Steve Harvey Hid from Future Wife That He Was Homeless & Slept in Car — They Made It 15 Years Raising 7 Kids

• Before his popularity, Steve Harvey was homeless and lived on $50 a week.

• He saw his future wife at a comedy club, but she was not his next spouse then.

• Thanks to his bodyguard, Steve was able to reconnect with the woman he fell in love with a long time ago.

• This year, they will celebrate 16 years together.

Steve Harvey is a distinguished American television host, born on January 17, 1957. He is best known for his popular TV shows, including "The Steve Harvey Morning Show," "Family Feud," its spin-off, "Celebrity Family Feud," and "Judge Steve Harvey."

Before attaining success as a formidable TV host, Steve started as a comedian in the early 1980s. He officially bowed out from the stand-up comedy scene in 2012.

Besides comedy and hosting, Steve is also the author of the iconic book, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," which became a bestseller in 2009. Moreover, the talented A-lister, who also happens to be an actor, is an entrepreneur, having started a business called Steve Harvey Global which includes a production house.

Steve, 66, is a critically acclaimed entertainer, having won several Daytime Emmy Awards, including other media-related awards. Today, he is a multi-millionaire, but it was not always like this.

Steve Was Homeless & Slept in His Car for Years

Before breaking into show business, Steve worked as an insurance salesman in Ohio. He spent much of his time on the road.

At the time, he was married to his first wife, Marcia Harvey, whom he wed in 1981. Their union ended in divorce in 1994 because of Steve's constant traveling.

He later became homeless after quitting his job by taking a chance with comedy. With no place to go, Steve lived on $50 a week.

In a candid interview with People in May 2016, the Hollywood star recounted that heart-breaking period in his life, describing it as his lowest point:

"That was an ugly period, just very painful. Everybody has a moment when they turn back, when you say to yourself, ‘This is too much.’ I had it on several occasions."

Steve hid in a hotel restroom while attempting to wash up. But even during such circumstances, he refused to throw in the towel.

"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.' It was like God said, 'Don't quit; you're almost there,'" he recalled.

Steve did not give up on his dream to become a comedian, and he never had a backup plan. He said it was something he never trusted in:

"I never believed in a plan b. Everybody that I know that has had a plan b has had to use it. Because if you have a plan b you can't give your all to plan a."

Still, that does not mean he did not consider giving up at some point: "I'm human. There were a lot of days where I didn't think I was going to make it," Steve admitted.

He added: "But I had nothing. I just didn't want to go back home and say I was a failure.'" The West Virginia native revealed he lived in his car for three years.

As a last resort, Steve started stealing to get by daily. He expressed how devastating it was to live like that because he knew deep down inside that comedy was what he wanted to do:

"It was crushing. I realized, 'You're on your own. You have nothing or no one.' All I knew was that I could make people laugh."

Steve ended up stealing fuel from gas stations to get to comedy gigs which helped him sleep in hotels every other night. Besides that, he used his Ford Tempo as his home and an Igloo cooler as a makeshift refrigerator. He showed up in rest-stop bathrooms and survived merely on bologna sandwiches.

After his first try at stand-up comedy in 1985, Steve won $50, leading him to quit his insurance salesman job. That decision affected his marriage with Marcia, with whom he shares twin daughters, Brandi and Karli.

The doting father said being a family man was driving him to push through the odds to provide for his wife and kids, and with that, "I had to take this chance," said Steve.

For his efforts, the now-world-famous star made $3,000 as a comedian. Unfortunately, his relationship with his spouse was not the only one that fell apart, as his relations with his children also raptured.

In addition, his paycheck took a heavy knock when 75% of his earnings went directly to his former wife and their brood. Steve rarely saw his daughters but ensured they were catered to financially. Meanwhile, his comedy career led him to meet his current wife.

Steve Met His Current Wife through Comedy

In 2018, Steve's third spouse, Marjorie Harvey, was on his talk show, "The Steve Harvey Show," and during the commercial break, he asked her to tell the audience how they met.

The designer revealed she and her husband first crossed paths in 1987 at a comedy club in Memphis. Marjorie's girlfriend had accompanied her to the comedy night, and the two arrived late and walked toward the front seats.

"I was late, and I thought he was going to 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 remembered.

The stylist stated that Steve, who was mesmerized by her beauty, snapped out of it and thought he needed to say something. She disclosed the first words he uttered:

"'Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know who this is, but I'm going to marry her.'"

