Steve Harvey’s Miss Universe mishap was a lesson that turned into a blessing.
During Invest Fest, Harvey took the main stage to share how his brand accelerated amidst the controversial moment that rested in headlines several days after.
Harvey's Name Googled Four Billion Times Following Controversy
In fact, Harvey’s name was searched on Google four billion times, which ultimately worked toward his benefit.
“I wanted God to make me more globally famous ’cause I saw myself becoming a global businessman,” Harvey explained. “After the Miss Universe fiasco, within 48 hours, my name had been googled 4 billion times. I was the most googled subject in the world for 48 hours. God had increased my global brand and persona.”
People across the globe were flocking to hear about the chatter surrounding Harvey. The clicks also turned into an opportunity as Harvey caught the attention of T-Mobile and received an offer that was hard to turn down.
“T-Mobile came along and said, ‘We’d like to take your mistake and turn it into good,’ and I said, ‘How so?’ They said, ‘We want you to do a T-Mobile commercial.’ I said, ‘Well, that’s interesting. How much does that pay?’ So, I did the T-Mobile commercial,” Harvey said.
What’s more, Miss Universe spun the block as they seemingly wanted Harvey to host once again. Harvey reveals he was offered triple the amount he was paid for his previous appearance.
However, he wasn’t moved by the dollars they were offering. Instead, he was looking for ownership.
“I can say it now because the stocks have vetted,” Harvey expressed. “After the mishap, I said I didn’t want to do it no more, because I was put out on front street and they left me out there to dry. Didn’t nobody volunteer, say it was my fault. Teleprompter didn’t step forward. The director damn sho didn’t come forward. So I said I ain’t doing it. So they said, ‘Well, suppose we pay you double.’ I said, ‘I still ain’t doing it.’ They said, ‘Suppose we pay you triple.’ I said, ‘I still ain’t gonna do it.’ They said, ‘Mr. Harvey, we’ll pay you millions to come back and do that.’ I said, ‘I’m still not gonna do it.’ They said, ‘What do you want?’ I said, ‘Ownership.'”
