Fact Check: The Truth About Rumor ABC Booted Steve Harvey Off 'Family Feud' After On-Air Slip-Up
Claim:
The ABC TV network abruptly booted Steve Harvey off "Family Feud" following an on-air slipup made during an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Rating:
In early May 2024, a rumor promoted in a Facebook paid ad claimed Steve Harvey was fired as host on "Family Feud." According to the ad, he was leaving the game show after nearly 14 years. The ad read, "Steve Harvey Abruptly Booted Off 'Family Feud,' and added, "Tensions Erupt After His On-Air Slip Up."
This ad displayed to Facebook users in early May 2024.
However, this rumor was false. Harvey was not "booted off 'Family Feud,'" nor had Oprah Winfrey interviewed him anytime recently (see image below). Further, the ad led to a scam falsely claiming Harvey had endorsed a product named Canna Labs CBD Gummies. He never endorsed CBD gummies of any kind. We looked for further information about Canna Labs CBD Gummies but mostly found scammy pages and videos listed in Google search results.
The ad led users to a fake CNN article on pastadibern.pro with the headline, "Steve Harvey Fired from 'Family Feud' After Shocking On-Air Confession to Oprah Winfrey." (We could not successfully create a link to an archived version of the page.)
The fake CNN article appeared on pastadibern.pro, not cnn.com.
One part of the false and scammy article included a fake post supposedly from Harvey's account (@IAmSteveHarvey) on X.
This fake post never appeared on Harvey's X account.
The fake CNN article hosted on pastadibern.pro began as follows:
Steve Harvey's tone-deaf comedy had "absolutely nothing to do with" removing him from hosting "Family Feud," ABC Entertainment chief Channing Dungey insisted this morning at TCA."Stunned and blindsided by the show I called home for the last 14 years," Harvey tweeted, after being booted from hosting "Family Feud."Steve, 67, known for his role hosting the hit daytime show "Family Feud," thinks that ABC is canning him over comments made during his Oprah Winfrey interview.Harvey went off script last week during the interview and revealed intimate details about his struggle with ED and eventual cure. Oprah Winfrey explained her position: "I just think there's a time and place for those types of discussions but my show isn't one of them."She went on to say, "I'm happy Steve found a remedy or whatever to solve his problem 'downstairs,' but it was unprofessional and his hosting role, because of the family nature, should be canceled."Harvey disagreed, saying, "Why the negative stigma?! ED is a problem most men experience as they get older. Why hide the fact there ARE real solutions? I suffered for fat too long to keep the answer a secret now that I found a solution, Canna Labs CBD Gummies."
The rest of the false article featured fake quotes and photos of Harvey's wife, Marjorie, as well as Dr. Phil McGraw of the former talk show "Dr. Phil."
Snopes previously reported about this rumor involving Harvey and CBD products in 2022. We also debunked other, similar claims, including stories providing details about scams naming Winfrey, former "Jeopardy" host Mayim Bialik and many others.
Sources:
Liles, Jordan. "Did Oprah Winfrey Endorse Whoopi Goldberg's CBD Line?" Snopes, 15 Dec. 2021, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/winfrey-goldberg-cbd/.
—. "Is Steve Harvey Leaving 'Family Feud' After Endorsing CBD Gummies for Erectile Dysfunction?" Snopes, 27 June 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/steve-harvey-cbd-gummies/.
—. "Mayim Bialik Targeted in Phony CBD Gummies Endorsement, False Allegations." Snopes, 14 Mar. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/mayim-bialik-cbd-allegations/.
—. "Oprah Winfrey Weight Loss Gummies Facebook Ads Are a Scam." Snopes, 13 Jan. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//news/2023/01/13/oprah-winfrey-allegations-weight-loss-gummies/.
"Steve Harvey's FIRST TIME Hosting Family Feud!" YouTube, Family Feud, 10 July 2010, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TKBXleCEUU.