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Steve Harvey knew Marjorie Harvey was the woman he was meant to marry.
The pair met in 1990 at a comedy club and briefly dated, however, the timing wasn't right. Years later, Steve and Marjorie reconnected and tied the knot in 2007. With their union came the blending of their respective families, which includes a total of seven children.
Although the Family Feud host had previously been married twice, his relationship with Marjorie is unlike anything he's ever experienced.
"Marjorie changed the way I existed," he told PEOPLE in 2012. "I'd never been in a healthy adult relationship. I'd never been loyal, I'd never been fully respected."
Marjorie agreed, telling PEOPLE, "We're best friends. It's the first time either of us has had someone we can talk to about everything."
Over the course of their decades-long relationship, the couple have shared sweet moments on social media, become grandparents and, most importantly, had each other's backs.
"That woman right there [has] been down with me like four flat tires," Steve said during his acceptance speech at theGrio Awards in November 2023. "That woman has been faithful to me, loyal to me. 85% of what y’all up here [are] talking to me about happened after I married that girl right there."
So, who is Steve Harvey's wife? Read on to find out more about Marjorie Harvey.
She first met Steve in 1990 at a comedy club
Although Steve and Marjorie didn't get married until 2007, the pair met years prior when the comedian was performing at a club in Memphis, Tennessee.
They discussed their first meeting during a 2018 episode of Steve's talk show, The Steve Harvey Show. "I was late, and I thought he was gonna give me the business because he got real quiet. He was just staring at me. I thought I was going to become part of the show," Marjorie told the audience. "He finally realized, 'Oh, I gotta say something.' He was, like, 'Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know who this is, but I'm gonna marry her.' "
While their connection was immediate, they ultimately went their separate ways after a few weeks of dating. "I knew he was The One shortly after I started [dating] him … but then he just left. Disappeared," Marjorie told Essence in 2014.
Steve explained that he was not in a good place financially and was focused on his career at the time. "Before a man can be of use to a woman … he's got to know who he is, what he does and how much he's going to make," he told the magazine.
Over a decade later, in 2005, he and Marjorie reconnected and the timing was right. Steve's second marriage to Mary Shackelford had just ended and he was fresh off his sitcom The Steve Harvey Show.
She has Steve's bodyguard to thank for their reunion
When Steve found himself single again in 2005, his bodyguard suggested a reunion with Marjorie. As Steve recalled to PEOPLE in 2016, "He told me, 'Look, the only time I've ever seen you happy was when you were with that woman Marjorie. Now, before you go and do something stupid and marry another woman, I'm calling her.' "
Of their second chance, Steve said, "It was like being reborn. I messed up so many times in my life. She made all the difference. When you're happy at home, you can make a lot of things happen."
Marjorie added, "When Steve came back into my life, it was effortless."
She and Steve got married in 2007
Marjorie and Steve wed on June 25, 2007.
The couple celebrated 16 years of marriage in Lake Como, Italy. While there, they got all dressed up for a special wedding anniversary photoshoot.
"Still going strong," Steve captioned a video of him and his wife on Instagram.
She's "mom" to a large blended family
Together, Steve and Marjorie have seven children who make up one large blended family. Steve shares twin daughters Brandi and Karli and son Broderick with his first wife Marcia Harvey, as well as son Wynton with Shackelford. Marjorie has three children from a previous marriage, Morgan, Jason and Lori, whom Steve legally adopted after their 2007 wedding.
Although the couple were ready for a new life together, their kids were a bit more hesitant about blending their families.
Marjorie had some words of encouragement, though. "When you're dealing with a blended family, everyone is coming from a place of broken," she told PEOPLE in 2016. "We knew this was right. But I just told them, 'Everyone is included. Everyone has access to their parents. Whatever you didn't have before, don't let that interfere with what you can have now.' "
"Now," she added, "we're Mom and Dad to everybody."
She's a grandparent
In addition to their seven kids, Steve and Marjorie are also grandparents to seven grandchildren. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Steve shared that Marjorie "loves being a grandparent." When asked if he feels the same way, the comedian answered, "Not at all."
"I spent all my life trying to become an empty nester, I wanted my kids to go away and get out. Now they come back with more people," he joked.
