Steve Harvey comforted Lesley McSpadden, the mother of Michael Brown, during an episode of his talk show scheduled to air today.
Brown, 19, was shot to death by a Ferguson, Mo. police officer in August, setting off weeks of unrest.
"Have you found comfort in anything?" Harvey asked McSpadden.
"Prayer," she answered. "My other children. It's real hard."
Harvey then addressed the audience.
"Talking to this woman is emotional for me because I have the ability to sit within myself and say, 'what if it were my child?'" Harvey said. "Whatever (Brown) was doing, did he deserve to lose his life because of it?"
Harvey's show airs weekdays; see this link for local listings.
Here's a clip from the show:
Given all of the media attention following her son's death, McSpadden said she has not had time to grieve privately.
"This is an unimaginable pain," Harvey said. "I want you to know that there are lots of people, millions of people across this country, of all colors and faiths, who are praying for you, pulling for you, wanting change to happen in the right way. Your son's life was not in vain."
Here is a second clip:
Harvey discussed his concerns about his own children and urged his audience to show empathy for McSpadden.
"I feel sorry for you if you cannot imagine what this woman is feeling," he said. "There are great police officers across this country. I will not go down that road because there are too many great officers in this country, too many great soldiers, too many great firemen. That's not it. There's a human element to this that we have to look at very closely."
Harvey concluded by telling McSpadden he is praying for her.
A final clip:
