“Melissa is a strong creative force with her own ideas. Changes will be apparent,” NBC’s co-chairman of entertainment Paul Telegdy said
Steve Harvey won’t be hosting the kids’ talent show Little Big Shots when the series returns to NBC.
Harvey, 62, who hosted the show for its first three seasons, will be replaced by Melissa McCarthy, PEOPLE confirms.
“Melissa’s just an incredible performer and incredible comedian,” NBC’s co-chairman of entertainment Paul Telegdy said in a statement, adding that the mother of two, 48, “will bring a completely fresh perspective to it.”
“Melissa is a strong creative force with her own ideas. Changes will be apparent,” Telegdy added.
Although an exact date for the series’ return has not been announced, the show will begin airing again at 8 p.m. on Sunday nights after the end of football season next winter.
The change was announced shortly after news of Harvey’s daytime talk show, Steve, getting canceled by NBC after seven years with the network.
The syndicated show taped its final episode on Thursday and episodes will air through June with reruns airing through September, according to Variety.
In its place, the network will air Kelly Clarkson‘s new daytime show, The Kelly Clarkson Show.
The news may not have been surprising to Harvey himself, who had previously expressed uncertainty over whether he and the program would stay with the network when the current season ended.
“I thought I was until they made an announcement a couple weeks ago that they wanted to give Kelly Clarkson the owned and operated NBC Networks, and that’s my slot,” he said during an interview at Variety ‘s Entertainment Summit in January.
He went on to admit that he would have liked for NBC to reveal the news to him personally, instead of finding out about in the press, like everybody else.
“I’m an honorable guy and I’m just an old school guy and I just thought that you’re supposed to talk to people and go, ‘Look, you’ve been good business for us. This is what we’re thinking of doing. Are you okay with that?’ No, you don’t just put something in the paper and say, ‘I’m gonna make this move right here’ because it’s crazy,” he said. “You look at the numbers on.”
NBC executives were reportedly unhappy with the decision to cancel Harvey’s show, due to the network losing its ownership stakes of the popular daytime talk show, according to Variety.
Harvey’s producers are in the process of shopping the program to other networks, however, fans of the show can still watch him on ABC’s Family Feud in the meantime.
Reps for Harvey did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Steve Harvey Tries to Justify His Epic Work Memo: ‘I Just Didn’t Want to Be in This Prison Anymore’
In a controversial memo that was leaked, Steve Harvey forbid his staff from entering his dressing room unless invited ad accused them of “ambushing” him
Steve Harvey has publicly addressed the leaked memo he sent to his talk show staff that accused them of “ambushing” him in his dressing room and banned them from entering unless invited.
Harvey, 60, confirmed the legitimacy of the memo, which was leaked on Robert Feder’s Chicago media blog Wednesday, as well as clarified his comments in a Thursday interview with Entertainment Tonight‘s Kevin Frazier.
“I could not find a way to walk from the stage to my dressing room, to sit in my makeup chair, to walk from my dressing room to the stage or to just sit and have lunch without somebody just walking in,” he said. “I’ve always had a policy where, you know, you can come and talk to me — so many people are great around here, but some of them just started taking advantage of it.”
“Look man, I’m in my makeup chair, they walk in the room,” he continued. “I’m having lunch, they walk in, they don’t knock. I’m in the hallway, I’m getting ambushed by people with friends that come to the show and having me sign this and do this. I just said, ‘Wait a minute.’ And in hindsight, I probably should’ve handled it a little bit differently.”
Harvey went on to explain that he sent out the memo in an attempt to ask everyone “to simply honor and respect” his privacy.
“If you come out your house, you don’t want anybody on your porch waiting on you,” he said. “You walk to your car, you don’t want people bothering you on your way to your car. Everybody wants the freedom to be able to move around.”
“I just didn’t want to be in this prison anymore where I had to be in this little room, scared to go out and take a breath of fresh air without somebody approaching me, so I wrote the letter,” he added. “I don’t apologize about the letter, but it’s kind of crazy what people who took this thing and ran, man. I appreciate you asking me.”
The original memo was reportedly sent to Steve Harvey staff at the beginning of the current season of the nationally syndicated talk show, which has long filmed in Chicago. Starting this fall, the revamped talk show will tape in Los Angeles at Harvey’s request with a new crew.
Read Harvey’s full memo below:
Good morning, everyone. Welcome back.
I’d like you all to review and adhere to the following notes and rules for Season 5 of my talk show.
There will be no meetings in my dressing room. No stopping by or popping in. NO ONE.
Do not come to my dressing room unless invited.
