Don't 'ambush' Steve Harvey: When he wrote harsh memo, host needed a little privacy

Steve Harvey

Steve Harvey just wants to be alone. And he means it. 

That's the message in a blunt memo sent months ago by the radio and TV personality, who on Thursday wrapped up five years of "The Steve Harvey Show" in Chicago as he prepares to start a show out of L.A. titled, simply, "Steve."

"I want all the ambushing to stop now," Harvey told staffers at the beginning of Season 5 via a leaked memo published Wednesday by Chicago media blogger Robert Feder. "That includes TV staff. You must make an appointment." 

The “Little Big Shots” host explained the genesis of the memo — which he isn’t apologizing for — to "Entertainment Tonight" on Thursday: His longtime open-door policy had been abused.

"I could not find a way to walk from the stage to my dressing room, to sit in my makeup chair, to walk from my dressing room to the stage or to just sit and have lunch without somebody just walking in,” Harvey told “ET.” No knock, no respect for his privacy, he said; he didn't want to have to hide to get a moment to himself. Hence, the memo.

The missive seemed like a reasonable request on many levels, since in it Harvey explained that he was "seeking more free time" for himself during the day and asked that people not "take offense to the new way of doing business." Problem was, it also included a litany of all-caps laden, don't-you-dare directives, plus a threat that anyone standing at the dressing room door hoping to speak to Harvey would be removed by security. 

“[I]n hindsight,” he told “ET,” “I probably should've handled it a little bit differently.”

Here’s a taste of how he did handle it:

• "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."

latimes