In his revealing “Membership Shay Shay” interview, Gary Owen revealed extra about his time engaged on the “Steve Harvey” present with fellow comic Steve Harvey.
The speak present aired from 2012 till 2017, and Owen labored on the present for about two weeks because the announcer. The “Journey Alongside” actor detailed his expertise on the present and even introduced up Harvey’s stepdaughter, mannequin Lori Harvey, throughout his chat with Shannon Sharpe.
When requested if he had a great relationship with Harvey, the “Suppose Like a Man” star informed Sharpe he’s at all times been cool with Harvey.
“That’s the headlines speaking,” mentioned Owen. “I’ve at all times been cool with Steve. What occurred with that entire scenario, when he moved his speak present from Chicago to L.A., I went on a present as a visitor. He pulled me apart and was like, he’s telling me, like, ‘I’m about to maneuver this present to L.A. We’re going to make it a nighttime really feel however a daytime speak present, however I need to deliver you on as like a co-host.’”
Owen added that after a couple of months, a producer referred to as him to debate the gig. “I don’t suppose he knew who I used to be,” mentioned Owen. “I believe he was taking a look at, like, it is a favor. Like, I don’t have something occurring in my life, proper? I may inform by the tone of dialog.”
The 49-year-old added he didn’t signal a contract however agreed to do the present for 2 weeks to see how issues went.
On his first day, he was put in an exquisite dressing room, however it was later given to a visitor on the present, comedienne Chelsea Handler. It was allegedly her previous dressing room, and Owen added {that a} staffer introduced him to a different dressing room.
“So, I assumed, ‘That’s effective. Simply this episode.’ … I’m strolling round, however dude put me in, like, a broke down closet with no mirror, no toilet,” Owen revealed. “They mainly mentioned, ‘This the place you going to be for the remainder of the week,’ and I used to be like, ‘Oh.’”
Owen shared that when he requested for a greater dressing room, “Black girls to the rescue,” noting that it was a white man who had been serving to him beforehand.
“Certainly one of them Black girls stepped up. She knew who I used to be,” mentioned Owen, including that the girl received him a small dressing room with a small tv set, sofa and loo, and he was “good.”
Owen in the end left the present resulting from solely making “SAG minimal” and dropping cash by not being on the highway doing stand-up. He’d made thrice as a lot throughout a gig for “Hip Hop Squares.”
Owen mentioned he turned the gig down after he was supplied one other two weeks and wasn’t supplied the cash he wished.
“I might say it’s on Lori,” he joked. “It was her fault. You’re not going to defend her? You’re not going to defend her? You’re not going to defend Lori Harvey? One other Black girl you don’t defend,” mentioned Owen, a reference to Sharpe being criticized for courting white girls.