This Viral Meme Proves Steve Harvey & Queen Elizabeth Had One Thing In Common

On the surface, Queen Elizabeth and comedian/TV host Steve Harvey don't seem like they'd have much in common. Harvey's an Emmy Award winner, a bestselling author, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Meanwhile, the late queen's 70-year reign earned her the accolade of Britain's longest-serving monarch and the second longest-serving monarch in the world. While Elizabeth's future career was already decided for her when she was 10 years old, Harvey's early days in comedy were filled with struggles. He spent years trying to break into show business before he took top honors in a national competition in 1990. 

Despite their differences, Harvey and Elizabeth have stunningly similar tastes in fashion. In 2018, stand-up comedian Robby Slowik illustrated this point by pairing photos of Harvey and the queen together. The uncannily similar shades of lemon yellow, powder blue, and burgundy suits and coats that Harvey and Elizabeth sported prompted Slowik to caption the photo on X (formerly Twitter), "Queen Elizabeth dresses like she's about to go to prom with Steve Harvey." Slowik even posted a follow-up comment noting that putting the collage together was even easier than he expected. Two years later, the comedian's joke was reposted on Reddit, drawing a mixture of praise and criticism from fans.

Robby Slowik's 2018 meme of Steve Harvey & Queen Elizabeth's twinning fashion garnered a primarily positive response, although several commenters noted that the caption should be reversed, with the queen asking the TV host to accompany her at prom. Others asserted Harvey was copying a style that Elizabeth originated.  On Reddit, a number of commenters were distressed at seeing Elizabeth and Harvey compared, and some expressed angry feelings about the TV host.

On both platforms, royal fans pointed out that the late queen had a deliberate reason for choosing bright colors: to make it easier for people to spot her at crowd-packed events. During inclement weather, the queen would accessorize with a clear umbrella to keep her outfit visible. These umbrellas also included colorful trim and handles to match the vivid colors of her attire.

Photos from throughout her reign demonstrate that Elizabeth favored eye-catching colors for decades. The queen's memorable fashion and colorful style became indelibly associated with her image. Biographer Robert Hardman said the queen once quipped, "I can never wear beige because nobody will know who I am." Eschewing neutrals, Elizabeth went the other direction, appearing in a rainbow of colors like brilliant turquoise, intense orange, and even lime green.  In 2016, the queen celebrated her 90th birthday by making a sensation online. After she rocked a neon green coat during Trooping the Colour, it spawned the hashtag #neonat90. 

After looking at the meme comparing Steve Harvey and Queen Elizabeth's strikingly similar outfits, one Redditor commented, "Just to be clear, she's the OG. He's biting her style." While the queen's bright ensembles are iconic, Harvey may have developed his color enthusiasm independently. His love of brilliant hues stretches back at least to the late 1990s. Once he shifted from comedy to hosting, however, Harvey's wardrobe became less memorable, with black and navy predominating. 

To achieve an updated version of his colorful look, Harvey partnered with stylist Elly Karamoh in 2019. "I was on Kings of Comedy, I had a pink suit with white pinstripes," Harvey explained to GQ. "I loved colors and that's what I felt was missing." If Robby Slowik had created his meme of the queen and Harvey later, he would have encountered even more similar outfits. For the article, Harvey was photographed in a neon pink suit with matching shirt and tie. This hue would have twinned with the queen's neon pink coat and hat that she wore to Royal Ascot in 2015. 

In addition to incorporating color, Karamoh also encouraged Harvey to choose more tailored suits over the baggier cuts he favored during his comedy career. In 2021, Harvey's new sartorial styles inspired a new meme. On X (formerly known as Twitter), four of his new looks were photoshopped with superhero elements and the caption "We need the Steve Harvey cinematic universe."