How Steve Harvey Ended Up Owing $22 Million To The IRS

Television and comedic icon Steve Harvey got into a bit of trouble with the IRS, but it wasn’t his fault. The popular ‘Family Feud’ host recalls how he found out that his accountant was defrauding him to the tune of $22 million!

How Steve Harvey Ended Up Owing IRS Millions

65-year-old Harvey says that instead of sending his taxes to the IRS, his ex-accountant was cashing the checks himself and not turning in the form. 

The issue was only discovered when his accountant passed and another account found the unmailed tax forms. Harvey detailed the incident on the Earn Your Leisure podcast. 

Harvey, ever the hard worker, took every gig and opportunity he could to grind it out, and by 2012, he was free from his burden.

Hopefully, Steven Harvey pays more attention to his taxes and finances now. But seeing $22 million slip by is easier to understand when you’re worth $200 million. 

Related: Steve Harvey Goes After Cancel Culture “It “Killed” Comedy

Other Celebrities In Tax Trouble

Steve Harvey is far from the only celebrity to run afoul of the IRS.

Wesley Snipes

 The star of Blade and Passenger 57 defrauded the government to the tune of $23.5 million. Snipes and his associates failed to file tax returns for five years and filed fraudulent tax refund claims in 1997. Snipes claimed that he was a “Non-resident alien” of the United States and was not subject to taxes. The court soundly rejected this argument and is considered a fringe tax theory that courts have routinely struck down. 

Darryl Strawberry

The 8x All-Star was convicted of hiding $500,000 in income from the government. He served three months in jail. 

Pete Rose

The disgraced baseball legend* was convicted in 1990 of failing to report from signings, selling of memorabilia, and, funny enough, gambling. 

Heidi Fleiss

The infamous “Hollywood Madam” broke her fair share of laws, including tax evasion and money laundering. 

Hunter On Paying Taxes

These are my own opinions on paying taxes.

It stinks. The day I file is the worst day of the year for me**. I’m not too fond of it, but I do it. I file my taxes every year and utilize every legal deduction to the max.

I work hard for my refund loan repayment from the government. That’s what it is. The government isn’t “refunding” you like you bought a broken TV and returned it. You loaned the government money, and they owe it to you. Never forget that. 

And why we are on the subject; why don’t we teach kids about taxes in school? Wouldn’t it be better to learn how to file taxes and make financial decisions instead of some pointless geology facts?

OK, enough of Hunter’s Tax soapbox. Have you filed your taxes yet? Let us know in the comment section below.

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*enough of this, put him in the Hall of Fame already!

**other than baseball’s opening day