When I think about how fast he moved on from me to Marjorie, it was really disturbing. Not having any closure was devastating. But on top of that, he turned my son Winton against me.
It seems like 2024 is the year a lot of celebs are getting exposed, and Steve Harvey is next. His ex-wife Mary has come forward to talk about how badly he treated her during their marriage. Mary says she was Steve’s biggest supporter while he was building his career, but as soon as he got rich and famous, he left her for Marjorie. Not only did he leave Mary, but she claims he also made her broke and homeless by taking everything.
Get ready for some major drama because Mary is out for revenge and spilling all the messy details. Steve never apologized; he never said he was sorry. Steve Harvey might be known as a top relationship guru, but a lot of people don’t know that his own relationships were far from perfect.
Sure, things between him and Marjorie seem great, and their marriage looks solid despite a few alleged cheating scandals. But this hasn’t always been the case. Steve’s first two marriages were pretty disastrous.
Most people don’t realize it, but Marjorie is actually Steve’s third wife, not his second like many think. Before Mary, Steve was married to another woman who was the mother of his twin daughters, Brandi and Karli.
This story begins in 1996. Steve was still married to his first wife, Marcia, when he met Mary. Mary was working at a cosmetics store, and Steve came in and got her number. Mary wasn’t initially interested, but gave him her number out of politeness. Steve, however, was persistent and showered her with attention.
The turning point came when Steve surprised Mary at work with a box of over 100 Hershey’s Kisses and a note that said, “I’d walk a thousand miles for your kisses.” His charm eventually won Mary over. It’s important to understand that Mary wasn’t a gold digger. Steve wasn’t the wealthy, high-profile figure he is today. In fact, Mary supported him through his tough times as he struggled as a comedian. She even gave him a spare key to her place in case he needed a place to stay.
As Steve’s career slowly took off, Mary was there every step of the way. She even suggested he open his own club instead of just performing at other venues. Despite his growing popularity, Steve didn’t have the funds to start his club. That’s when Mary stepped in as the ultimate partner. She invested her life savings of $250,000 into the club, believing in Steve completely. She also helped with the club’s design and interiors, fully committing herself to his dream.
Years later, after all her support and investment, Mary discovered a shocking truth: Steve was married with three children. Imagine standing by someone for years, investing $250,000 into their dreams, only to find out they had a hidden family. The betrayal was immense, and understandably, Mary felt deeply hurt and angry.
Steve, ever the smooth talker, managed to convince Mary that he was in the process of divorcing his first wife, Marcia. Despite the shocking revelation, Mary chose to stay because Steve involved his parents in the situation, persuading her that he and Marcia were truly over. Eventually, he divorced Marcia legally and made things official with Mary. They got married in 1996 and welcomed their son, Winton Harvey, in 1997.
However, the saying “once a cheater, always a cheater” held true for Steve and Mary. Steve continued his infidelity throughout much of their marriage. As Steve’s popularity grew and the money started rolling in, it attracted a swarm of women. One particular woman, Terry Smith, stuck around for quite a while. Steve seemed genuinely interested in her.
Terry, like some side pieces, had a bold amount of audacity. She took it to a whole new level by writing a note to Mary, revealing her affair with Steve and declaring their love. Despite this, Mary chose to stay, even as Steve continued his affair with Terry for nine years. The divorce finally happened in 2005, and it’s remarkable that the marriage lasted as long as it did. Almost immediately after Steve and Mary filed for divorce, he jumped into a relationship with Marjorie Bridges, who later became Marjorie Harvey.
Rumors swirled that Steve had been sneaking around with Marjorie even before his divorce was finalized, but the couple always denied these speculations. In an interview, Mary shared her thoughts:
“When I think about how quickly he moved from me to Marjorie, it was disturbing. I also found out that there was an overlap between our marriage and Steve’s relationship with Marjorie. I thought the least he could do was make things right at the end. Instead, he just left, walked out the door with a shoulder bag, and went straight to our New York apartment, which I never got to see. Then Marjorie joined him there.”
