{"id":133567,"date":"2024-11-19T12:00:24","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T12:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/19\/jaleel-whites-biggest-family-matters-memoir-revelations-feuds-more\/"},"modified":"2024-11-19T12:00:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T12:00:24","slug":"jaleel-whites-biggest-family-matters-memoir-revelations-feuds-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/19\/jaleel-whites-biggest-family-matters-memoir-revelations-feuds-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaleel White’s Biggest Family Matters Memoir Revelations: Feuds, More"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Jaleel White<\/strong><\/a> didn\u2019t shy away from mentioning his Family Matters<\/em><\/a> costars in his memoir.<\/p>\n

Family Matters, which aired from 1989 to 1998, was a spinoff of the Perfect Strangers<\/em> that followed a middle-class Black family living in Chicago. The hit sitcom starred Reginald VelJohnson, Jo Marie Payton, Darius McCrary, Kellie Williams, Jaimee Foxworth, Bryton McClure <\/strong>and Michelle Thomas.<\/strong><\/p>\n

White joined Family Matters<\/em> halfway through the first season as the Winslows\u2019 nerdy neighbor Steve Urkel. The role was only meant to last one episode but Steve became a breakout character<\/a> that paved the way for White to join the main cast.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy performance was so well received during that initial episode that they began writing me into the next episode,\u201d White recalled in his memoir, Growing Up Urkel<\/em>, which was released on Tuesday, November 19. \u201cThey even reshot new teasers for the season that featured me prominently, as if l\u2019d been an original cast member all along.\u201d<\/p>\n

Family Matters<\/em> became the second-longest-running live action sitcom with a predominantly Black cast behind The Jeffersons. The success caused the cast to rise to stardom but the experience wasn\u2019t without<\/a> its obstacles.<\/p>\n

In his book, out Tuesday, November 19, White offered a candid glimpse into his experience as a child star on the set of Family Matters<\/em>. Despite pulling back the curtain on the highs \u2014 and lows \u2014 of playing Steve, White didn\u2019t want the entire memoir to be about<\/a> the drama.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never felt any need for any get back [at my costars]. First of all, I live my life to do better. That\u2019s the truth. I have a 15-year-old daughter. If I put out a book, I want her to be proud of it,\u201d White exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cI also write things to try to be timeless. So addressing anyone\u2019s personal accusations, I feel makes the book not nearly the literary work that I wanted it to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

White told Us<\/em> that his relationships with his former costars vary.<\/a> He noted that he has \u201cbasic relationships\u201d with some of his cast members while others have continued to be a part of his life.<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations about Family Matters<\/em> \u2014 and White\u2019s insight to Us about the takeaways:<\/p>\n

The Difference Between the Adult Actors and the Children<\/h3>\n
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\u201cThere was a clear division \u2014 even when we were working \u2014 there were the adults and there were the kids. And even the [crew] would say, \u2018Hey, go get the kids from school,’\u201d White recalled during an interview with Us<\/em>. \u201cSo no matter what my standing was on the show \u2014 as far as celebrity was concerned on that set \u2014 I was still one of the kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

As White\u2019s star rose, there was a bit of a divide.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy workload, I was the leading man on Family Matters<\/em>, but I was never number one on the call sheet,\u201d White wrote. \u201cIf my agent had ever attempted to reorder our cast introductions to reflect our position on the show more accurately, it would have fractured too many egos.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Toll of Playing Steve<\/h3>\n
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After playing Steve for nine seasons<\/a>, White was \u201cphysically exhausted\u201d and would often develop bruises from the continuous physical comedy. White found it \u201cphysically painful\u201d to maintain Steve\u2019s high-pitched voice so network executives made some chances including him no longer wearing suspenders that were previously synonymous with his character.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I worked out, I would have cut off at least two to three years off the show. Being tall and wiry was one thing-being almost six feet tall and beefed-up was another,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWhen you think of it financially because the real money didn\u2019t come in until the final seasons of the show, if I decided to let myself fill in, I would have cost myself something like six or seven million dollars in salary.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Child Star Documentaries That Are Worth the Watch: \u2018Quiet on Set\u2018 and More<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tChild stars have offered their perspective on the downfalls of fame by participating in tell all documentaries that feature surprising revelations. Investigation Discovery made headlines in 2024 when directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz explored Nickelodeon\u2019s past toxic work environment in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. The docuseries specifically highlighted producer [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Questionable \u2018Family Matters\u2019 Scenes<\/h3>\n

