Steve Harvey Addresses Angry Staff Memo Leaked, Promotes New Show ‘Steve’

Steve Harvey is again talking about that rude memo he sent out to his staff in May, brushing off the scandal in time to promote his new show.

STEVE HARVEY NEWS: JOKES ABOUT RUDE MEMO

The email told the staff of his talk show that they were not allowed to speak to him unless they set up a private meeting with him. “Do not come to my dressing room unless invited… Do not approach me while I’m in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly,” were some of the demands listed in the email.

Harvey received backlash for his lack of tact following the leak of the memo, but has once again spoken about the incident in time to promote his new talk show, Steve. Back in May, he defended his actions by saying staff members would often solicit favors or autographs from him in the hallways, but now he is joking about the memo.

“I learned two things from that email,” he began. “One, I can’t write. And two, I should never write.” He has blamed the leak on a particular staffer who was upset about not being chosen to move from Chicago to Los Angeles to work on the host’s new show.

“The email was out there. It wasn’t that big a deal to me,” Harvey continued. “I’m not really a mean-spirited guy, I’m a real congenial guy, you know, people who know me.” He poked fun at the situation, saying, “I thought it was cute. You all didn’t.”

Harvey currently hosts Family Feud, Funderdome, and Forever Young. He is working on a move from his syndicated talk show The Steve Harvey Show to a revamped version called Steve that will focus more on celebrity interviews. It will also cut out the information-based programming and add more comedy, though will still incorporate human interest stories.

“The big difference here and the reason for moving to L.A. is I wanted to bring late night TV to daytime. I think that’s what’s missing after doing daytime for five years,” the host told Variety. “Takeaway is not what daytime TV needs anymore. People just need to laugh in the middle of the day, and I’ve kind of been restricted from that over the past five years…that’s the big difference in the show.”

Steve premieres on NBC Sept. 5.