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Many people believe Marjorie cleverly roped Steve into marriage. The speed at which they moved on after his divorce raised a lot of eyebrows. To make matters even more intriguing, she somehow convinced Steve not to get a prenup. Remember, Steve was already a millionaire when they got married, so Marjorie couldn’t claim she was there from the beginning or helped him build his career like his ex-wife Mary could. But that’s not all. Marjorie pulled off a major move by getting Steve to adopt all three of her kids from previous relationships. He gave them his last name, provided for them, and treated them like his own.
Steve deserves credit for being a good guy, but we can’t ignore Marjorie’s savvy. She’s the original material girl, and she’s got Steve locked in tight. And speaking of Marjorie, let’s dive into her own dramatic past. Back in the ’90s, she was in serious trouble while married to Jim L. Townsend, a big player in the drug game. Jim faced charges for trying to score 40 kilos of cocaine and ended up with a life sentence. However, President Obama later pardoned him, letting him out after 26 years behind bars.
It gets even more suspicious. The FBI had their eyes on Marjorie, suspecting her involvement in the drug ring. Authorities told Jim they had evidence against Marjorie and that she was also facing arrest. In a twist, Jim made a deal to take the fall because Marjorie was eight months pregnant with their second child, and he didn’t want their five-year-old daughter, Morgan, to be left without a mother.
As if one drug dealer wasn’t enough, Marjorie was later linked to another one, Donnell Woods, who is rumored to be Lori’s father. There’s even talk that Donnell might be Jim’s cousin, which makes this even more complicated.
Anyway, back to Mary and Steve. After they went their separate ways, Steve got together with Marjorie. You’d think everything would be smooth sailing, but no. They ended up in a legal battle, especially over their son Winton, who was still a minor. Mary made serious accusations against Steve, claiming he was violent towards Winton. She said the divorce left her with nothing—she lost her business, her cars, and even got evicted from the home she once shared with Steve. On top of that, she claimed Steve never paid the court-ordered divorce settlement.
“He had me evicted from our house, thrown out. I lost all the businesses, the money, the cars. When I was down, he manipulated everything and the courts against me. He went to court and under oath said he built everything by himself. I just sat at the table and cried. I couldn’t focus or answer any questions they asked me. When I woke up, everything was gone. Just gone.”
Mary dropped some bombshell allegations, accusing Steve of physically abusing Winton during visitations. According to her, Steve once punched Winton in the chest so hard it knocked the wind out of him. She also claimed that Winton came back from Steve and Marjorie’s place looking battered and was unable to pee for days. TMZ reported that the police report stated Winton told officers Steve had hit him with a belt and a paddle board, like the ones used in fraternity hazing. Winton said the beating was so severe he struggled to urinate for days.
Like any concerned mother, Mary called the cops. They took evidence photos, and CPS got involved but surprisingly concluded Steve wasn’t a threat, closing the investigation. Shortly after, Steve sued for sole custody and won, so Winton now lived with him permanently. Mary claims this was the last time she saw Winton, alleging Steve turned her son against her.
“He took my Winton from me. He turned my son against me,” she said.
To add insult to injury, Steve filed a motion for a gag order on Mary, preventing her from discussing the case publicly. Meanwhile, Steve was free to speak as much as he liked, often against Mary, leaving her unable to defend herself.
Fans have mixed reactions, with comments ranging from:
“Some women need to move on. The relationship is dead.”
“Sometimes men marry the wrong women.”
“Mary needs to move on. Steve isn’t the only man who cheats.”
“Mary is bitter, which destroys her.”
“People try to get revenge on their ex. Mary was broken before Steve met her; he just added to her injury. I saw her interview years ago, and she still looks broken and sad, especially after losing her son. So sad. God be with her.”
Losing a relationship with her child is undoubtedly the worst possible outcome for any mother. What do you all think? Is Mary right to keep talking about this, or should she move on? Drop your thoughts in the comments below