Jaleel White SaysFamily MattersExecs Made Him Adjust Urkel Costume Due to Visible Bulge
Mar. 15, 2025(L-R) Jaleel White on ‘Family Matter,’ Jaleel White at Cool Comedy Hot Cuisine Benefitting The Scleroderma Research Foundation at Fairmont Century Plaza on October 29, 2024.Photo:ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)/jaleel-white-111824-1f9acd1a8c83441c9285bb45223031bd.jpg)
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
Jaleel Whiteis getting candid about his days onFamily Matters.
In his upcoming memoirGrowing Up Urkel, the now 47-year-old actor, who was a teen when he rose to fame on the beloved sitcom playing Winslow family neighbor Steve Urkel, opens up about his experience growing up in front of the camera.
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Jaleel White and Reginald VelJohnson in ‘Family Matters’.ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(525x0:527x2):format(webp)/jaleel-white-Reginald-VelJohnson-family-matters-111824-8dd2457cb6884b0eae2300f61c9c07c4.jpg)
ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty
“Let’s get rid of the suspenders. Lower his pants, too. Oh, and… it’s getting a bit uncomfortable watching him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh… bulge…,” White claims he was told.
‘Growing Up Urkel’ cover.Simon & Schuster
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(599x0:601x2):format(webp)/jaleel-white-growing-up-urkel-111324-1-88136aa2caf14143a576b143ba8394ed.jpg)
Simon & Schuster
While speaking at 90s Con 2024 in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Sept. 15,White revealed that playing the television character also affected his voice.
“I spoke to a doctor and what happened is during puberty I spoke at the same pitch for extended periods of time. If the pitch had been going all over the place I wouldn’t have damaged it quite as much,” he said about his character’s speaking tone.
Jaleel White at SiriusXM Studios in New York City on September 10, 2024.Santiago Felipe/Getty
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(539x0:541x2):format(webp)/jaleel-white-02-111824-1ace8e27450f4810bdec552673cd7a0a.jpg)
Santiago Felipe/Getty
While he said his vocal issues are “in remission” and he’s “fine now,” he recalled being a teenager and feeling like he was “really losing” his voice after “constantly” getting notes from executives.
“It was kind of a scary thing for me to go through,” he said.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Growing Up Urkelwill be available on bookshelves on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from Simon & Schuster. It is also available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.
source: people.com
Other Posts