She runs a foundation with her husband
In 2010, Steve and Marjorie started The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, "which helps under-resourced communities receive the tools for success," according to Steve Harvey's official website. The foundation's mission is to offer access to services for youth that will help them succeed in life and become capable leaders.
One program under the foundation is Marjorie Harvey's Girls Who Rule the World, which helps young girls develop positive self-esteem and succeed in their education through mentoring and other resources. Marjorie takes an active role in the program and has hosted a meet-up, surprised a student with a scholarship and more.
She and Steve both love fashion
Marjorie is very passionate about fashion, which is something she and Steve have in common. "As you know, you and I, that's one of the things we have in common, we both love fashion. I've been passionate about it all my life," she told Steve during a 2014 appearance on his talk show. The fashionista had come on to discuss the fashion and lifestyle blog she had launched that year, The Lady Loves Couture.
Marjorie also showcases her love for fashion on her Instagram account, where she regularly posts photos of her outfits.
She and Steve have attended a handful of fashion shows together over the years as well.
She told her husband to keep his greying beard and mustache
During an appearance on The Ellen Degeneres Show, Steve explained how Marjorie was in support of his greying hair.
"I was on vacation and I actually left my Just For Men [hair dye] at home 'cause I had been dying my mustache, you know, black. So I was on vacation, so I didn't dye it and the rest of it started growing in," he shared. "And next thing I knew I went, 'Damn. This is either going to be sexy or I'm ugly as hell one of the two.' "
He added of Marjorie, "My wife told me to keep it."
She supported Steve during his Miss Universe debacle
While hosting the Miss Universe pageant in 2015, Steve accidentally announced Miss Colombia (Ariadna Gutierrez) as the winner, when Miss Philippines (Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach) had actually won after misreading his cue card.
"I feel horrible for the two countries. I feel horrible for the fans. It was a mistake," he told reporters after the show. "The dishonorable thing would be to just leave it like it was. It didn't deserve to happen that way, but it happened from an honest mistake."
Marjorie had her husband's back and was quick to offer him some support. "You are a Stand Up Man and A True Class Act the way you went back out on the stage on live TV and took full responsibility alone," she wrote on Instagram. "I am so proud to be your wife! I love you."
Later reflecting on the "devastating" mix-up during an interview with PEOPLE in 2016, Steve said Marjorie's support encouraged him to move forward. "[She said,] 'I'm proud of the way you handled it. Don't beat yourself up,' " he shared.
She has a special relationship with her parents
As evidenced by her Instagram, Marjorie is close with her parents. She has posted many photos of herself spending time with them, including surprising her mom for her 80th birthday, cuddling up with the couple in their bed and celebrating their 60th anniversary. In fact, her parents' long-lasting marriage serves as an inspiration to her and she has referred to them as "Goals For Real."
In January 2020, Marjorie opened up about her dad's Parkinson's and dementia diagnoses as well as how the family was coping with the news.
"My dad was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's and dementia. Steve, my [mom] and I have been researching some things to keep the brain and body active," she wrote alongside a video of her and her dad playing a game together. "We are all committed to fighting this. Let's go, Daddy ... my hero ... my heart ... my example of what a real man is. I love you."
She's a thrill-seeker
In February 2023, Marjorie went skydiving in Dubai. She shared the "amazing experience" on Instagram. A year prior, she posted photos from ice car racing in Aspen, Colorado, and feeding sharks on a tropical vacation.
She and Harvey addressed cheating rumors in 2023
In August 2023, Steve shut down rumors that claimed Marjorie had cheated on him.
"[My] marriage is fine," he said to an audience at Invest Fest in Atlanta. “I don’t know what y’all are doin’, but find something else to do cause we fine, Lord have mercy.” Later that day, Marjorie called the rumors "foolishness and lies" in a post on Instagram.
The following month, Steve addressed another rumor about Marjorie: that she caused him and his first wife to split.
“Y’all quit talking about ‘she was in my other marriage and ruined it,’ ” the game show host said on his Steve Harvey FM radio show, “She didn’t. She was nowhere around that. I got divorced in 2005.”
He also denied that Marjorie married him for his success and called her "one of the best women I’ve ever met.”
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