Everyone knows Steve Harvey. The comedian and television host has anchored some of the biggest game shows, as well as having numerous iterations of his own show. He is a shining example of success across comedy, television, and even advice-giving spaces.
He has had a long, and successful career and presumably made a lot of money. His net worth is reportedly somewhere in the range of $200 million. However, Harvey has recently revealed a story about a time when his bank account was barely in the thousands. Furthermore, this was not a story about his early years, but instead from one of the highs of his career.
Divorce And Shady Accounting Cost Harvey Millions
Speaking on Shannon Sharpe’s Club ShayShay podcast, Harvey revealed the set of circumstances that led to him having just $1700 in the bank. According to Sharpe, this occurred in 2005. “It’s called a divorce, man,” Harvey began, “But I got jumped on even before the divorce. I’m gonna say who did it, but they go in cahoots with my financial planner and I was writing checks to the government for seven years, in tax checks. Filling in the tax checks, giving them to be turned in, and they was keeping them. They was taking the money from the account like I was paying taxes, and keeping it for theyself.” He only found out when “My accountant passed and a lady went into the offices and found a box on the floor… I’m thinking I’m even but my lawyer says to me ‘you haven’t paid taxes in seven years’.”
However, things went from bad to worse for Harvey. “I had saved some millions but before I split the assets, she [Harvey’s second wife Mary Shackleford] went into the account and removed it. The divorce was over, and it’s like let’s split the assets, well you took all the assets. And I was stuck with this tax bill. I had to pay seven years of back taxes with interest. I was in a world of trouble, man. I looked up and I had $1700.” However, things would turn around in the coming years, with a stand-up special, a book, and eventually, Family Feud in 2010. Regardless, it just goes to show that no one is ever as well off as you think they are.
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