No matter what Jaleel White does in his career, he’ll forever be linked to the iconic role of Steve Urkel. This has proven a double-edged sword much like other successful child stars, especially during the TGIF era of the 1980s and 1990s. The Family Matters star opens up about what the 48-year-old faced in his “Growing Up Urkel” memoir. White has largely been able to avoid the pitfalls of early celebrity and continue to evolve in Hollywood. These days White pulls from his past experiences on television as host of the Flip Side.
The game show, which returned for Season 2, became a hit in syndication right out of the gate. Each episode sees two teams attempt to choose the top answer out of two different groups who were surveyed about a given topic. The top scoring duo moves on to the final round for a shot at $10,000.
Here White opens up about how he is embracing nostalgia while moving forward.
Your book came out last year. What kind of impact do you think it has had having your story out there with what you went through as a ‘90s child star?
Jaleel White: I feel the impact is still being felt. I’m getting a lot of feedback from my audio book. I’m particularly proud of that because I read the book myself. The thing I know about myself is that I’m a walking nostalgia bomb for people. The more I embrace that, the more joy I bring to my own life. So, I’m here to do it.
Jaleel White
Castle/ABC
Looking outside of Family Matters, you’ve worked on so many projects. Was there one role, either one episode spot or recurring, you wish you’d been able to do more of?
Wow, that’s such a great question. I tip my hat to you. I’m a game show host, so it’s my job to come up with good questions for contestants. So, I appreciate it when someone asks me a heavy question. I think the show I wish I could have been on longer as a recurring character or regular was Boston Legal. I did it for one episode. I talk about it in my book where something happened on set. The environment I really enjoyed. They dabble in comedy. Castle was another show I wish I would have been on more. Both shows dabble in comedy, but the exercise in acting was there. You really got the chance to square off with some real veterans. I know the scene I was in at a time William Shatner was in, Candice Bergen was in. You have to find that chapter in my book. As much as I talk about this one incident on set, it didn’t offend me nearly as much as it fired me up and did even more scenes with these guys.
We’re in a real boom period for nostalgia where conventions are so big. How are those interactions?
I get some really amazing lines when I occasionally step out to a comic con. I even did a minor league baseball team for the Yankees. Even that was fantastic. It’s good come face-to-face with your fans. I just think it’s healthy. It allows you to see how you are affecting people. I talk about it in my book and stand by it. When it comes to celebrity, it’s really always been about how you make the fan feel about themselves. That’s the secret sauce to celebrity. People tend to relate to who they want to identify with. An old movie executive at Warner Brothers schooled me that celebrity breaks down into two categories, you are either someone a fan wants to sleep with or grab a beer with. I think I’m in more of the beer category. I think for me it’s more beer than sleep, even though I may get both [laughs].
When you think about it and put celebrities in categories, you look at a Will Ferrell and want to grab a beer with that guy and tailgate with him. Then you have Angelina Jolie, wow. You might think about what it would be like to have dinner with her. That’s really the way it breaks down. It’s changing because of all the different mediums now with social media and YouTube. That construct is the same as people see a lot of themselves. Any black guy who has glasses, he starts to tell me the story. I’m like, “I already know. In middle school they called you Urkel.’ They respond back with, “how did you know?” The archetypes of that character represented any black man of a millennial age or Gen X stand out. That was low hanging fruit to call you that character.
Jaleel White as Steve Urkel in Family Matters
Jaleel White as Steve Urkel in Family Matters (ABC)
Is there talk about adapting your book? I think about BH9021, which was kind of a meta version.
You’re asking some pretty smart questions. Yeah, I wrote the book because it needed to be established as an intellectual property so we could make the show and make a show that I feel should be meta. A show about this magical period in the 1990s where television brought us closer together with people from all walks of life. We’re not going to see that again. I just think a family show with a little bit of edge set in the 1990s would be something special and might have a chance of actually bringing people together to watch a program. I think I could trick my daughter with this type of storytelling into watching that show. That would be a hell of a feat because she is 16 and all she cares about now is Love Island.
You also have your new podcast “Everybody Lurks” where you spoke to Danielle Fishel recently. As someone who was on Dancing With the Stars, what are your thoughts on her joining the show?
Yeah! My girl, I love to see her on Dancing with the Stars. First of all, I didn’t know Danielle until a couple of years ago where we ran into each other at a comic con. She asked me to be on her podcast, and I did it. We had such a good time. I asked her to be on mine, and she popped over. She and I, it’s weird because we laugh at each other because we know so many of the same people. We have had such similar experiences, but we really didn’t know each other from that time period. We’re not separated much in age. So, getting to know her lately has been fantastic. I think she is going to crush it on the show. She is brilliant. I really do mean that. She is a director, actress and has awesome comic timing. It’s fun to see someone whose talents are underrated and get back into the spotlight. I think by the end of the year, we’re going to hear a lot more about Danielle Fishel. I couldn’t be happier for her.
Flip Side, Weekdays, Syndication (Check Local Listings)
Flip Side, Weekdays, 5/4c, Game Show Network
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