Steve Harvey's comments on Asian men draw backlash

ajc.com

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Steve Harvey cracked himself up joking about white or black women dating Asian men during an episode of his show, but others aren't laughing at all.

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Harvey has dealt with race in a serious way in past television segments. He once told a TV audience his white college roommates moved out rather than room with him, because he is black.

“That kind of hurt me a little bit," Harvey recalled. "I went ‘Damn, man, Y’all just don’t want to live with me?”

One roommate, now an attorney Harvey says he remains friends with, responded: “I just don’t know how to live with a black person…but he said, ‘can we still be friends?’ I said, ‘For sure.’ I learned a valuable lesson from them guys and I think they learned something from me. You know what I did? I forgave them.”

He also held a wide-ranging town hall on race and policing last year after news of police-involved shootings in Tulsa, Okla. and Charlotte, N.C. and the subsequent unrest dominate headlines .

In the more recent, comic bit, he is commenting on dating books (it's not clear whether they're real or spoofs).

"How to Date a White Woman: A Practical Guide for Asian Men," he says, reading the title of one supposed book.

His contribution: "That's one page. 'Excuse me, do you like Asian men? No.' Thank you."

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He then has an imaginary conversation with a black woman.

"You like Asian men? I don't even like Chinese food, boy. It don't stay with you no time. I don't eat what I can't pronounce.'"

Harvey then doubles over laughing.

The clip was captured and posted by a YouTube user called Angry Asian Man. As you might guess, the poster didn't think Harvey's routine was funny. Neither did the commenters below the segment.

Here it is: