Preloading

Steve Harvey Gifted a TV Every Year to the Teacher Who Said He'd Never Be on Television

Season 6 Episode 605
Aired on 09/02/2017 | CC tv-pg
When Steve Harvey was in sixth grade, his teacher gave the class an assignment: Write down what you want to be when you grow up. Steve, who had a severe stutter at the time, wrote that he wanted to be on TV. Steve's teacher, however, thought his dream was ridiculous. She quickly ridiculed Steve in front of the class and called his parents to report that he was being a "smart aleck" at school.

Steve was confused by his teacher's reaction, but his father's encouragement helped him stay on the path toward his goals. Many years later, after Steve found success in the entertainment industry, he still thought about that sixth-grade teacher.

"Every year when the teacher was living, I used to send her a TV for Christmas," Steve says. "'Cause I wanted her to see me."

Watch as Steve opens up about how this incident and his father, in particular, taught him a life-changing principle of success.

Tune into Steve's full interview on Oprah's Master Class this Saturday at 10/9c.

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