Steve Harvey 'Never Lived Before' He Met 3rd Wife – It Took Decades & Failed Marriages to Propose to Her

Steve and Marjorie Harvey have one of the most beautiful marriages in Hollywood, and although he needed a long time to propose, he only started living after meeting her.

When media mogul Steve Harvey talks about his wife, Marjorie Harvey, his eyes light up. That's because he has been in love with her since they met.

However, she waited almost two decades before Steve finally popped the question. Not only was he married, but he was also homeless and needed all those years to find himself.

ROMANTIC FIRST MEETING

Steve and Marjorie are so proud of how they met that they have told the story many times. It was the late 1980s, so Steve had been a stand-up comedian for only a few years. He was also married to his first wife, Marcia Harvey.

During one of his shows in Memphis, Tennessee, he "quit breathing" after seeing a gorgeous woman entering the comedy club and walking to her table. He stopped the show and stared at her without saying a word. It was Marjorie.

She thought he would give her "the business" and make jokes about her being late, but he didn't. Steve stayed quiet so long that the other people at the club also started looking at Marjorie. She added:

"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'" [sic].

BREAKING UP WITH MARJORIE

It was love at first sight for Steve, and he and Marjorie started dating shortly after. They were together for a year and a half, and a few weeks into their relationship, she realized he was the one. Unfortunately, he just "disappeared."

Steve was going through one of the most challenging periods of his life. After quitting his job to pursue a career as a comedian, he separated from his first wife.

Marjorie also married another man, Jim Townsend, [a drug dealer].

Things were so bad that Steve became homeless. He didn't want Marjorie to know about it, so he cut off communication with her and never returned to Memphis.

Steve admitted that it was a "very painful" time. He would hide in hotel restrooms to wash himself up and made ends meet with just $50 a week.

He thought it was "too much" many times. One day, he was crying and heard a voice telling him that he would get to places he had never been before if he didn't quit. Steve pointed out it was like God saying he was almost there.

With each comedy show, Steve's popularity increased. In 1993, he landed a job performing on "Showtime at the Apollo." He had a starring role on "Me and the Boys" the following year.

In 1996, he began his successful run on "The Steve Harvey Show." One year later, he became one of the Original Kings of Comedy alongside Cedric the Entertainer, Bernie Mac, and D.L. Hughley.

Now, Steve is one of the wealthiest comedians in showbiz, but he is still running away from homelessness. He pointed out that he couldn't be in that position again, so he has many other jobs if one of his shows gets canceled.

The comedian admitted it was funny when other successful people say they always knew they would make it because he didn't. He hoped to get somewhere, but he never expected to be a media mogul.

RECONNECTING WITH MARJORIE THANKS TO HIS BODYGUARD

Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Steve worked hard on his career and found love in Mary Shackelford, his second wife. Marjorie also married another man, Jim Townsend.

Townsend was a drug dealer, and he was sent to jail after trying to buy 40 kilos of cocaine. He was initially sentenced to life in prison, and Marjorie divorced him after five years behind bars.

Former President Barack Obama commuted Townsend's life sentence, and he was set free in 2017. Steve and Shackelford's relationship was also short-lived, and they divorced in 2005.

The day after his divorce, Steve was gambling in Las Vegas. His bodyguard then called Marjorie's friends and discovered she was also divorced, so he arranged a call between her and Steve.

In June 2007, 17 years after Steve's onstage prediction, he married Marjorie. She confessed the 1980s was not the right time for them to be together.

Their seven kids were not immediately on board with blending their families.

They were in a long-distance relationship, and neither made the necessary move to be with the other. Fortunately, Marjorie has no regrets as Steve grew up to become a confident man who knows what he wants. Marjorie added:

"We sometimes kick ourselves now because we’re so perfect for each other. If only we had just done something about it back then, but I have a more seasoned Steve now."

DECLARING HIS LOVE TO MARJORIE

On Mother's Day 2015, Steve invited his wife to his TV show to honor her, and they couldn't hold back tears. He said that if they had not separated when they did, their children wouldn't be alive.

Steve pointed out that Marjorie allowed him to stop existing and start living because he "never lived" before meeting her. She also made him a better man, made his children feel comfortable, and gave them a place to call home.

Marjorie made him the "happiest man" by taking him to different places in the world, giving him back his desire to listen to music, and helping him be comfortable with his fame. Steve said:

"I'm by far, without a doubt, the – I don't wanna say lucky. I am the most blessed man. I love you" [sic].

Speaking of their children, Harvey and Marjorie once revealed their seven kids were not immediately on board with blending their families. Steve told his kids they just had to deal with it because he didn't need their permission.

Marjorie understood that everyone came from a place of brokenness, so she told their children that everyone would be included and have access to their parents.

She also asked them not to let the past interfere with what they could have in the present. Their strategies worked, and now, they are "mom and dad to everybody." What a beautiful love story!