Steve Harvey is battling several legal issues as his entertainment platforms have taken hits in various ways.
The comedian and his companies are at the center of a few litigation claims and complaints and his talk show and radio show’s schedules have been shaken up.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 04: TV personality Steve Harvey attends the AOL BUILD Speaker Series: Steve Harvey at AOL Studios In New York on September 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage)
For one, former “Bad Girls Club” star Danielle Victor accused Harvey’s talk show “Steve” of scheduling her to appear on a dating segment before rescinding the invitation purportedly because of her reality TV past.
“I grew up watching @iamsteveharveytv I looked at him as an icon and now I don’t know how I feel about him or the people he works for,” she said on Instagram Sept. 27. “This isn’t racist but it’s discriminatory, period.”
It followed another lawsuit from Kaliqah Muhammad, who filed a claim in September alleging that two executives from his brands urged her to engage in sexual encounters with them and when she refused, she was fired. Muhammad, a receptionist/travel coordinator for Harvey’s radio and production companies said Gerald Washington, former president of Steve Harvey World and president of Strategic Partnerships and Content Development for Steve Harvey Radio Network, and Meagan Dotson, a Harvey company secretary, allegedly sent her text messages asking about “sexy pictures” encouraging her to meet in bed with the pair.
Additionally, Harvey faces a $5 million lawsuit from the widow of “What’s Happening” star Fred “Rerun” Berry. Essie Berry accused Harvey of blocking her efforts to make it in the entertainment industry, filing an affidavit claiming Harvey’s associates have “harassed, bullied, stalked, silenced, threatened, and intimidated” her, making her life “a living hell.”
The litigations and complaint come on top of issues with “Steve” and Harvey’s radio show, “The Steve Harvey Morning Show.”
Harvey’s nationally syndicated radio show is being replaced in Dallas by former “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Claudia Jordan’s program, “The Morning Rush with Claudia and Rudy.” It took over in the 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. time slot that Harvey’s morning show held for 15 years.
Additionally, the comic’s talk show is set to be replaced in select NBC markets for the fall 2019 season as the peacock network tests Kelly Clarkson’s new talk show as a lead-in to “The Ellen Degeneres Show.” However, it’s not all bad news. His representatives clarified that the show is not being canceled altogether and will still air in other non-NBC markets, as it does in Atlanta where “Steve” airs on Fox.