In the book, White reexamined a season 2 episode where his character was kissed by an older woman at a casino. According to White, the scene was his first kiss IRL \u2014 and the unnamed actress took the kiss farther than what was originally discussed in rehearsals.<\/a><\/p>\n

Those Reginald VelJohnson Mentions<\/h3>\n
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VelJohnson remained on the show for the series\u2019 run, but when his costars heard that Miller allegedly told VelJohnson, \u201c\u2018Now, Reginald. if you\u2019re not happy here\u2026’\u201d they would often repeat the phrase back to him and joke about the alleged tension.<\/p>\n

Michelle Thomas\u2019 Death<\/h3>\n
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Thomas joined Family Matters<\/em> as a love interest for Steve in 1993 and she remained on the show until the final season. She was diagnosed with a rare cancer in 1997, which limited Thomas\u2019 screen time before she died at age 30 one year later.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Family Matters<\/em> went off the air, Michelle Thomas found herself hurled into a game of video-vixen offers and unethical casting practices, and she was perceived to be not believably edgy enough for a lot of roles,\u201d White wrote in his book. \u201cTo avoid running into anyone from show business, she waited tables for a stint in far-out Palmdale, California. My mother, Gail, kept her secret, even from me, until her dying day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Falling Out With Kellie Williams<\/h3>\n
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Growing Up Urkel<\/em> highlighted White\u2019s bond with Williams, who played Laura a.k.a the object of Steve\u2019s affection and his eventual wife on the show. The pair briefly had a falling out while filming season 5, which got so bad they \u201cstopped speaking altogether.\u201d White revealed that despite having feelings for each other, a misunderstanding \u201ccaused permanent discord\u201d between the costars.<\/a><\/p>\n

After going out of their way to avoid eye contact while filming, White and Williams reconciled during a scene break. White cited that experience as the reason he \u201cvowed never again to catch feelings for an actress\u201d he was working with on a project.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven the time that we had on the set and we were not getting along so great, I was doing two things in describing that. I was showing some adolescent immaturity and some reality about getting along with your costars,\u201d White explained to Us about that passage in his book. \u201cBut at the same time, I was also teaching you a trick because we\u2019re not the only actors who\u2019ve done that. Some pretty famous shows have had actors who have looked to the side of each other\u2019s head and didn\u2019t even look at each other. And you can\u2019t tell at home.\u201d<\/p>\n

White wanted to provide some interesting behind-the-scenes insight for readers, adding, \u201cThere was a part of me that wanted to give you a peek behind the curtain of television production nuances, the schedules, the demands, the things that feel unfair and the things that feel fair. Then there was a part of me that also just wanted to write something coming of age and gave you all the feels of the \u201990s.\u201d<\/p>\n

His Friendship With Darius McCreary and Kellie Williams Now<\/h3>\n
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White\u2019s costar and offscreen friend McCreary, who played Eddie, made appearances throughout different parts of the book. The author told Us<\/em> that although \u201cnobody got a chance to read\u201d the book before it was published, he did reach out to certain costars ahead of time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely had extensive dialogue with Kellie Williams and Darius McCreary. The general public is always going to see Steve, Carl and Laura as the triumvirate. For me, I\u2019m always going to see me, Kellie and Darius as the triumvirate that was our childhood,\u201d White shared with Us<\/em>. \u201cWe were very much linked to each other in adolescence and in our puberty years. So I don\u2019t really need to talk to anybody beyond those two and Bryton McClure.\u201d<\/p>\n

White included stories about Williams leaving Hollywood in the book<\/a>. \u201cSitting at my computer writing [that chapter], I had to call her and I had to talk to her,\u201d White told Us<\/em>. \u201cAnd we actually do keep in touch. She lives in Maryland, but she\u2019s made a very noticeable decision to depart from the business on a regular basis. That\u2019s very important to say. Not entirely, but just on a regular basis. And I wanted to be respectful of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reassessing His Past Experiences With Jo Marie Payton<\/h3>\n
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As Family Matters fans<\/em> know, Payton, who played Harriette, was replaced with Judyann Elder<\/strong> for the remainder of the show\u2019s final season after an alleged near altercation<\/a> with White. The actress has since publicly spoken about how she had no ill feelings toward White because he was just a child at the time. In the book, White didn\u2019t address the feud head-on, but wrote about his costars hinting he was \u201cdifficult\u201d in press interviews.<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I difficult to work with? I wondered for the first time. They\u2019ve said publicly that I was spoiled. But was I really?\u201d he wrote. \u201cI think we were all affected by certain privileges and autonomies so I try to refrain from revisionist history or being the pot to call the kettle black.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the book, White alleged that Payton would often be late<\/a> for table readings. There was a specific time when Payton allegedly told her costars she was tardy because her rearview mirror fell off her car so she drove back home to get her other Mercedes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever I hear in interviews, thirty years after the fact, the different ways in which I might have been a difficult costar, it\u2019s safe to say I never held up any table readings because I had to go back home and get my other Mercedes,\u201d White quipped in his memoir.<\/p>\n

