The conversation Steve Harvey had with Mo'Nique on his talk show sparked a social media debate. The female comedian had insisted upon the importance of integrity, while Harvey placed financial security as his top priority. He has since commented on the controversy during an interview with E!News.
"My only regret in the whole thing was I misspoke. In the heat of the discussion, I used the word 'integrity,' when really I was talking about the method in which she was going about things, and that's the only thing," Harvey said. "I just want my young fans, the ones who look up to me, who consider me a role model in everything to know that I misused the word 'integrity' in the wrong context."
When he received Mo'Nique on the show, they addressed her call to boycott Netflix due to apparent discrimination based on race and gender, and her subsequent blacklisting by many industry entities. "This ain't the black man's game, this ain't the white man's game. This is the money game," he had said at the time. "And you cannot sacrifice yourself. The best thing you can do for poor people is not be one of them." At this point, Mo'Nique mentioned how integrity is shown through action, "we've lost integrity worrying about the money." Harvey doubled-down on his opinion and said, "there are ways to win the war in a different way."
