dropper of a $15 million Atlanta mansion that was previously owned by Tyler Perry. Not too shabby.