Comedian Steve Harvey is not shy about sharing his story. The millionaire television personality has been on our screens for decades. In the age of social media, he’s used his accounts to share inspirational chats he does with his audiences between segments on his various projects. During one talk on his Talk Show, he opened up about how rough it was for him growing up and why till this day, Steve is trying to make his parents proud even though they are no longer with us.
Steve Harvey was born in Welch, West Virginia, on January 17th, 1957. His father, Jesse Harvey, was a coal miner. Steve’s first name is actually Broderick, and he was named after actor Broderick Crawford from the television show High Patrol. Steve says he always had a large imagination as a child. So much so that his mother Eloise worried because they did not have much money to keep him entertained. Instead, what she would do was buy him travel books so that he could see the world. Steve says this had a big impact on him and why he’s been to so many countries. Eventually, their family would relocate from West Virginia to Cleveland, OH, where he attended Glenville High School.
Everything in your imagination can come true for you. You just have to believe it! pic.twitter.com/4iXm7HGzWy
— Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey) February 18, 2022
During the holiday season, his father would drive Steve around town to see the houses in the suburbs decorated with lights. What always stood out to Steve was not the lights but instead the driveways. Steve says he saw houses with horseshoe driveways and was so fascinated because in the hood, he only knew how to drive in and back out of a driveway. He had never seen one where you could come in one way and exit the other. Steve says that he was so enamored by this that when he got enough money to purchase a home, he made sure it had this style of driveway. Steve says in total, he’s owned 11 homes across four states, and they all have horseshoe driveways.
As a thank you to his parents, Steve said he used to buy them whatever they wanted while they were still alive. Homes, cars, furniture. Part of his work ethic was due to him wanting to provide for them so that they would never be poor again. While working on The Steve Harvey Show, he made $55,000 a week and would send his parents $5000 every week.
By the time he began touring with the Kings of Comedy, his mother had already passed. Steve said he would show his father his checks, and his dad would be blown away by the pay claiming it would take him four years to achieve that same amount of money.
Steve got emotional at that moment as now both his parents are deceased. According to him, even after all these years, he still strives to make them proud and hopes they are up in heaven looking down on him happily. Steve is now a parent himself with seven kids over the course of four marriages.
