Steve Harvey Show Searching for New Syndicator

Radio-TV personality Steve Harvey has admitted that he was surprised when NBC announced that a new show hosted by Kelly Clarkson would take over his time-slot on its owned-and-operated stations.

Harvey, a headline speaker at the Variety Entertainment Summit at CES, was asked by interviewer Variety co-editor-in-chief Andrew Wallenstein whether he going to stay with NBCUniversal. Harvey responded, “I thought I was, until they made an announcement a couple weeks ago that they wanted to give Kelly Clarkson the [NBC] O&O networks – that’s my slot.”

Insiders confirmed to Variety that NBCUniversal, which had been distributing Harvey’s daytime yakker, “Steve,” will no longer be doing so after the end of this season. IMG, which produces the show, has been shopping the show to various syndication, cable, streaming, and broadcast outlets. A source said Harvey has options on the table, and is confident “Steve” will continue elsewhere after this year.

Harvey launched “Steve” in 2017, replacing “The Steve Harvey Show,” another daytime talk show that had been produced by EndemolShine North America. Unlike “Steve Harvey,” Harvey owns a stake in “Steve” with IMG.

Harvey, TV personality and actor-comedian-producer-author, said about daytime TV that “it’s a very tough space right now,” noting that technology lets viewers watch shows whenever they want. He also blasted Nielsen ratings as “the most archaic thing ever created.”