Why Jaleel White Says ‘Family Matters’ Execs Made Him Adjust Urkel Costume

Jaleel White gets candid about his days Family Matters.

In his forthcoming memoir Growing up Urkelthe now 47-year-old actor, who rose to fame as a teenager on the beloved sitcom playing Winslow family neighbor Steve Urkel, opens up about his experience growing up in front of the camera.

In an extract from the book, first published by The sunWhite describes the physical and mental changes he experienced in the series from 1989 to 1998, and how he claims managers adapted to them as well.

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While his character, who wore glasses and braces, spoke in a nasal voice and was known for his catchphrase, “Did I do it?” White says executives told him in the eighth season that they didn’t want certain things to be part of his character anymore.

“Let’s get rid of braces. Lower his pants too. Oh, and… it’s going to be a little uncomfortable to see him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh… bulge…,” White claims he got to know.

Speaking about how he had grown out of his character, he said he felt like he was “peeling” himself out of his pants “like a banana” when he was in college.

While speaking at 90s Con 2024 in Daytona Beach, Fla., on Sept. 15, White revealed that playing the TV character also affected his voice.

“I talked to a doctor and what happened is that during puberty I was talking at the same pitch for long periods of time. If the pitch had gone all the way over, I wouldn’t have damaged it quite as much,” he said of his the character’s tone of voice.

While he said his voice problems 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 managers.

“It was kind of scary for me to go through,” he said.

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Growing up Urkel will be available on bookshelves Tuesday, November 19 at Simon & Schuster. It can also be pre-ordered now wherever books are sold.