Steve Harvey Defends 'Do Not Approach' Order

Steve Harvey has confirmed ordering his talk show staff not to approach him—and he says it was necessary. The Steve Harvey Show host told Entertainment Tonight Thursday that he had always tried to be an approachable boss, but some people were "taking advantage" of the policy. "I just didn't want to be in this prison anymore where I had to be in this little room, scared to go out and take a breath of fresh air without somebody approaching me," he said, per the Hollywood Reporter. His memo to staffers told them to stop "ambushing" him in the hallways or coming to his dressing room uninvited. "IF YOU OPEN MY DOOR, EXPECT TO BE REMOVED," he wrote.

Harvey, who was mercilessly mocked on social media after the memo was leaked, said he isn't going to apologize, but he admitted that, in hindsight, he probably should have handled the matter a little differently, the New York Times reports. Harvey is in the process of moving his show from Chicago to Los Angeles and the memo was emailed before the start of the current season, which finished production in Chicago Thursday. Sources tell Page Six that the host skipped the wrap party. "After that memo, he'd be stood on his own in the corner," one insider says. "He used to be such a nice guy." (More Steve Harvey stories.)