Shirley Strawberry’s Estranged ‘Husband’ Is Allegedly Still Married To First Wife

The plot thickens with the scandal surrounding Earnest “Ernesto” Williams, 58, and his estranged “wife,” The Steve Harvey Morning Show co-host Shirley Strawberry, 69, after a YouTube vlogger exposed the jailbird as an alleged bigamist.

A video uploaded by vlogger Chronicle Speaks on Sept. 25 reportedly revealed Ernesto’s first wife, Edith Williams, contacted the vlogger to divulge that he had been married to her for 37 years. Although Ernesto appeared to have jumped the broom four times, Edith assured Chronicle Speaks that they’ve never legally divorced, so the other women, including Shirley- were never his wives. A certificate of marriage from 2019 documented that the former couple married on Oct. 22, 1985, in Aiken County, South Carolina.

Chronicle Speaks also explained that Edith and Ernesto were college sweethearts who started a business together upon graduating. The former chucked the deuces to her philandering husband after his infidelity and lying became excessive. She didn’t clarify why they never divorced. The other women he fooled into thinking he was married to were Martha, Carol and now Shirley. He was “married” to Martha for 20 years and two years to Carol.

The vlogger shared that the incarcerated man’s estranged wife noted that he never touched her children inappropriately. In 2022, the 58-year-old barber faced charges of gun possession, child pornography, theft and fraud. He’s currently serving just under two years in prison for fraud in Georgia. Ernesto is still facing other egregious charges, including rape and trafficking of a person for sexual servitude, among other violations, stemming from July.

Ernesto’s latest victim, Shirley, is reportedly ready to move on from the cheating debacle, his jail shenanigans and an uncomfortable incident with her boss and friend, Steve Harvey. Black Enterprise reported that the 69-year-old media personality faced public humiliation after a phone call leaked between her and her incarcerated spouse. Shirley alleged that Marjorie Harvey was not kind to Steve’s employees and that the 66-year-old comedian was reportedly “afraid” of Marjorie.

Steve reportedly expressed to the media personality how hurtful her words were, “When [the phone calls] came out, [it was] a little bit different because it’s not gossip, rumor, or [a] malicious lie. It came from the inside circle… ’cause we’re an inside circle. We are family.”

He did eventually forgive his friend.