Steve Harvey Says Hollywood is More Racist Than America

By: Taren Vaughan

There aren’t too many things that Comedian Steve Harvey hasn’t tried his hand at. Making people laugh is what he is most known for, taking on the name as one of the ‘Kings of Comedy’, starring alongside Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and the late Bernie Mac in the popular stand up film. And he has become a best selling author too, putting out two relationship books full of advice that he offers to the opposite sex when it comes to how they act and carry themselves in their relationships. Now being the host of Family Feud and having his own nationally-syndicated talk show, one could say that Steve Harvey should be very content with what he has been able to do as an African American entertainer. Though he has accomplished all of these things, that doesn’t mean that Steve Harvey feels that things are equal for all in Hollywood. In an interview that he did with The Hollywood Reporter, Steve Harvey talked about the success that he has had throughout his career. And he says that just because he has a list of accomplishments to show for, doesn’t mean that Hollywood isn’t still flooded with racism:

“Hollywood is still very racist. Hollywood is more racist than America is. They put things on TV that they think the masses will like. Well, the masses have changed. The election of President Obama should prove that. And television should look entirely different. [Scandal star] Kerry Washington should not be the first African-American female to head up a drama series in 40 years. In 40 years! That’s crazy.”

Steve also thinks back on the sitcom The Steve Harvey Show that he starred in. And he says that an exec at the WB explained to him that networks who are trying to build invest in shows starring Black people because African Americans tend to draw in a guaranteed audience. But Steve Harvey says that eventually, the shows starring Black actors and actresses get phased out as a way for networks to look more appealing to higher income brackets:

“But as they build the network and get more eyeballs, they slowly start phasing them out.”

What do you think about Steve Harvey’s comments?