'Family Feud' host Steve Harvey tells contestant 'You shut up lady' after her problematic answer
Steve Harvey is known for his reactions and roasting contestants for stupid answers, but the "Family Feud" host is rarely seen losing his cool. But the comedian turned TV star does draw a line when it comes to some things, and it turned out to be racism in one of the episodes. Even when the contestant tried to lighten the mood after an answer with racial undertones, Harvey asked her to shut up. But even in that situation, Harvey stayed calm when the cameras were rolling.
The contestant’s name was Christie and she was answering the question, “Name something you know about zombies.” After seeming lost for some time, she blurted out “Black,” which could be considered offensive.
Harvey looked genuinely stunned at this answer and it didn’t seem like he was doing a bit for some laughs. Even the studio audience felt awkward laughing at what Christie had said. What made things worse was that the entire family that was playing against Christie’s was African-American. It was clear from online comments that the fans weren't too pleased about her response either.
The woman then tried to lighten the mood by saying, “It’s up there,” a couple of times as per Daily Mail but Harvey knew that it was going too far. “You shut up lady,” he said which drew a louder laugh from the audience. Unsurprisingly, that answer was not on the board but that didn’t matter at this point. The contestant knew that she had made a mistake and the host of the show did a commendable job of making sure that things did not get ugly.
This is not the only time that Harvey said ‘shut up’ to a contestant. It has happened multiple times in the past. However, it was never as awkward as it got with Christie, and things were just light-hearted. One such incident involved a contestant named Jennifer, who was playing the Fast Money round and one of her answers prompted the witty host of the show to say those two words immediately followed by a high-five.
During a game, Harvey asked the contestant five survey questions and one of the questions was, “Tell me something that gets grilled,” to which Jennifer replied, “A person.” This was probably the most hilarious answer that she gave. Another question was, “Name the night of the week you’re most likely to stay home,” and the contestant responded with, “Monday.”
The 68-year-old then asked the contestant, “Do you know why?” to which she replied, “Football.” Harvey found this answer of hers relatable since he is a fan of the NFL himself. He gave Jennifer a high five and said, “Girl shut up.” It was a feel-good moment on the show and there was absolutely nothing to feel awkward about in this scenario, although the same cannot be said about Christie.