Steve Harvey

08/23/18 • 37 min

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Standup comic, TV host, radio host and best-selling author Steve Harvey's journey to success has been anything but easy. Steve discusses the highs and many lows, including years of homelessness, that ultimately paved his road to stardom. Today, Steve Harvey is a household name, but this "Original King of Comedy” didn't even realize he wanted to be a comedian until he was in his late twenties. Before that, Steve had a 9-to-5 job and was married with children. The first time he went to a comedy club, he signed up on a whim to perform at an open mic event. Everything clicked at that moment and the next day, he quit his job. In the most tumultuous period of Steve's life, he found himself estranged from his family and living out of his 1976 Ford Tempo. When he was just about ready to throw in the towel, Steve got the call to appear at the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. He managed to scrape together the airfare and get to the show, and the rest is history. Since then, Steve has branched into nearly every aspect of entertainment, writing several New York Times bestsellers and hosting his own long-running radio show, his own daytime talk show, the beloved game show Family Feud, multiple primetime shows and even the Miss Universe Pageant. Throughout all his successes, Steve says he has used failure as a learning experience.

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Reba McEntire

Despite many obstacles and challenges, Reba McEntire used the lessons she learned throughout her life to find her own unique voice and go on to become one of the best-selling female country artists of all time. Before she was the Queen of Country, Reba grew up on a ranch in Chockie, Oklahoma, a town with a population of 18. Growing up on a ranch meant that, early on, Reba learned the value of hard work and doing the job right. This work ethic stayed with her from her early days singing at rodeos to the stellar success to come. Reba's journey has taught her many things, and sometimes the lessons were hard-won. In 1991, when eight of her band members were killed in an airplane crash, Reba learned just how precious life is and how important it is to cherish each day. Reba reveals three traits, or "bones," you should have in life: a wishbone because you need goals for yourself; a backbone, which is your drive because it helps you to make things happen; and a funny bone because a sense of humor is key to living a fulfilled life. On top of her tremendous success as a country musician, she's had an acting career in Hollywood and a starring role in the Broadway revival of "Annie Get Your Gun." And all along, Reba remembered the words of her father, who said that "it's the getting there" that matters most.

Next Episode

Lynn Whitfield

Emmy-winning actress Lynn Whitfield talks about fighting for better roles in Hollywood, how she learned to be a better mother, coming to terms with aging, and finding grace through faith and family. Lynn discusses growing up in a close-knit community in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and not really experiencing racism until high school. When she did, she says, it taught her to stand up for herself with the strength and conviction she'd learned from her mother. Lynn also shares how, as a teen, she found herself struggling to be perfect while dealing with her parents' divorce. After graduating from Howard University, Lynn headed to New York, where the entertainment business quickly taught her humility, and she realized how difficult it was to book decent acting jobs in a fiercely competitive industry. After relocating to Los Angeles and paying her dues, Lynn finally started landing bigger roles, including the legendary entertainer Josephine Baker in "The Josephine Baker Story," for which she earned an Emmy. The TV movie led to her having her daughter, Grace, whom she had after falling in love with and marrying the project's director, Brian Gibson. However, her marriage to Gibson didn't last because, she says, she didn't have a spiritual base. That's when she returned to faith, which she credits with giving her the guidance and strength to raise her daughter alone after Gibson tragically died. Today, she stars as Lady Mae in OWN's hit series "Greenleaf," a role she was initially hesitant to take but now relishes. Despite all her accomplishments, Lynn says she is constantly readjusting, always striving to find her inner truth.