Do not open my dressing room door. IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED.
My security team will stop everyone from standing at my door who have the intent to see or speak to me.
I want all the ambushing to stop now. That includes TV staff.
You must schedule an appointment.
I have been taken advantage of by my lenient policy in the past. This ends now. NO MORE.
Do not approach me while I’m in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly. Either knock or use the doorbell.
I am seeking more free time for me throughout the day.
Do not wait in any hallway to speak to me. I hate being ambushed. Please make an appointment.
I promise you I will not entertain you in the hallway, and do not attempt to walk with me.
If you’re reading this, yes, I mean you.
Everyone, do not take offense to the new way of doing business. It is for the good of my personal life and enjoyment.
Thank you all,
Steve Harvey.
Who Is Steve Harvey’s Wife? All About Marjorie Harvey
Steve Harvey and Marjorie Harvey have been married since 2007
Steve Harvey knew Marjorie Harvey was the woman he was meant to marry.
The pair met in 1990 at a comedy club and briefly dated, however, the timing wasn’t right. Years later, Steve and Marjorie reconnected and tied the knot in 2007. With their union came the blending of their respective families, which includes a total of seven children.
Although the Family Feud host had previously been married twice, his relationship with Marjorie is unlike anything he’s ever experienced.
“Marjorie changed the way I existed,” he told PEOPLE in 2012. “I’d never been in a healthy adult relationship. I’d never been loyal, I’d never been fully respected.”
Marjorie agreed, telling PEOPLE, “We’re best friends. It’s the first time either of us has had someone we can talk to about everything.”
Over the course of their decades-long relationship, the couple have shared sweet moments on social media, become grandparents and, most importantly, had each other’s backs.
“That woman right there [has] been down with me like four flat tires,” Steve said during his acceptance speech at theGrio Awards in November 2023. “That woman has been faithful to me, loyal to me. 85% of what y’all up here [are] talking to me about happened after I married that girl right there.”
So, who is Steve Harvey’s wife? Read on to find out more about Marjorie Harvey.
She first met Steve in 1990 at a comedy club
Although Steve and Marjorie didn’t get married until 2007, the pair met years prior when the comedian was performing at a club in Memphis, Tennessee.
They discussed their first meeting during a 2018 episode of Steve’s talk show, The Steve Harvey Show. “I was late, and I thought he was gonna give me the business because he got real quiet. He was just staring at me. I thought I was going to become part of the show,” Marjorie told the audience. “He finally realized, ‘Oh, I gotta say something.’ He was, like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know who this is, but I’m gonna marry her.’ “
While their connection was immediate, they ultimately went their separate ways after a few weeks of dating. “I knew he was The One shortly after I started [dating] him … but then he just left. Disappeared,” Marjorie told Essence in 2014.
Steve explained that he was not in a good place financially and was focused on his career at the time. “Before a man can be of use to a woman … he’s got to know who he is, what he does and how much he’s going to make,” he told the magazine.
Over a decade later, in 2005, he and Marjorie reconnected and the timing was right. Steve’s second marriage to Mary Shackelford had just ended and he was fresh off his sitcom The Steve Harvey Show.
She has Steve’s bodyguard to thank for their reunion
When Steve found himself single again in 2005, his bodyguard suggested a reunion with Marjorie. As Steve recalled to PEOPLE in 2016, “He told me, ‘Look, the only time I’ve ever seen you happy was when you were with that woman Marjorie. Now, before you go and do something stupid and marry another woman, I’m calling her.’ “
Of their second chance, Steve said, “It was like being reborn. I messed up so many times in my life. She made all the difference. When you’re happy at home, you can make a lot of things happen.”
Marjorie added, “When Steve came back into my life, it was effortless.”
She and Steve got married in 2007
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Marjorie and Steve wed on June 25, 2007.
The couple celebrated 16 years of marriage in Lake Como, Italy. While there, they got all dressed up for a special wedding anniversary photoshoot.
“Still going strong,” Steve captioned a video of him and his wife on Instagram.
She’s “mom” to a large blended family
Together, Steve and Marjorie have seven children who make up one large blended family. Steve shares twin daughters Brandi and Karli and son Broderick with his first wife Marcia Harvey, as well as son Wynton with Shackelford. Marjorie has three children from a previous marriage, Morgan, Jason and Lori, whom Steve legally adopted after their 2007 wedding.
Although the couple were ready for a new life together, their kids were a bit more hesitant about blending their families.
