Steve Harvey just wants to be alone. And he means it.
That's the message in a blunt memo being attributed to the radio and TV personality as he wraps up five years of "The Steve Harvey Show" in Chicago and prepares to start up a show out of L.A. titled, simply, "Steve."
"I want all the ambushing to stop now," Harvey allegedly told staffers at the beginning of Season 5 via a memo leaked this week to Chicago media blogger Robert Feder. "That includes TV staff. You must make an appointment."
Seems like a reasonable request on many levels since Harvey allegedly explains that he is "seeking more free time for (himself) throughout the day" and asks that people not "take offense to the new way of doing business." Except there was also a litany of don't-you-dare directives, many loaded with all-caps, and the threat that anyone standing at the dressing room door hoping to speak to Harvey would be removed by security.
Here are a few:
"Do not open my dressing room door. IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED.
"Do not approach me while I'm in the makeup chair unless I ask to speak with you directly. Either knock or use the doorbell."
"Do not wait in any hallway to speak to me. I hate being ambushed. Please make an appointment."
"I promise you I will not entertain you in the hallway, and do not attempt to walk with me."
"If you're reading this, yes, I mean you."
The Times has reached out to a rep for Harvey for comment on the authenticity of the memo. Sources confirmed to Variety that the memo was sent out at the beginning of the show's final season.
The "Little Big Shots" host, who recently won two Daytime Emmy Awards for his hosting work on "The Steve Harvey Show" and "Family Feud," will debut his new daytime talk-show "Steve" in September.
