Stephen Glover Says Kevin Samuels' Role In "Atlanta" Was Meant For Steve Harvey

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Stephen Glover attends the premiere of "Atlanta" during the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festival - Day 9 at the Paramount Theatre on March 19, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
Stephen Glover explains how Kevin Samuels ended up on the latest season of "Atlanta."

Days after the shocking news of Kevin Samuels' death, he made a posthumous appearance in the latest episode of FX Atlanta. The eighth episode of season 3 and fourth anthology entry titled "Rich Wigga, Poor Wigga," features Samuels taking on the role of philanthropist and businessman Robert Shea Lee. His inclusion was controversial but it was also eerie given the timing of it all.

During a recent interview with Complex, Atlanta writer and producer Stephen Glover revealed that the role was initially intended for Steve Harvey but it fell through. Ultimately, Samuels pulled through to play Robert Shea Lee.

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"I’m a Black man, so to me, Kevin Samuels isn’t that crazy,” Glover said. “He was an old Black man. I think we’ve all met some version of Kevin Samuels before in our lives. We probably have a family member who’s Kevin Samuels.” 

Samuels' presence on social media made him a polarizing figure that was frequently criticized for his treatment and ideologies surrounding women, particularly Black women. Still, the creators of Atlanta were aware of the controversies surrounding Samuels and the criticism they would face with his inclusion in the cast.

"People are getting lazier, so I understand this idea of us putting Kevin Samuels [in an episode] must mean that we hate women, but actually Kevin Samuels did a really good job on this,” Glover continued. “I think as far as the bigger question of us hating women, we definitely don’t.”

The season 3 finale of Atlanta debuts on Thursday night at 10 p.m. Check the trailer out below. 


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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