a quick note in support of steve harvey

Steve Harvey

I have neither watched the Miss Universe Pageant – for so many reasons – nor have I watched the show clips (consistently described as awkward and painful to watch) of host Steve Harvey’s mistake in announcing the Pageant winner.

I know that time will heal the embarrassment for all parties involved but that’s not today. Today, a woman had her dream given to her and snatched away and a man would give back an awful lot to get just one very public moment back.

Live broadcasts and social media don’t offer do-overs.

I cannot fathom, as I have heard some speculate, that this mistake was intentional and was a way to garner ratings. I think it was a simple, thoughtless mistake. On a public stage. Oh that familiar sting.

If you have been on any public stage (literally on the stage as a host or emcee), as I have been, and said something you regret, something that had unintentionally hurt someone (as I also have) it is an awful feeling. Awful. And it stays with you.

Even if the stage for a public mistake wasn’t world-wide, if you’re the one who made the mistake, it FEELS world wide.

So tonight while people rally around the young lady from Colombia, whom I also feel bad for, my thoughts are with Steve Harvey.

He has and will continue to apologize for his error on social media and in upcoming interviews. Fortunately the media frenzy will pass and the world will move on from this unfortunate situation.

But if Harvey is any kind of broadcaster (and he is a very talented broadcaster) this moment, this mistake, will stay with him. Bother him. Fester within him. It should not, but it will. Jokes will be made, probably the best ones by him in the future, but the ache of the memory will be there – lessened by time.

He will be forgiven over time by those most directly impacted. But what I hope for him is that he forgives himself. The mistake wasn’t the end of the world no matter how much it feels that way today. Today and for a little while, it’s going to be one day at a time.

It WILL be OK soon, Steve. It will. It really will.

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