Much like Rev. Sharpton, Steve Harvey has been coming to Essence Fest for years. But as Sharpton said on Friday's PoliticsNation, the success Harvey's seen in recent years would impress nearly anyone who knew him in the early days of his career.
"God's been good to me, and I know nobody could have seen it coming because I didn't see it coming," he told Sharpton on Friday's show, hosted from Essence Festival.
He's interviewed the First Lady and Oprah on his new hit talk show, The Steve Harvey Show. That same show won the People's Choice Award for Best New Talk Show, and was nominated for an Emmy. Harvey also received an Emmy nomination for his game show, having taken over hosting duties for the decades-old Family Feud. He even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this year.
Harvey credits much of his success with his willingness to adapt over the years. "You can't grow without change, and that's the one thing that I have been willing to do," said Harvey, a comedian who's now an author and talk show host. "I have been willing to accept the changes that are necessary, in order to reinvent yourself and grow."
Harvey also talked about the importance of creating positive examples of manhood in the African-American community, explaining what inspired him to create a mentorship program.
If we straighten these young men out, get them on track to understand what real manhood really is--a clear picture of manhood--that is not a car, a set of rims, a video. Manhood: real men go to church. Real men love God. Real men respect women. Real men go to work. Real men take care of their children. Real men obey the law. Real men are good citizens. Real men are hard workers. And we spend a week at my ranch every year with a 120 of those boys instilling that principle.
Watch the rest of Harvey's interview with Rev. Sharpton below.