As Steve Harvey prepares to leave Chicago for Los Angeles for his new show, “Steve,” a local media watcher is bidding him adieu by publishing a bizarre letter he says Harvey sent to “The Steve Harvey Show” staff earlier this season.
“There will be no meetings in my dressing room. No stopping by or popping in. NO ONE,” reads the email, published by Chicago blogger Robert Feder. “Do not come to my dressing room unless invited. Do not open my dressing room door. IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED.”
The email also demands “all the ambushing to stop now,” that employees “schedule an appointment” to speak with Harvey, and that people not approach him unless he asks “to speak with you directly.”
“I promise you I will not entertain you in the hallway, and do not attempt to walk with me,” he wrote, ending the email with the explanation that this is for “the good of my personal life and enjoyment.”
Harvey and representatives for his show did not respond to numerous requests for comment. Feder told TheWrap he independently confirmed the authenticity of the email with NBC Chicago, where the show shoots.
According to Feder, the email surfaced on the day of the final day of production for “The Steve Harvey Show,” which is coming to an end after five years. Harvey’s new syndicated talk show, “Steve,” is set a premiere date of Sept. 5.
Feder said most of the estimated 80 employees who worked for Harvey in Chicago will lose their jobs because of the show ending.
“As I embark on this new adventure, I’m excited to explore everything Los Angeles has to offer for this new show,” Harvey said in a statement last month. “‘Steve’ is going to be different than my current daytime show. The new location will allow me to welcome more celebrity guests and more importantly let me do what I enjoy doing best, being funny!”
Read the email below.
This email that Steve Harvey sent to his staff……https://t.co/GGsIow0Z3i pic.twitter.com/34l3SX4NEo
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) May 10, 2017