Steve Harvey appeared to have been in a bit of a reflective mood Monday when he posted a video to his Instagram account giving an inspirational speech to fans in Botswana.
“Don’t ever give up,” he told the crowd that gathered around him. “Talk to God every day. It’s the only way. There is no other way. In order to be successful, you have to have faith. Talk to God every day and never give up. And work like a dog.”
As Harvey spoke, the crowd cheered in agreement.
The caption the comedian added reflected Harvey’s origins before he broke through in the industry on “Showtime at the Apollo.” He says he had become homeless in the late 1980s and wound up living out of his 1976 Ford Tempo. As he told People magazine in 2013, he used a cooler in the backseat as a refrigerator and cleaned himself up using public restrooms, like those in a hotel, and showered at public swimming pool facilities.
The message not only resonated with people in the southern African nation but also people residing elsewhere who commented on Harvey’s post.
“Love love love this! You just reminded me of something! Thank you!”
“That’s right Steve . God is proud of you. So your chapter will be something seen before . The world loves you Steve Harvey. Keep up the good work.”
“Wow!! Incredibly practical and amazing message! Love this.”
“God is the answer 👍🙏 we walk by faith and not by sight🙏”
But while fans were moved by the former “Steve” host’s message, they also took notice of what they deemed as an overzealous security guard whose eyes darted around the crowd and who kept Harvey moving when he wrapped his speech.
“That security guy need to chill”
“Yo that security dude don’t play!!”
“🇧🇼Tell your security guard to chill, you were in a very safe country”
“@polokopercy yeah he must chill no more guns hear,” another follower responded.
Harvey’s stop in Botswana follows an emotional trip he and his family took to the slave castles along Ghana’s coast. During a trek to Elmina Castle and Cape Coast Castle, Harvey and his wife Marjorie Harvey were moved to tears as they walked through the pitch-black rooms that African slaves were forced to be crammed into during the slave trade.
“This was real pain I felt going back to Ghana’s slave castles…I could feel my ancestors on me… Powerful beyond words that I can explain,” the comedian wrote in part in the caption of the castle visit footage.
