Steve Harvey has been labelled a sell-out and a “lowly coon” by critics who detest his suggestion that black entertainers should prioritise money over integrity when handling business.

This, a suggestion he offered the beloved actress Mo’Nique when she made her way to his successful talk show to discuss the inequality she faces as an Oscar-winning black woman in Hollywood.

Watch their conversation here.

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The family man issued this statement today:

I’ve got to slow down when I’m talking. I can’t get into heated discussions, and I’ve got to just guard my words more carefully.

I take full responsibility for it, it came out my mouth, so I can’t say that I didn’t say it. But to people that really know me, I have lived my whole life as a man of integrity. So when I was referring to ‘integrity’ in that interview, I was talking about the method in which things were being done, and that is all it was. I never questioned anybody’s principles or anybody’s causes. I was merely questioning, for the 50-minute interview, the method that she chose going about doing it — and I regret that looking back at it now, because that was a bad choice of words.I have lived my whole life as a man of integrity, and I will stand on that, but I was really just talking about the method that they went about doing what they did, and that was it.

Alas, many members of the African-American community aren’t convinced.

Mo’Nique is yet to respond.

Your thoughts?