Cleveland has native son Steve Harvey's back

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CLEVELAND — It was the Miss Universe pageant mistake heard 'round the world. Steve Harvey hunkering down, crying mea culpa after calling out the wrong winner in Sunday's Miss Universe pageant.

Steve Harvey after Miss Universe: 'I made a mistake'

Miss Universe Host Steve Harvey explained that he made a mistake and didn't read his entire card when he announced the wrong pageant winner. He named Miss Colombia Miss Universe before realizing his error and announcing that Miss Philippines had won.

AP

Still, there's solid love for the Cleveland native in this whirlwind of worldwide criticism.

"I saw the news all day! Steve Harvey! Steve Harvey! Steve Harvey! I thought HE won the pageant!" laughed Nick Kostis, managing member of Hilarities E. 4th St. Comedy Club and Pickwick and Frolic.

"He was gifted from the get-go," Kostis said of Harvey.

Kostis remembers when Harvey took the stage in 1985. It was open mic night at Hilarities, located in Cuyahoga Falls back then.

"The manager said, 'You want to give it a shot?' He went up and he killed it! Well, he was bitten and he never looked back," Kostis said.

Harvey, who graduated from Glenville High School in 1974, has an old school friend in Glenville classmate, now coach, Ted Ginn Sr.

"That's my buddy. I got his back all the way. We love him here. It was a mistake. We all make mistakes in life," Ginn said.

As for the conspiracy theorists surmising it was some sort of marketing publicity ploy, Kostis said, "no way."

"He has much more style and much more class than to have even thought of doing that."

If anyone could laugh it off, it has to be Steve Harvey, right?

"Well, in time. It might be too soon, but in time," said Kostis.

In the meantime, comedians on tap in the next few days at Hilarities will most likely have some new material.

"Ohhh! Are you kidding me or what? They are going to love this!" Kostis laughed. "If it happened to someone else, Steve would find the comedy in it and Steve will find it in himself."

Ginn added, "Keep your head up man. It's all right. Life must go on."

Kostis concurred.

"He's one of our own. We can't deny one of our own. We've got his back."

Follow Dawn Kendrick on Twitter: @dawnkendricktv3