Jaleel White opens up about his time playing the iconic role of Steve Urkel in the hit show “Family Matters.”
While speaking at 90s Con 2024, the actor said that playing that role left his voice damaged for years. He said, “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 went on to inform the audience that his voice has since recovered. “It’s been in remission and I’m fine now, but I felt like I was really losing it. I would constantly get network notes like, ‘We can’t hear him. Please be more clear.’ It was kind of a scary thing for me to go through.”
White played the infamous role of Steve Urkel from 1989 to 1998 and shared that he has no regrets. “I wouldn’t do anything differently. It was a great experience and it was a small sacrifice to make for one hell of a legacy.”
The actor has previously spoken about other issues he had encountered during his time on the show. During the 2021 episode of TV One’s Uncensored, White revealed that he was initially not welcomed by the cast when his character began to gain notoriety. “It was supposed to only be a guest spot, one and done.”
Jaleel White said that he was caught off by his character’s popularity and it made his experience on the show more difficult.