Memo to Steve Harvey: You might want to ease up on the next memo.
A stern note from the talk show host to his staffers on “Steve Harvey” surfaced Wednesday, and it casts him in a really bossy light, according to outlets.
Harvey is relocating his daytime talk show from Chicago to Los Angeles in the fall, but he may have left a trail of ill will.
Robert Feder said in his Chicago media blog on Wednesday he’d uncovered a letter that the comedian sent to his crew. The post called Harvey “remote and unapproachable” then served up the message as evidence.
Here’s a sampling:
“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.”
“You must schedule an appointment.”
“I promise you I will not entertain you in the hallway, and do not attempt to walk with me.”
Harvey asked staffers not to take offense because the rules were intended to increase his personal time and enjoyment, according to the document.
The host acknowledged Thursday that he sent the note, telling Entertainment Tonight that he does not apologize for it. He told ET that a previous policy allowing people to come up and talk to him had backfired.
“Look, man, I’m in my makeup chair, they walk in the room,” he said. “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.”
A Chicago staffer who was not invited to join the revamped show in L.A., now renamed “Steve,” may have leaked the memo, reported Variety, citing unnamed sources.
Harvey also hosts “Celebrity Family Feud” and the kids’ talent show “Little Big Shots.”
To read the letter in its entirety, visit Feder’s media blog.
This story was updated to include comments from Harvey.