Marjorie had some words of encouragement, though. “When you’re dealing with a blended family, everyone is coming from a place of broken,” she told PEOPLE in 2016. “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.’ “
“Now,” she added, “we’re Mom and Dad to everybody.”
She’s a grandparent
In addition to their seven kids, Steve and Marjorie are also grandparents to seven grandchildren. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Steve shared that Marjorie “loves being a grandparent.” When asked if he feels the same way, the comedian answered, “Not at all.”
“I spent all my life trying to become an empty nester, I wanted my kids to go away and get out. Now they come back with more people,” he joked.
She runs a foundation with her husband
In 2010, Steve and Marjorie started The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, “which helps under-resourced communities receive the tools for success,” according to Steve Harvey’s official website. The foundation’s mission is to offer access to services for youth that will help them succeed in life and become capable leaders.
One program under the foundation is Marjorie Harvey’s Girls Who Rule the World, which helps young girls develop positive self-esteem and succeed in their education through mentoring and other resources. Marjorie takes an active role in the program and has hosted a meet-up, surprised a student with a scholarship and more.
She and Steve both love fashion
Marjorie is very passionate about fashion, which is something she and Steve have in common. “As you know, you and I, that’s one of the things we have in common, we both love fashion. I’ve been passionate about it all my life,” she told Steve during a 2014 appearance on his talk show. The fashionista had come on to discuss the fashion and lifestyle blog she had launched that year, The Lady Loves Couture.
Marjorie also showcases her love for fashion on her Instagram account, where she regularly posts photos of her outfits.
She and Steve have attended a handful of fashion shows together over the years as well.
She told her husband to keep his greying beard and mustache
During an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Steve explained how Marjorie was in support of his greying hair.
“I was on vacation and I actually left my Just For Men [hair dye] at home ’cause I had been dying my mustache, you know, black. So I was on vacation, so I didn’t dye it and the rest of it started growing in,” he shared. “And next thing I knew I went, ‘Damn. This is either going to be sexy or I’m ugly as hell one of the two.’ “
He added of Marjorie, “My wife told me to keep it.”
She supported Steve during his Miss Universe debacle
While hosting the Miss Universe pageant in 2015, Steve accidentally announced Miss Colombia (Ariadna Gutierrez) as the winner, when Miss Philippines (Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach) had actually won after misreading his cue card.
“I feel horrible for the two countries. I feel horrible for the fans. It was a mistake,” he told reporters after the show. “The dishonorable thing would be to just leave it like it was. It didn’t deserve to happen that way, but it happened from an honest mistake.”
Marjorie had her husband’s back and was quick to offer him some support. “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,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am so proud to be your wife! I love you.”
Later reflecting on the “devastating” mix-up during an interview with PEOPLE in 2016, Steve said Marjorie’s support encouraged him to move forward. “[She said,] ‘I’m proud of the way you handled it. Don’t beat yourself up,’ ” he shared.
She has a special relationship with her parents
As evidenced by her Instagram, Marjorie is close with her parents. She has posted many photos of herself spending time with them, including surprising her mom for her 80th birthday, cuddling up with the couple in their bed and celebrating their 60th anniversary. In fact, her parents’ long-lasting marriage serves as an inspiration to her and she has referred to them as “Goals For Real.”
In January 2020, Marjorie opened up about her dad’s Parkinson’s and dementia diagnoses as well as how the family was coping with the news.
“My dad was recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s and dementia. Steve, my [mom] and I have been researching some things to keep the brain and body active,” she wrote alongside a video of her and her dad playing a game together. “We are all committed to fighting this. Let’s go, Daddy … my hero … my heart … my example of what a real man is. I love you.”
She’s a thrill-seeker
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In February 2023, Marjorie went skydiving in Dubai. She shared the “amazing experience” on Instagram. A year prior, she posted photos from ice car racing in Aspen, Colorado, and feeding sharks on a tropical vacation.
She and Harvey addressed cheating rumors in 2023
In August 2023, Steve shut down rumors that claimed Marjorie had cheated on him.
“[My] marriage is fine,” he said to an audience at Invest Fest in Atlanta. “I don’t know what y’all are doin’, but find something else to do cause we fine, Lord have mercy.” Later that day, Marjorie called the rumors “foolishness and lies” in a post on Instagram.
The following month, Steve addressed another rumor about Marjorie: that she caused him and his first wife to split.
“Y’all quit talking about ‘she was in my other marriage and ruined it,’ ” the game show host said on his Steve Harvey FM radio show, “She didn’t. She was nowhere around that. I got divorced in 2005.”
He also denied that Marjorie married him for his success and called her “one of the best women I’ve ever met.”