Jaleel White is tackling the comments made by his "Family Matters" co-stars regarding his reportedly "difficult" demeanor on the set of the beloved 90s sitcom. The actor, famously portraying the quirky neighbor Steve Urkel, recently joined Andy Cohen on his SiriusXM show, "Andy Cohen Live," to delve into his newly released memoir titled "Growing Up Urkel." Cohen inquired about White's off-camera dynamics with his "Family Matters" colleagues, particularly Jo Marie Payton and Reginald VelJohnson, whom Cohen noted had publicly discussed the hurdles of collaborating with White during the 90s.
"They, at a certain juncture, openly stated that working with you wasn't a breeze," Cohen remarked. "Did that come as a shock to you?"
"They're both well over 70 now, and since I was 12, I've been advised not to cross swords with my elders," White, now 47, replied with a touch of humor. "With Jo Marie, it often feels like it hinges on which day you caught her or the interviewer did. I've explored this in my book."
"When you say 'difficult,' I'll readily admit," White continued, "that as a 13-year-old, whenever I was summoned to the set, I always had my basketball in tow. I'd dribble it everywhere, and to this day, I can still hear the script supervisor, Joyce Webb, exclaiming, 'Oh, here he comes again with that basketball.' It was like a relentless tapping noise, constant and distracting."
Cohen couldn't resist interrupting, "It must have annoyed everyone."
"Absolutely," White conceded. "If that's the extent of my so-called 'difficulty,' then so be it. I stand corrected."
In a 2022 interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Payton acknowledged that White was merely "a child" during "Family Matters"' heyday, placing blame on "some of the adults" on set for indulging the young actor's "wild antics and giving him a license to speak his mind freely, sometimes at the expense of others' feelings."
During a 2023 90s Con panel moderated by Breanne Heldman from PEOPLE, both Payton and VelJohnson struck a notably more conciliatory tone. Payton, now 74, reminisced, "Yes, occasionally heads butt and misunderstandings arise. But my affection for him remains steadfast. He has always been like a child to me, and regardless of his age, he will forever be that youngster in my heart. To me, he is and will always be that innocent baby, and I hold no grudges, for my heart is wired to let bygones be bygones."
VelJohnson, 72, reflected on White's entry into the series midway through its inaugural season. "He had quite a bit to navigate," VelJohnson shared. "We had already forged a bond as a family, and he needed to integrate seamlessly into our group. But we cherish him deeply. His absence is felt, but he holds a special place in our hearts."
On Cohen's show, White delved into why he believed relocating the show from ABC to CBS for its ninth and final season was a misstep. "Frankly, it was time for the show to wrap up," he admitted. "Around the seventh season, we had already 'jumped the shark,' but the financial incentives were far greater than what we had earned during the first few seasons."
He continued, "I possess the ability to view the show objectively, both as a viewer and as a performer. We should have concluded our journey after the seventh season." White also reiterated his stance against a Family Matters reboot, drawing parallels with another TGIF staple, Full House, and its Netflix sequel, Fuller House.
"I cherish the TGIF legacy, but I'm acutely aware that TGIF was a ship that was gradually sinking," he elaborated. "The kind of shows they produced then isn't feasible now. Fuller House pulled it off because they have a syrupy, vanilla charm—somewhat Hallmark-esque, if you will—that benefits Candace [Cameron Bure], and that's wonderful. But I didn't think we could replicate that same brand of humor."
White revealed that talks of a potential reboot progressed to the point where he was presented with an unfavorable contract. "It wasn't a direct reboot offer," he told Cohen. "It was a blind contract without a script, offering half the pay I had when I left the show. I was left asking, 'Wait, what do you mean?' No meeting with producers, no script to review, just 'We'll pay you this.' If it's just about cashing in, I'm not interested."
He added, "If I were to embark on anything associated with Family Matters, it would be to elevate the legacy and propel the careers of the younger cast members."
