During a break while filming, comedian Steve Harvey recently shared a story with his “Family Feud” audience about how he rekindled his relationship with his wife, Marjorie Harvey.
According to Harvey, their reunion happened just one day after his divorce was finalized. The 67-year-old funnyman recalled the unexpected 2005 moment in a Feb. 15 Facebook Reel, explaining that he was deep in a gambling session when his bodyguard interrupted him with an urgent phone call.
“I was in a casino gambling. Man, you know I don’t talk to nobody when I’m gambling,” Harvey initially said, dismissing his security. But his bodyguard insisted, “No, I think you want to hear this.”
On the other end of the line was Marjorie, the woman he hadn’t spoken to since in almost 20 years.
‘I said, ‘Hello.’ She said, ‘Boy, what you want?’” Harvey remembered. “And I said, ‘Marjorie?’ I recognized her voice from 1987 to 2005.”
After some playful back-and-forth, including Harvey jokingly asking about her “punk-a— husband,” he learned she had been divorced for four years. Without hesitation, he decided he wanted to get back with her.
“I got a jet [and] flew to Memphis, Tennessee, the next day asked her to have lunch with me,” he said.
Marjorie set her boundaries immediately. “I don’t date married men,” she told him. Harvey quickly reassured her, “I just got divorced yesterday.”
His divorce had been finalized the day before Thanksgiving, but because of his celebrity status, the news hadn’t gone public.
Harvey’s second wife, Mary Shackelford, who married him in 1996, claimed their 2005 divorce left her financially devastated. She accused the radio personality of using his influence in a Texas court to his advantage, leaving her with limited settlement and eventually strained access to their son Wynton.
Marjorie took about a month to verify the divorce, but they reconnected at the Adams Mark Hotel in Memphis once she did.
As she walked toward him in the lobby, Harvey had one thought, “I let you get away one time. You ain’t going away this time.”
While the moment felt like fate, Harvey admitted he was not in the best financial position when they reconnected.”When I got that divorce, I had $1,700,” he revealed, noting how much his split from his second wife cost him.
At the time, his Steve Harvey’s Big Time TV show and his Los Angeles radio gig had ended. He was getting by on residuals from “The Kings of Comedy,” but still, it wasn’t enough in his mind to start a new relationship. However, it seemed that Marjorie didn’t care and helped him bounce back.
“That girl right there got in that foxhole with me and built,” he shared. “The dude I am today is because of her in 2005. God knew that.”
Their story resonated with fans, though some were skeptical.
One questioned, “How can he afford private jets with just $1,700 in the bank?”
Another called out, “Only $1,700, Steve… just gone lie to us like that.”
Others focused on the love story itself.
“Love always finds its way,” one person wrote, while another joked, “Looking for my Marjorie now, ’cause mine jacked me up big time.”
Another commented, “That’s a beautiful story,” while some simply said, “Omg, I love this!”
Although their love story seems picture-perfect, their journey was not without challenges. Blending their families proved difficult, as Harvey recalled in a 2021 interview with Cam Newton when one of his wife’s children told him, “You ain’t my daddy.”
“Men who take on another man’s responsibility, that should be a day for them,” he joked. “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.”
The couple has seven children between them, and their family dynamics have been a topic of public conversation.
Harvey and Marjorie share a blended family of seven children: Harvey has twins Brandi and Karli (43), Broderick Jr. (34), and Wynton (27). Marjorie’s children, whom Steve adopted, are Morgan (38), Jason (34), and Lori (28).
Most recently, in 2024, fans noticed that Harvey’s twin daughters, Karli and Brandi, were absent from photos of a family vacation in Italy, sparking speculation about a rift.
In addition to family matters, Harvey and Marjorie have faced years of public scrutiny.
Rumors about their marriage have swirled, including allegations of infidelity, which Harvey has repeatedly denied.
Despite the noise, Harvey remains steadfast in his belief that reconnecting with Marjorie was a turning point in his life. Nearly two decades later, their relationship stands as proof that love, timing, and second chances can change everything.
