Steve Harvey hosted BET's Celebration of Gospel at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles in March.

Story highlights

Steve Harvey has a daytime talk show debuting

He joins a growing list of other celebs on the daytime scene

The comic says he has retired from stand-up

CNN  — 

Watch out Howard Stern, it looks like Steve Harvey is angling for the title of “King of All Media.”

Both outspoken men have much in common, including being unabashed divorcees, best-selling authors whose books were turned into hit movies (“Private Parts” and “Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man,” respectively) and hosts of no-holds-barred radio shows heard throughout the nation. But when it comes to TV, Harvey just may have the leg up.

Stern made his prime time debut this year as a judge on “America’s Got Talent;” Harvey hosts “Family Feud” and his daytime talk show, “The Steve Harvey Show,” is set to premiere on September 4.

“I think it’s going to be great,” Harvey said about the show, which is currently in production at NBC’s Chicago studios. “It’s going to be a daytime show with a wonderful comedic spin where people get to laugh out loud during the daytime. At the same time, we’re going to have great take-aways about medical and weight, dieting, parenting, relationships. I got a lot to draw on.”

Harvey, 55, joins a growing list of daytime TV hosts looking to fill the void left by Oprah Winfrey. Katie Couric and Ricki Lake will debut new shows this fall, and mainstays Ellen DeGeneres and Wendy Williams have been renewed through 2014.

Harvey is confident he can stand out from the crowd. “I think the uniqueness of (my show) is the male perspective, which is missing from daytime television,” he said.

“Steve is like that wise but funny uncle we all have,” Dawn Davis, Harvey’s publisher at Harper Collins said. “The one with sage advice at graduation, and a healthy but gentle dose of truth-talking at Thanksgiving.”

That personality goes a long way, said Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott whose company syndicates “The Steve Harvey Show” on radio across the country to 7 million listeners.

“Steve Harvey’s audience growth and ratings have been consistently impressive,” Talbott said. “His passion for entertaining has allowed him to connect with people across multiple platforms. He’s truly a renaissance man.”

As one of “The Original Kings of Comedy,” he is used to trying to connect with audiences, but he recently retired from stand-up, claiming, “Comedy isn’t what it used to be. There are not the venues available for these young acts to hone their skills and talents, which is really a shame. It’s like musicians have become a dying breed; comedians have, too.”

In August 2012, 15,000 fans attended his final stand-up show at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. The concert, which was also streamed live Pay Per View, was the perfect send-off for Harvey, who cried tears of gratitude and joy at the end of the show.

“I think it’s a great time to get out,” he told CNN, backstage at the Arena. “I don’t want to be 60 hoping y’all come see me. I don’t want to be one of the ones where people say ‘Man, whatever happened to so and so?’ What people do is stay too long and then just all of a sudden, you ain’t funny no more and people stop coming to see you. Instead of selling out theaters, you’re back in comedy clubs and your light diminishes. I never wanted that; I wanted to go out on top.”

Harvey knows success is never guaranteed, but he remains faithfully optimistic. “I’ve never done a talk show. I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I also know that God didn’t bring me this far to leave me, so He causes things to happen.”