Are Steve Harvey And Cedric The Entertainer Friends?
Urban television was booming back in the day. From the 1990s onward, viewers had absolute bangers of shows featuring Black talent dominating the airwaves. With shows like "The Wayans Bros.," "The Parkers," and "Martin," network television boasted a plethora of iconic and culture-defining programming way back when. Another landmark television program (and one that unfortunately gets left out of the conversation more often than not) was The WB's (remember that channel?!) "The Steve Harvey Show."
Credited with helping skyrocket the careers of Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer, "The Steve Harvey Show" was a hidden gem sitcom that highlighted the bustling friendship between Steve Hightower (a fictionalized version of Harvey) and Cedric Jackie Robinson (an obvious interpolation of the actor and the late baseball great). The fictional sitcom followed Hightower, a funk legend-turned-high school music teacher, navigating everyday life at Booker T. Washington High School, while working alongside best friend Robinson. And though the pair had impeccable onscreen chemistry as BFFs — hijinks and all — many have wondered, are the comedic duo friends in real life?
Well, lucky for you, we've got you covered. Scroll on to learn more about Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer's friendship!
Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer are indeed friends
In case you were wondering, Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer are friends! The two comedic stars actually came up in the industry together, with Cedric noting that it was Harvey who afforded him his big break in the early stages of his career. Talking to TV Land in 2012, Cedric talked about meeting Harvey "early" in his career before the "Family Feud" host was humorously "non-Hollywood." In the interview, Cedric prefaced the story, "I was in Dallas stuck, didn't have any money [and] Steve was doing a comedy night."
He then talked about how Harvey's headliner was "bombing" at the moment, leading to the game show host giving Cedric "five minutes" on stage. "I rocked it, I killed it," Cedric said with a smile, which led to Harvey inviting him more as the headliner continuously failed. "I don't ever really wish bad on another comedian, but every night I would just be putting a hex on this dude," Cedric jokingly added.
Eventually, the two came up as part of the "Original Kings of Comedy," which also featured D.L. Hughley and the late, great Bernie Mac. In 2020, Harvey and Cedric shared a touching moment on "Family Feud," when the host put the pressure on Cedric to deliver the right answer. "Bernie's watching," Harvey told a visibly exasperated Cedric, who ultimately delivered the correct answer.
Cedric the Entertainer dreams of an 'Original Kings of Comedy' reunion
At the turn of the century, the world finally got to witness Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer in full form. In 2000, the Spike Lee-directed film, "The Original Kings of Comedy," was released in theaters to critical acclaim. In the film, fans bore witness to the likes of Harvey, Cedric, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac — four Black comedians — all giving their humorous takes on topics, such as race relations, Black culture, and family.
In a 2020 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cedric reflected on what was the 20-year anniversary since the film's release. "[W]e were all touring big individually, so to do something that felt so rock 'n' roll was so unique and one of my favorite times in comedy for sure," Cedric stated. "[T]he movie was so successful. I feel so blessed to be part of a comedy show that had something to say," he continued.
The comedian then opined about a potential reunion, revealing that he "would be down" for one. Cedric revealed that he tried to coax Harvey out of stand-up retirement, stating, "I said to him, 'Man, I think we could do a little 'Kings' run. I know you said you retired from stand-up, but you're super funny and one of the best, so let's rock one more time and do it for Bernie.' I'd love it to be one of the first things that could happen after COVID," he concluded.