Jaleel White, a.k.a. TV’s Urkel, looks back fondly on the character that changed his career

As a child of the ’90s, I can’t help but feel a sense of nostalgic admiration for Jaleel White. Growing up, “Family Matters” was more than just a TV show; it was an integral part of my formative years. And there, on our screens every week, was the iconic Steve Urkel, a character so unique, so memorable, that he transcended the boundaries of television and became a cultural phenomenon.

Jaleel White is feeling kind of cool. “My wife cranked up this air conditioning,” he says from his hotel room in New York while on tour to promote his new memoir, “Growing Up Urkel.” But Steve Urkel, as any consumer of ’90s pop culture can tell you, was anything but cool. The character White played from 1989 to 1998 on the wholesome hit sitcom “Family Matters” defined the Black nerd for TV watchers: saddle shoes, suspenders, thick glasses, high, nasal voice. Sure, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” had Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), but he was more of an entitled, clueless preppy. Urkel was Poindexter personified.

At 47 years old, White will always be associated with the character he developed in a series that he played a significant role in; Urkel wasn’t introduced until halfway through the first season but quickly became the central focus. He embraces this connection rather than trying to hide it. “Growing Up Urkel” is not like “I Am Not Spock,” Leonard Nimoy’s personal memoir emphasizing his differences from the logical Vulcan character he portrayed in “Star Trek.” Instead, it’s a unique account – a nostalgic look back from a well-balanced and lighthearted former child star, providing insights into the challenging world of show business.

The main reason behind writing his book, as he explains, is quite straightforward: “I aimed to present my parents with their flowers while they’re still able to enjoy them. All I see are stories about tragic ends in the entertainment industry. My parents might not have fully grasped what they were doing, but their most significant aspect was their good intentions for me. My family and I, we didn’t understand much about leverage. We found ourselves primarily in a state of appreciation.” He believes that this state of appreciating their efforts is beneficial to some extent.

Growing up, I hail from Culver City with roots deeply embedded in a middle-class family residing in Pasadena. My upbringing instilled in me the values of hard work and gratitude for my blessings. My mother, ever vigilant, would often enlist the help of the “Family Matters” set to keep me grounded and avoid any hint of arrogance. Fancy cars and luxurious clothing were beyond our reach; I learned to drive with a well-loved hand-me-down Acura. My happiness was found in sporting the latest Nike attire, a pursuit that became simpler once sports teams recognized my fervor for basketball, generously sending me packages filled with the newest gear.

Originally, when he joined the program, he was a 12-year-old boy eager for an audition and desperate for the role so my parents would buy him a Sega Genesis. Being raised with manners and grace, his parents enrolled him in etiquette classes to learn gentlemanly behavior. Reflecting on his early romantic encounters, he shares stories of humor and embarrassment: “My mother had done such an incredible job shielding me from harmful influences that she essentially turned me into a naive, overconfident, well-meaning fool for teenage girls to trample upon.

Essentially, he was a decent young man with great parents, but these qualities didn’t always serve him well when it came to earning equal pay as other TV stars for ABC. In his memoir, he recounts an instance where the show’s producers discouraged him from seizing additional Urkel opportunities, fearing he would become too visible. One of the book’s most revealing stories is about a 14-year-old White being grounded by his mother after an argument. When his parents told the “Family Matters” team that he was ill and couldn’t work, they received gift baskets and offers for a doctor at home. The producers suspected his family of staging a “sick-out,” a tactic used by parents of child stars to demand higher wages. However, when White returned to work the next day, his family made no requests for extra compensation. It turned out they were simply disciplining their son.

White states, “That time, I believe, was my most significant opportunity that went unnoticed. All the presents we received were taken with such sincerity by me and my guardians. My parents might have even felt remorseful that a family disagreement had caused so many people to worry about my well-being.

Since his days on “Family Matters,” White has been quite busy. He lent his voice to Sonic the Hedgehog in various Sega games, and more recently, he’s appeared in the TV series “The Afterparty” and shared screen time with Adam Sandler in the underappreciated basketball film “Hustle.” Reminiscing about the latter, he particularly cherishes the pick-up basketball games. While he remains Urkel to some older fans, he finds joy when strangers recognize him for something new, like his current role as a host on CBS’s game show “Flip Side.” In his words, “I’m a game show host now for the Boomers who used to know me as Urkel.

Millennials, who’ve been accustomed to finding answers with Google, sometimes refer to him by a different name altogether – the one he was known by during his upbringing.

“They call me Jaleel,” he says.

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2024-11-22 21:31