During the same show, Steve admitted he was taken by his future wife, describing that he "quit breathing," once he laid eyes on her.

They started dating after that, but their relationship ended after a year and a half, and they both went on to lead separate lives.

Steve revealed in June 2021 that he and Marjorie parted ways because of his homelessness. He purposefully stopped communicating with her because he wanted to hide it from her.

After they called it quits, he never returned to Memphis, Tennessee. They married other people and even had kids. Steve reportedly began dating Mary before his first divorce was finalized. The former couple wed in 1996 and had a messy divorce in 2005 that went on for years.

Meanwhile, Marjorie pursued a career as a clothing designer, a business owner, and later, a blogger.

The hazel brown-eyed beauty dropped out of the University of Memphis upon realizing that her college degree was not aligned with her career goals. Instead, she pursued her passion for fashion and travel.

Getting a head start on her career, she attended fashion shows in New York, Hollywood, and Paris to gather what she could about the field.

At the same time, her spouse landed his major break in showbiz when he secured a gig on "Showtime at the Apollo" in 1993. Following that stint, success abundantly befell Steve as he bagged a sitcom, spots on Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac's "Original Kings of Comedy" tour.

The Couple's Second Chance at Love

The "Little Big Shots" host credits his bodyguard for bringing him and Marjorie together after he divorced his second wife, Mary Lee Harvey. His bodyguard had called Marjorie's friend and handed the phone to Steve to talk to his former flame.

Steve recalled he was gambling in Sin City at the time and went there to try and forget about all his problems. While on the phone with Marjorie, he asked her about her husband, and she told him she had been divorced for four years.

Without wasting any more time, the producer got on a private jet to Memphis the next day to rekindle their relationship. The duo has been together since then.

In a love letter to his significant other, "The Parkers" alum gushed about the couple's reunion. He said that day in Vegas was the best of his life:

"I knew I wasn't going to blow it a second time. [..] When we got back together, it was even better because we knew each other. It was just a perfect fit."

Steve stated that he could finally settle down by reuniting with Marjorie because he had someone to begin a new life with. He added that it was even more endearing that she was willing to go on that journey with him.

After a year of courtship, Marjorie and Steve tied the knot on June 25, 2007, and they now have a solid marriage of almost 16 years. When the pair marked their 15th wedding anniversary, Steve wrote a love letter to his beautiful wife, reflecting on their time together.

He said being a couple again was effortless from both sides. They often made each other laugh and had one another on cloud nine. "I filled in all your gaps. You sure filled in all my gaps. It didn't take long for me to realize that you were the woman for me," Steve penned.

The award-winning star expressed gratitude to Marjorie for the role she played in his life elevating him and credited his success to her:

"I want to thank you because without you there is no way my life could be this. I owe you a debt of gratitude because you changed my life. You are the single biggest reason outside of God's grace that I am where I am today. You're the one."

Steve revealed when he and Marjorie reunited, he was not yet where he wanted to be. Despite his hustling, he still had to attain a lot, adding he "was in a dark space for quite some time, and I think all the stars aligned for us at the right moment."

Steve now leads a comfortable life with his wife and kids, thanks to his $100 million fortune. Marjorie is a business owner, blogger, and social media influencer with 3.1 million Instagram followers. The pair are parents to six children in a blended family.

Steve is a father of three from his first marriage to Marcia. Aside from their twin daughters, the former couple welcomed a son named after him, Broderick. The family patriarch has another son from his union with Mary named Wynton.

When he and Marjorie got hitched, he adopted her three kids from her previous marriage to Darnell Woods. The two had daughters Lori and Morgan, and son Jason— all of whom Steve gave his last name.

The family of eight has divided their time between three cities over the years, including Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

In addition to being loving parents, Marjorie and Steve are also grandparents of seven. Steve's son Jason and his model girlfriend Amanda have four kids together. His daughter Morgan and her husband Kareem share two daughters, while daughter Karli and her spouse Ben have one child.

Steve joked in 2018 that he had patiently waited for all his offspring to leave the nest because he wanted the house all to himself. But that has not entirely worked in his favor:

"Now they come back to the house, and they have some more people with them. They always bring them over and drop them off."

Even with all his accomplishments and a big, happy family, Steve confessed he is still trying, by all means, to prevent history from repeating itself. Steve said he does not want to find himself without a home again.

"I'm running from homelessness. I can't ever be in that position again. If my show gets canceled, I've got three more. I don't have any free time, but I have 12 jobs," Steve said of his new life.