Steve Harvey sat down in an interview and candidly discussed life as a stepfather on March 31 with Cam Newton, New England Patriots quarterback and host of BET’s “Sip N Smoke,” a digital talk show.
In the show’s first episode the mogul revealed the challenges and rewards he endured early on after marrying his wife, Marjorie Harvey, in 2007 and blending their family. Harvey has four children from his first two marriages, and Marjorie has three children from a previous relationship. One issue Harvey faced was being told by one of his current wife’s children — who was never identified in the interview — that he wasn’t their biological father.
The comedian said on mark 8:10, “I’ve been through it because when I married Marjorie, Marjorie had three children. The challenge in that man, one time, one of them said, ‘You ain’t my daddy.’ And then my question was, ‘Ok, but where he at doe’?’ ’Cause I get tight too. Don’t step to me disrespectful because I’m doing the job.”
He added, “And men who take on another man’s responsibility, that should be a day for them. Cats like me and you who step up and play fathers when cats done walked away from their responsibility, that’s a different kind of man.”
Newton — who reared a stepdaughter from his previous relationship and currently is rearing a stepson with girlfriend La Reina Shaw — concurred with Harvey’s standpoint and stated it takes a lot for a man to show that “same love and compassion” for a child that isn’t biologically theirs. “It does take a hell of a man to be able to look a person in their eye and have the same love and compassion. If it came down to a life or death situation, you won’t even blink.”
The “Family Feud” host added he would “die” for all seven of his children. He said, “I would die for them…That’s what cats out here be running their mouth, you don’t understand. I will die for them.”
Many fans praised Harvey for what they perceived as his being honest about his journey as a stepfather, and a couple agreed that stepparents do need to be acknowledged more.
“Amen to that. Men that step up and parent non-biological kids deserve some sort of acknowledgement.”
“He’s not a step dad!! HE’S THE DAD WHO STEPPED UP!!!👏👏👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌😍😍😍😍.”
“Anyone that fulfill a role that they didn’t create deserves that extra acknowledgment.”
“But where he at doe!” THAT PART! I’m here for step daddy’s! ❤️.”
In the interview, Harvey also talked about what he learned as a father while raising his children. He said on mark 6:14, “The thing I’ve learned about fatherhood ain’t no manual ain’t no blueprint for raising your kids. They’re going to make mistakes. … No matter what you teach them as a parent they one day are going to make a decision that’s completely adverse to everything you’ve ever taught them. Just stay with them because they gonna make mistakes and you got to keep loving them.”
The “Steve” host opened up about the different ways he raised his sons and daughters. Harvey said because his sons will become “head of the household” one day he is a little bit tougher on them. But when it comes to his daughters he is very protective.
He said, “Now, my sons, they’re a little bit different when they make mistakes. They can come to me. But I got that you got to figure this out, right. I’ll give it to him, but one day, you got to be the head of a household. You got to be somebody’s husband, somebody’s father. It’s going to require toughness, so I make them struggle a little bit more. My daughters are different; I’m protective of them. If you attack my daughters or my wife. I’m coming for you. I’m real protective.”
