Steve Harvey took aim at 'cancel culture' while speaking with reporters on Tuesday for the Television Critics Association press tour.
The 64-year-old comedian, who was promoting his new comedic courtroom series Judge Steve Harvey, claimed that he couldn't even film a stand-up special out of fear of offending too many people.
He blamed the current state of fearfulness among comics on 'political correctness,' claiming it had 'killed comedy.'
Anti-PC: Steve Harvey took aim at 'cancel culture' while speaking with reporters on Tuesday for the Television Critics Association press tour. He blamed 'political correctness' for having 'killed comedy'; seen in 2015 in Las Vegas
Harvey said that a stand-up special would have to be the last thing he ever did, because it might significantly damage his career prospects.
'We’re in the cancel culture now,' he said. 'Nobody can say anything he wants to — Chris Rock can’t, Kevin Hart can’t, Cedric the Entertainer can’t, D.L. Hughley can’t. I can go down the list.'
The Family Feud host said that only comics who weren't beholden to corporate sponsors could do as they pleased.
'The only person that can say what they want to say on stage is Dave Chappelle because he’s not sponsor-driven. He’s subscription,' he said, referencing Chappelle's controversial specials for Netflix, which some viewers have derided for having long stretches of transphobic material.
The end: Harvey said that a stand-up special would have to be the last thing he ever did, because it might damage his career prospects, though people like Dave Chappelle could still get away with it due to subscription deals; pictured in 2020
'If I had tried to continue as a stand-up, there’s no way I could maintain it because political correctness has killed comedy, has killed it,' Harvey continued 'Every joke now, it hurts somebody’s feelings.'
The Original Kings Of Comedy star said it was essential for comedians to ruffle some feathers if they wanted to make meaningful jokes.
'What people don’t understand about comedians is that a joke has to be about something. It has to be about somebody. We can’t write jokes about puppies all the time. The joke can’t be about bushes all the time,' he continued. 'Some of these jokes have to be about people — because that’s the most interesting topic. So if I come back, I have to wait until I’m done [with my TV
