In an episode of the Steve Harvey Show set to air on Thursday, October 2, Paula Deen will speak with Harvey about what many might consider to be her surprising involvement with the Steve Harvey Mentoring Camp.I don't give a damn, Steve. There, you asked for it.
The annual four day event, held in Dallas during Father’s Day weekend, was founded by Harvey to teach hundreds of fatherless young men about “personal responsibility, dream building and the importance of nutrition and physical fitness,” according to the organization’s official website.
he 67 year-old Deen is slated to bring her famous Southern-style cuisine and talented team of chefs to Harvey’s mentoring program in an effort to help those boys who have an interest in the culinary arts. Harvey, in a recently released clip from the upcoming show, says that “Paula and her team has agreed to take as many boys as I want to fly down to Savannah [Georgia] … and teach them culinary skills. That, to me, is how you get something from something.” A one-time staple of the Food Network, a June 2013 controversy surrounding Deen’s admitted use of the “the N-word” in the past caused the channel to decline renewing her contract.
In addition to the mentoring announcement, the interview with Harvey addresses the 2013 controversy, with the host saying, “I just know the good in her. That’s all I know. And it outweighs the bad by a landslide.” Acknowledging that there could be a backlash from critics and the blogosphere for working with a woman some might still consider a racist, Harvey also said, “Now, when you blog about me … can you please type, right after you get through typing, that I don’t give a damn. Just for me.”
You really have to step back and admire Steve Harvey's hustle. I mean, think about this: this guy went from being the 3rd stringer on the King's Of Comedy Tour to a household name quicker than you can say "Bernie Mack died?" I don't know who his image consultant is, but I'd bet that person is bathing in 20 dollar bills. Rebranding Harvey, a man married more times that Zsa Zsa Gabor as a relationship guru was a stroke of genius. He's ridden that train to a couple of so-so rom coms, a daytime talk show, a national radio show, and a hosting gig for Family Feud. The man is everywhere, clearly because someone responsible for determining who gets to shine gave him the seal of approval.
When I watch pure f*ckery like this Paul Deen interview, I wonder what strings came attached to that approval.
This is not to say than Deen doesn't deserve a 2nd shot. This is America, a country where people can drunkenly run over a man and play football the following year, or urinate on a teen and still have a career as a recording artist. So yeah, as long as she can make other people mounds of cash, she deserves another shot.
I just don't know that Harvey needs to be the one giving it.
Question: Is Steve Harvey "The Ultimate Hustler" or what? Should Rebb'n Al and Jesse be concerned about him stealing their racial forgiveness business?
