Marjorie Harvey is always turning heads with her impeccable style, and she’s definitely helped her husband, Steve Harvey, up his fashion game over the years. However, a fabulous wardrobe isn’t enough to win everyone over. In fact, quite a few people have a hard time warming up to Marjorie, and a lot of it has to do with her past.
I recently came across a phone call where Marjorie, Steve’s current wife, was talking, and it became clear that there’s a lot more to this story. To understand the full picture, we need to dig into some juicy details from her past.
Marjorie was born in Memphis on October 10, 1964, making her a Libra. According to sources, when she was an 18-year-old college student, she was involved with a well-known substance dealer named Jim Townsend. Jim was married at the time, and he told Unwind with Tasha K that even after Marjorie found out the truth, she continued seeing him because she was too deeply involved by then. It appears that being linked to married men is a recurring theme in her life, but we’ll get to that soon.
Let’s get back to the story. Jim had told Marjorie he didn’t want any more kids since he already had three from previous relationships. He believed Marjorie was on birth control, but she stopped taking it without telling him. Unsurprisingly, she got pregnant. Around this time, Jim got caught up in a federal investigation for allegedly running a smuggling ring and trafficking kilos of narcotics across the U.S. According to what Jim told Radar Online, the authorities claimed they had solid evidence against his brother and Marjorie, who was pregnant with their second child. To protect them, Jim took a plea deal, which landed him a life sentence. Despite being in prison, he and Marjorie kept in touch, even though she moved on less than five years into his sentence.
Meanwhile, Steve married a woman named Marcia in 1981, and they had three children: twin daughters Brandy and Carly, and a son named Broderick. Essence magazine reports that Marjorie attended one of Steve’s Memphis stand-up shows in 1990. She arrived late, and as she walked to her seat, Steve was so stunned he could barely speak. He finally blurted out, “I don’t know who this is, but I’m gonna marry her.” Marjorie said they started dating, and she felt he was the one. But then Steve ghosted her, probably because he was still married at the time. Marjorie moved on with another substance dealer named Donnell Woods, and they had a daughter, Lori, in January 1997. Marjorie and Donnell got married a few years later, just as the FBI began investigating Donnell’s family’s substance operation. Donnell was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison, and Marjorie decided to end the marriage in 2001. She then got involved with Steve’s bodyguard, William “Big Boom” Freeman. Big Boom, who used to be a pimp, described himself on his now-defunct website as someone who preyed on women for power. He’s since turned his life around and writes motivational books for women, including one titled “If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs.” We’ve linked it for you in the description box.
Anyway, things between Marjorie and Big Boom didn’t last. Now back to Steve: he and Marcia got divorced in 1994. Then, in 1996, he married Mary Shackleford. They had a son, Winton, in 1997. But by 2005, their marriage had fallen apart—the same year he reconnected with Marjorie. Steve and Marjorie tied the knot in 2007. Interestingly, Marjorie’s first husband, Jim, claimed that Steve made Marjorie cut off all contact with him just days after their wedding.
When people heard about this whole backstory, they started accusing Marjorie of wrecking Steve’s marriage to Mary. Things really heated up in 2011 when Steve sued Mary, claiming she was the reason he didn’t land a talk show backed by Oprah Winfrey. Mary hit back by posting three videos on YouTube, calling Steve a “serial cheater, cheater pumpkin eater.” She said Marjorie would even call their home, pretending she was following up on a job application with Steve’s suit company. Mary also claimed that Steve abandoned her for Marjorie, turning her from a mistress into his main partner, and tried to turn their son against her.
After these videos went public, Marjorie responded, calling Mary’s accusations malicious and baseless. She said, “As a wife and a mother, I cannot stand back and allow the defamation of my character or actions that will malign my family.” Marjorie even got a lawyer and considered suing Mary for defamation. But to win such a lawsuit, you have to prove the accusations are false, and Marjorie never went through with it. She would have had to sue a lot of people, including comedian Tony Rock, who said, “His third wife was a mistress to his second wife,” after Steve wrote the relationship advice book “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man.”
Whether Marjorie was Steve’s mistress or not is really nobody’s business, and it’s unfair to expect celebrities to be paragons of morality. But still, the mistress allegations are one of the reasons why many people dislike her.
People are still upset about how she distanced herself when her ex-husbands went to jail. Jim spent nearly 27 years behind bars before President Obama pardoned him in January 2017. He’s since written a book about his life, set to come out in July 2023. We’ll drop a pre-order link in the description box.
A source close to the situation told Radar Online that Marjorie’s past is why Steve is always heavily guarded. “Steve might have a sketchy history, but it’s nothing compared to the serious criminals Marjorie was married to. It’s no wonder he keeps armed guards at his Atlanta home,” the source said.
Steve shared on Club Shay Shay that after he and Marjorie started dating, all seven of their kids went bowling together. When they got back, Marjorie’s daughters, Lori and Morgan, along with Steve’s kids, didn’t want them to rush into marriage. But Steve and Marjorie got married anyway, and Steve adopted her kids. Despite this, rumors of drama continued. Radar Online reported that Marjorie was causing a lot of tension in the blended family. An insider said, “Steve started giving more love and attention to Marjorie’s kids than his own.” People particularly noticed the preferential treatment he gave to Marjorie’s daughter Lori. On top of that, the family didn’t like Marjorie’s strict rules, saying it was her way or the highway. Sources also mentioned that Steve often tried to solve problems by throwing money at Marjorie to keep her happy.
This brings us to our next topic. In 2019, the Harveys enjoyed a luxurious summer vacation abroad, spending time on yachts, flying in private jets, and hanging out with Elton John. Marjorie shared many photos on her social media, which led to a flurry of criticism and people calling her a gold digger. Social media users accused her of blowing through Steve’s savings and only being with him for his money. It’s hard for anyone to deal with constant negativity about their loved one, and Steve felt the same. He later told Paper Magazine, “When you’re under attack from the internet and hearing so many lies about yourself, you still have to put on a smile and go to work.”
Marjorie seems to have no limits when it comes to spending. In 2019, she showed off a Louis Vuitton airplane bag designed by the late Virgil Abloh, which cost a whopping $39,000. Some thought she was flaunting her wealth—or rather, Steve’s wealth. The bag was even called tacky by some, with jokes about it being the reason Steve had to work so many jobs. But it doesn’t end there. Marjorie has been spotted in a $17,000 Bottega Veneta dress, and her entire wardrobe, including handbags and jewelry, is said to be worth millions of dollars.
Before social media, it was generally understood that wealthy people had more—better cars, nicer houses, more jewelry, and so on. But now, thanks to social media, we can see exactly what complete strangers spend their money on every day. According to LendingClub.com, as of January 2023, 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Knowing that most people are just scraping by helps explain why Marjorie gets a lot of backlash for showing off her wealth. Some say she should be able to post whatever she wants, but Sandra Matz, an associate professor at Columbia Business School, disagrees. She told CNET.com, “If we know that there’s potential backlash for showing off in your social network, and it doesn’t do much for your own identity, then there’s essentially no good reason to do it.”