His Feud With Jaimee Foxworth<\/h3>\n
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Another tense relationship on the set of Family Matters<\/em> was between White and Jaimee Foxworth<\/strong>, who played Judy before the character was retconned from the show.<\/p>\n

In the book, White claimed that Foxworth\u2019s mother \u2014 and some of the other parents \u2014 weren\u2019t happy that he was receiving so much screen time. In response, there were alleged attempts to exclude White from activities with the original three children from the show such as the communal classroom.<\/p>\n

White speculated that Foxworth\u2019s mother felt he was taking lines of dialogue away from her<\/a> daughter, which he heavily disagreed with.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Jaime were as funny in the role of Judy Winslow as she was in our studio classroom, she would have never left the show. It has always amazed me how certain actors\u2019 natural timing and humor will simply disappear the moment a director yells \u2018Action!\u2019 And that was Jaimee Foxworth,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe Judy Winslow character appeared in 95 episodes out of a total 215. In four seasons on the show, until 1993, Judy Winslow was never given a single storyline.\u201d<\/p>\n

White wrote that Foxworth\u2019s poor grades eventually led to her being fired from the show<\/a> because the studio teacher wouldn\u2019t risk his license if she failed every subject. (He also claimed that her mother did not prioritize her education.) He continued by speculating that Foxworth would agree that \u201cseeds of her distaste for me were planted\u201d by adults around them at the time.
According to White, he later crossed paths with Foxworth at his 30th birthday party. He expressed regret at not reaching out later to address their past issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a person who believes in closure and healing in the proper setting and when it\u2019s mutually beneficial. But her presence at my party that night felt like a photo op I managed to dodge, and I wanted no part,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf Jaime ever wanted to share her story with me, or exchange certain apologies, I\u2019d be down to listen sincerely. But not as a reunion on anyone\u2019s podcast for a fast buck or viral moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

That Infamous Interview About Playing Steve<\/h3>\n
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White was asked in a 1995 interview about what the end of Family Matters<\/em> meant for Steve. He infamously replied, \u201c\u2018If you ever see me do that character again, take me out and put a bullet in my head and put me out of my misery.’\u201d He admitted in his memoir that he felt disillusioned by the role at that point but regretted seeming \u201cungrateful\u201d to the show and character that helped him rise to stardom.<\/p>\n

Saying Goodbye to the Show<\/h3>\n

In a passage from Growing Up Urkel<\/em>, White revealed that the cast \u201cdid not celebrate\u201d or \u201chead out for a night on the town\u201d after filming the series finale of Family Matters<\/em>, adding, \u201cI don\u2019t recall we did much after that tearful final curtain all beyond lingering to take it all in as the crew members would strike the set for the last time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>TV Reboots and Revivals: A Full Guide to What\u2018s Coming<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tIt looks like you can go home again! Over the past few years, television has been overtaken by returning shows long (and not-so-long) after cancellation. From sitcoms and game shows to dramas and cartoons, the list of TV reboots and revivals is a long one. While some series, including Frasier and True Blood have only [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A \u2018Family Matters\u2019 Reboot<\/h3>\n
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The memoir started out with White\u2019s revelation that there were plans in 2016 to do a Family Matters<\/em> reboot. He turned it down because the script didn\u2019t reflect how much time had passed since the original sitcom was on the air. White also wanted to be involved behind the scenes with the voice of the show, which wasn\u2019t well-received internally<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to White, the planned reboot followed Steve and Laura still married and with a kid named Steve Urkel Jr. The plan was to have Carl and Harriette \u201cstop by from time to time\u201d but the series would largely hinge around Steve, Laura and their son.<\/p>\n

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