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On Thursday a leaked memo from Steve Harvey to his staff basically telling them all to leave him the fuck alone made the rounds on the internet.
It went a little something like this…
Good morning, everyone. Welcome back.
I’d like you all to review and adhere to the following notes and rules for Season 5 of my talk show.
There will be no meetings in my dressing room. No stopping by or popping in. NO ONE. Do not come to my dressing room unless invited. Do not open my dressing room door. IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED. My security team will stop everyone from standing at my door who have the intent to see or speak to me.
I want all the ambushing to stop now. That includes TV staff. You must schedule an appointment. I have been taken advantage of by my lenient policy in the past. This ends now. NO MORE.
Do not approach me while I’m in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly. Either knock or use the doorbell. I am seeking more free time for me throughout the day.
Do not wait in any hallway to speak to me. I hate being ambushed. Please make an appointment. I promise you I will not entertain you in the hallway, and do not attempt to walk with me.
If you’re reading this, yes, I mean you.
Everyone, do not take offense to the new way of doing business. It is for the good of my personal life and enjoyment.
Thank you all,
Steve Harvey
People who read it fell distinctly into two camps: (1) Some LOVED it for his honesty and appreciated where he was coming from and (2) some thought Harvey was being a giant spoiled douchebag celebrity.
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I lean more towards the first group’s way of thinking, but I can see how the second group could come to their conclusion as well. So does, apparently, Steve Harvey, not that he gives a flying fuck.
Via the The Hollywood Reporter…
“I don’t apologize about the letter, but it’s kind of crazy what people who took this thing and ran, man,” the host, 60, who is in the process of moving his five-year-old show from Chicago to new headquarters in Los Angeles, told ET. “I just didn’t want to be in this prison anymore where I had to be in this little room, scared to go out and take a breath of fresh air without somebody approaching me, so I wrote the letter.”
He went on…
In his ET interview, Harvey said it was a request for his staff to honor and respect his privacy. “I could not find a way to walk from the stage to my dressing room, to sit in my makeup chair, to walk from my dressing room to the stage or to just sit and have lunch without somebody just walking in,” he continued. “Look man, I’m in my makeup chair, they walk in the room. I’m having lunch, they walk in, they don’t knock. I’m in the hallway, I’m getting ambushed by people with friends that come to the show and having me sign this and do this. I just said, ‘Wait a minute.’ And in hindsight, I probably should’ve handled it a little bit differently.”
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Listen to the entire interview below and either stand up and applaud or get out your torches and pitchforks. Your call…
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