Entertainment

Steve Harvey and Mo’Nique argue about choosing money over integrity

ROLLINGOUT.COM — Steve Harvey and Mo’Nique argued about the importance of money and integrity.

Published

7 years ago

February 19, 2019

By A.R. Shaw

Steve Harvey and Mo’Nique argued about the importance of money and integrity during a heated discussion on his daytime talk show, “Steve.”

On the show, which aired on Feb. 13, 2019, Mo’Nique shared her thoughts about claims that she was blackballed by Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels.

“I’ve said no to some very powerful people,” Mo’Nique shared. “The difficulty came in when people that look like me, like Oprah, Tyler, Lee Daniels, and I got to put my brother Steve on the list, y’all knew I was not wrong. Each one of you said to me, ‘Mo’Nique you’re not wrong,’ and when I heard you go on the air and you said that my sister done burned too many bridges and there’s nothing I can do for her now, Steve do you know how hurt I was?”

Harvey countered her arguments by stating that the game is all about money and that she would do better to focus on her career.

“When you tell the truth, you have to deal with the repercussions of the truth,” Harvey said. “We’re Black out here. We can’t come out here and do it any kind of way we want to. Your husband can’t be the Sidney that he really is out here. That flexing. We got to flex a different way. This is the money game. This ain’t the Black man’s game, this ain’t the White man’s game, this is the money game. We’re in the money game, and you cannot sacrifice yourself. The best thing you can do for poor people is not be one of them. You cannot help them like that.”

Mo’Nique replied by telling Harvey that integrity was more important than money.

“Before the money game, it’s called the integrity game, and we’ve lost the integrity worrying about the money,” Mo’Nique said.

Harvey interjected, saying his family depends on him having a successful career.

“If I crumble, my children crumble, my grandchildren crumble,” he said. “I cannot, for the sake of my integrity, stand up here and let everybody that’s counting on me crumble so I can make a statement. There are ways to win the war in a different way.”

Following the explosive interview, Harvey became a top trending topic on social media as the discussion of continued.

Clearly, Steve Harvey is not a life coach. The value one places on their integrity is the exact cost it takes to be fake.
— Jackée Harry (@JackeeHarry) February 13, 2019

Steve Harvey is a coward. I’m disgusted. Mo’Nique sat up there and championed integrity, and he argued integrity for money and people applauded. Y’all go give Mo’Nique your love.
— Myles E. Johnson (@hausmuva) February 13, 2019

And Steve Harvey over talking her is very indicative of his advice.
He is literally telling her to sell out and not have any integrity. That may secure the bag, but it won’t keep it.
Aren’t there rumbling of them cancelling his show…how’d that work out for you?
— George M Johnson (@IamGMJohnson) February 13, 2019

Steve Harvey doesn’t realize how “playing the game” has harmed generations of black folk. How that game has undervalued us from its outset. We have had to take shorts no one else would in order to provide a living for our families and what Mo’nique is saying is ENOUGH OF THAT!
— Ahmad K. Khan (@AhmadKhalilDC) February 13, 2019

“the best thing you can do for poor people is to not become one of em. You can’t help them people mo” – Steve Harvey
— Karlous Miller (@KarlousM) February 13, 2019

This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.

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Activism

OP-ED: AB 1349 Puts Corporate Power Over Community

Since Ticketmaster and Live Nation merged in 2010, ticket prices have jumped more than 150 percent. Activities that once fit a family’s budget now take significant disposable income that most working families simply don’t have. The problem is compounded by a system that has tilted access toward the wealthy and white-collar workers. If you have a fancy credit card, you get “presale access,” and if you work in an office instead of a warehouse, you might be able to wait in an online queue to buy a ticket. Access now means privilege.

Published

1 week ago

January 9, 2026

Oakland Post

Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

By Bishop Joseph Simmons, Senior Pastor, Greater St. Paul Baptist Church, Oakland

As a pastor, I believe in the power that a sense of community can have on improving people’s lives. Live events are one of the few places where people from different backgrounds and ages can share the same space and experience – where construction workers sit next to lawyers at a concert, and teenagers enjoy a basketball game with their grandparents. Yet, over the past decade, I’ve witnessed these experiences – the concerts, games, and cultural events where we gather – become increasingly unaffordable, and it is a shame.

These moments of connection matter as they form part of the fabric that holds communities together. But that fabric is fraying because of Ticketmaster/Live Nation’s unchecked control over access to live events. Unfortunately, AB 1349 would only further entrench their corporate power over our spaces.

Power over live events is concentrated in a single corporate entity, and this regime operates without transparency or accountability – much like a dictator. Ticketmaster controls 80 percent of first-sale tickets and nearly a third of resale tickets, but they still want more. More power, more control for Ticketmaster means higher prices and less access for consumers. It’s the agenda they are pushing nationally, with the help of former Trump political operatives, who are quietly trying to undo the antitrust lawsuit launched against Ticketmaster/Live Nation under President Biden’s DOJ.

That’s why I’m deeply concerned about AB 1349 in its current form. Rather than reining in Ticketmaster’s power, the bill risks strengthening it, aligning with Trump. AB 1349 gives Ticketmaster the ability to control a consumer’s ticket forever by granting Ticketmaster’s regime new powers in state law to prevent consumers from reselling or giving away their tickets. It also creates new pathways for Ticketmaster to discriminate and retaliate against consumers who choose to shop around for the best service and fees on resale platforms that aren’t yet controlled by Ticketmaster. These provisions are anti-consumer and anti-democratic.

California has an opportunity to stand with consumers, to demand transparency, and to restore genuine competition in this industry. But that requires legislation developed with input from the community and faith leaders, not proposals backed by the very company causing the harm.

Will our laws reflect fairness, inclusion, and accountability? Or will we let corporate interests tighten their grip on spaces that should belong to everyone? I, for one, support the former and encourage the California Legislature to reject AB 1349 outright or amend it to remove any provisions that expand Ticketmaster’s control. I also urge community members to contact their representatives and advocate for accessible, inclusive live events for all Californians. Let’s work together to ensure these gathering spaces remain open and welcoming to everyone, regardless of income or background.