You’ve seen him on Family Feud with that mega-watt smile and the suits that fit like a dream. Steve Harvey is the king of relationship advice. His book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man basically became the bible for modern dating for a minute there. But here is the thing: Steve’s own path to a "successful" marriage was messy. It was loud. Honestly, at times, it was downright broke.
Before the $200 million net worth and the private jets with Marjorie, there were two other women who knew Steve when he was just a guy trying to make people laugh in smoky clubs. People always want to know about Steve Harvey previous wives because the contrast is so wild. One wife stayed quiet and built her own lane. The other? She went to war in a way that almost cost Steve everything.
The Marcia Harvey Era: From Insurance Sales to Living in a Car
Steve married Marcia Harvey in 1981. This was back when he was Broderick Stephen Harvey, an insurance salesman in Ohio. They weren't living the high life. Far from it.
They had three kids together: twins Brandi and Karli, and a son, Broderick Jr. But the marriage started crumbling the second Steve decided to chase comedy full-time. Most people don't realize how brutal that transition was. He wasn't just "traveling for work." He was essentially gone.
Why it fell apart
Imagine being a mother of three while your husband is driving across state lines to make $50 at a comedy club. Marcia wanted stability. Steve wanted the stage. By the time they separated in 1990—though the divorce wasn't official until 1994—the gap between their lives was a canyon.
👉 See also: Emmy Rossum in Bikini: The Truth About Her Body Positivity Journey
- The Struggle: Steve has famously talked about living out of his 1976 Ford Tempo during this time.
- The Separation: While he was chasing the dream, Marcia was raising the kids.
- The Outcome: Marcia stayed incredibly low-key after the split. She didn't do the talk show circuit. She didn't write a tell-all. Instead, she became a published author and started a fashion business.
There were rumors of infidelity, of course. Some reports suggest Steve had already moved on before the ink was dry on the divorce papers. Whether that’s true or just tabloid fodder, Marcia chose the high road. She’s rarely seen in public today, though she pops up in her children's social media posts looking like she hasn't aged a day.
Mary Shackelford: The Wife Who Sued for $60 Million
If Marcia was the quiet chapter, Mary Shackelford (later Mary Vaughn) was the explosion. They met in 1989 at a comedy club in Arlington, Texas. By 1996, they were married.
This was the "Kings of Comedy" era. Steve was becoming a household name. They had a son, Wynton. On the surface, it looked like Steve had finally made it, and Mary was the woman standing by his side as he conquered Hollywood. But behind the scenes? It was toxic. Like, "police-called-to-the-house" toxic.
The Messy 2005 Divorce
When they split in 2005, it wasn't just a breakup; it was a scorched-earth campaign. Steve has since claimed that this divorce left him with exactly $1,700 in his bank account. Think about that. He had just finished the Kings of Comedy tour, one of the highest-grossing comedy tours in history, and he was basically broke.
Mary didn't go away quietly. In 2011, she started posting YouTube videos. She accused Steve of:
- Cheating: She claimed he was seeing Marjorie (his current wife) while they were still married.
- Child Abduction: She alleged he turned their son against her.
- Financial Sabotage: She claimed he left her with nothing.
The "Soul Murder" Lawsuit
Things got even weirder in 2017. Mary filed a massive $60 million lawsuit against Steve. The charges? Child torture, kidnapping, and—I’m not making this up—"soul murder."
The court didn't buy it. A judge eventually threw the case out, noting that the statute of limitations had long passed and that many of her claims had already been settled in their 2005 divorce. Mary even spent 30 days in jail for contempt of court because she wouldn't stop talking about the sealed divorce cases. It’s a sad story, honestly. While Steve moved on to a billion-dollar empire, Mary seemed stuck in the pain of the past.
The Marjorie Factor: Rebound or Destiny?
You can't talk about Steve Harvey previous wives without mentioning Marjorie Bridges. Why? Because she was actually in the picture way before anyone knew.
🔗 Read more: Hot Nude Celebs Male: Why Hollywood is Finally Getting Real About the Male Form
Steve and Marjorie met at a comedy club in Memphis back in 1990. Steve famously stopped his set, looked at her in the front row, and said, "I don't know who you are, but I'm going to marry you." They dated briefly, but Steve was broke and "homeless," and he didn't feel like he could be the man she needed.
They went their separate ways. He married Mary. She married someone else.
It wasn't until 2005, after the Mary debacle, that Steve's bodyguard suggested he call "that girl from Memphis" again. They married in 2007. Steve credits her with saving his life and his career. He often says, "I'd never been in a healthy adult relationship until Marjorie."
Lessons from the Harvey History
Looking at Steve’s track record, there are some pretty clear takeaways for anyone navigating their own relationship drama.
- Financial transparency is everything. Steve’s second divorce was a financial bloodbath because of how the assets were tied up. If you're building an empire, protect it and be fair from the start.
- Silence is often the best PR. Marcia Harvey is respected because she stayed out of the mud. Mary’s public campaigns, unfortunately, only ended up hurting her own legal standing and her relationship with her son.
- Timing is a real thing. Steve and Marjorie were "right" for each other in 1990, but the circumstances were wrong. Sometimes you have to go through the "previous wives" or "previous husbands" to grow into the person who can actually keep a marriage together.
If you’re researching this to understand how celebrity divorces work, keep an eye on court filings rather than social media rants. The truth usually sits somewhere in the middle of a dense legal document, not in a 3:00 AM YouTube upload.
Your Next Step
If you're dealing with a complicated family dynamic or a messy split, don't let the "soul murder" drama happen to you. Look into mediation services or co-parenting apps like OurFamilyWizard. These tools can help keep the communication professional and documented, preventing the kind of "he-said, she-said" that leads to 30 days in a county jail for contempt.