Family Feud

Did You Know?

• Family Feud Africa, hosted by Steve Harvey, began airing on April 5, 2020, covering Ghana and South Africa.
• Family Feud Botswana, also hosted by Steve Harvey, began airing on February 9, 2025.
• The show ranked number 3 on Game Show Network's 2006 list of the 50 Greatest Game Shows of All Time.

Hosts and announcers

Richard Dawson, a regular panelist on Match Game, had a standing agreement with Mark Goodson to audition for the next Goodson–Todman game show. After learning a pilot for Family Feud was in development—originally intended for William Shatner, with Geoff Edwards and Jack Narz also considered—Dawson threatened to present a bland persona on Match Game unless given an audition. He was selected as host of the original ABC and first syndicated versions. The original announcer was Gene Wood, with Johnny Gilbert and Rod Roddy substituting. In 1988, Ray Combs took over as host on CBS and in syndication, with Wood returning as announcer; Roddy and Art James substituted. Combs hosted until the daytime version's cancellation in 1993 and the syndicated version through 1993–94. Dawson returned for the 1994–95 season at the request of Mark Goodson Productions. When the show returned to syndication in 1999, Louie Anderson hosted with Burton Richardson as announcer. Richard Karn replaced Anderson in 2002, and John O'Hurley replaced Karn in 2006. In 2010, O'Hurley and Richardson departed; O'Hurley later said he left partly because he resisted the show's shift toward ribald humor. Steve Harvey became host in 2010, with Joey Fatone as announcer (2010–2015), followed by Rubin Ervin (2015–present).

Broadcast history

Mark Goodson created Family Feud during the rising popularity of Match Game, which had set daytime ratings records between 1973 and 1976. The program underwent two years of development, originating as a 1974 pitch called Odd Ball, then evolving into Fast Company before settling on its final name and format. ABC announced the show at an annual meeting in May 1976, and it premiered on July 12, 1976, at 1:30 p.m. ET, replacing Rhyme and Reason. Facing the first halves of As the World Turns and Days of Our Lives, Feud was not an immediate hit but soon became ABC's highest-rated game show. A timeslot change several months later made it a ratings winner, surpassing Match Game as daytime's top game show. In April 1977, due to All My Children expanding to one hour, the show moved to 11:30 a.m., with Happy Days reruns as lead-in. After The $20,000 Pyramid was canceled in June 1980, Feud moved to 12 noon. It remained the most popular daytime game show until Wheel of Fortune surpassed it in 1984. From May 8, 1978, to May 25, 1984, ABC aired hour-long primetime All-Star Specials featuring celebrity casts from various TV series.

Merchandise

Since 1976, many home versions of Family Feud have been released. Milton Bradley, Pressman Games, and Endless Games have produced traditional board games; Imagination Entertainment released a DVD game format. Computer versions appeared starting with Coleco Adam in 1983, followed by Sharedata versions for MS-DOS, Commodore 64, and Apple II in 1987. GameTek released versions for Nintendo Entertainment System, Super NES, Genesis, 3DO, and IBM PC compatibles between 1990 and 1995. Hasbro Interactive released a PC and PlayStation version in 2000. In 2006, versions came for PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, and Microsoft Windows. Mobliss Inc. released a mobile version for Sprint, Verizon, and Cingular; Glu Mobile later released a newer mobile version. Ubisoft, in conjunction with Ludia, published Family Feud: 2010 Edition for Wii, Nintendo DS, and PC in September 2009, followed by Family Feud Decades in 2010, Family Feud: 2012 Edition for Wii and Xbox 360 in 2011, and a 2020 version for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Stadia. A DVD set titled All-Star Family Feud starring Richard Dawson was released on January 8, 2008, by BCI Eclipse LLC, featuring 43 segments from 21 celebrity episodes; it was reissued as The Best of All-Star Family Feud on February 2, 2010.