Jaleel white fresh prince

Jaleel White thinks "Family Matters" doesn't it get it's due respect because it wasn't "hood" like "Living Single" or "Martin"? What?! Once upon a time, Family Matters was one of the most popular sitcoms on television, thanks to a thriving cast centered around Jaleel White's unforgettable character, Steve Urkel. From 1989 to 1998, Family Matters was a global phenomenon for nine seasons. While the Perfect Strangers spin-off was initially all about the Winslow family, it didn't take long for Urkel, the nerdy neighbor, to steal the hearts of audiences. Urkel's signature phrase, "Did I do that?" became a moneymaker—as did the Urkel dance, dolls, and other merchandise that helped thrust the cast and Jaleel White into a level of international fame that few have compiled. Since the show wrapped, some have called for a reunion, like many other shows of that time have done. However, there have been rumors of inner strife on set over the years. White's co-star, Jo Marie Payton, who portrayed Harriette Winslow, sat down with Entertainment Tonight two years ago to explain what life was like behind the scenes. She claimed White "didn’t have the etiquette" and further asserted that, allegedly, "he actually wanted to physically fight me." “There was something that he wanted to do and I said we can’t do that, standards and practices will not let that pass. It’s not gonna happen," said Payton. "He wanted to do it anyway. He was so mad, he started kicking and screaming and stuff.” Following her interview, murmurings of diva behavior from White ran rampant. Still, there was a push for the cast to reunite a la The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but it never materialized. Then, in November 2024, White released his memoir Growing Up Urkel. During his press run, the actor garnered backlash suggesting Black viewers didn't give enough respect to Family Matters because it wasn't "hood." What Did He Say About "Hood Shows"?! As celebrated as Family Matters has been for decades, Jaleel White doesn't feel the love. According to him, the sitcom has been left out of "Favorite Black Shows" conversations because Family Matters, a part of ABC's famed "TGIF" Friday line-up, didn't fit a certain stereotype. He visited the Wilmington Library for a chat about his memoir, and while there, he made some controversial statements that gained adverse reactions. “Being a part of the ‘TGIF’ brand sometimes makes you feel like you don’t belong in the pantheon of Blackness," the actor said. "Blackness has been treated as a very monolithic experience in entertainment. ‘If it’s not a hood story, it’s not a Black story.’ And you know, sometimes I feel left out of that.” White added, “If there’s ever a poll, and they say, 'What are your favorite Black shows?' Martin is in there, Living Single… I already know we’re coming in last. But if there’s ever a poll and it’s just your favorite family shows, suddenly we rank really high. So, it’s kind of interesting in how we look at

Sort of sat back sighing and waiting for the inevitable bitterness to emerge...and this is pretty much all I encountered for the remaining pages of the book. Jaleel is also VERY interested in basketball, so if you're not a fan, there are definitely passages along the way you'll probably want to skim, if not skip entirely. Despite opportunities to meet his heroes, travel on luxury planes, and command the 'star treatment,' Jaleel doesn't seem grateful or happy about any of this...just annoyed that he didn't get everything his heart ever desired. He even took the time to bash fellow 90's TV star Alfonso Ribiero (one of the breakout stars from the show Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) for his willingness to 'go along' with the angle producers wanted when Alfonso starred on Dancing With the Stars. You see, Jaleel was on a different season of 'Dancing', but HE refused to go along with the producers 'angle' for him on the show ( oh, and he takes some time to bash how he was trained by professional dancer Kym Johnson as well...wouldn't want to leave that out! 🙄) and therefore he didn't get 'rewarded' with a hosting job down the line. (Ribiero now co-hosts Dancing with the Stars.) Of course, Jaleel leaves out the fact that Alfonso Ribiero was a host FOR YEARS before even starring on Dancing with the Stars...because facts like that make his bitterness seem more like the envy they actually are.And then there's the fact that actually getting

Spirituality but also half a dozen mentions of karma. He’s all over the place religiously and you don’t get the sense he has a firm grasp on anything. Why mention any of that at all?6. It’s super repetitive… almost like he wrote each chapter weeks apart and forgot what he had already said previously.7. The cover art is awkward. The title of the book doesn’t make sense because he spends just as much time AFTER Urkel as he does during Urkel.In his defense, he did a great job of NOT blaming his child stardom for all the problems of his life (like so many other celebrities do). The tone was good… very easy to read. Attitude was good. Worth picking up if you loved Family Matters (or, as some say, “Urkel”).302 reviews81 followersNovember 20, 2024ARC Review ~ I now know why Jaleel White did such an amazing job in his role as Steve Urkel. After reading this book, I’ve come to realize, Jaleel White is Steve Urkle🤣. Like Urkel, Jaleel was totally oblivious to so many situations he found himself in. From Penny Hardaway taking him shopping for more fashionable clothing, to being ignored by women he wanted to date, Jaleel and Urkel have more in common than even Jaleel realize😂🤷🏽‍♀️.‌𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩 𝐔𝐫𝐤𝐥𝐞 is a highly entertaining collection of experiences that reveals the challenges, triumphs, and lessons Jaleel learned while growing up in the spotlight. It superbly captures the complexities Jaleel encountered being tied to the iconic character Steve Urkel.‌Jaleel

Genius. He loved pens like the actual nerdy guy in my class, so, yeah, I was hooked. I usually read a fair amount of celebrity memoirs in the gloomy winter months because they are easy reading, so, when I found out that Jaleel White aka Urkel had penned his memoir, I knew it was a must read. How could I say no to Urkel. Jaleel White notes from the beginning that he is Jaleel or J, not Urkel; yet, many people in my age bracket, that is exactly who he is, the nerdy boy next door. I get that. There are other actors who I only think of in their career defining role, that they do not want to be defined by. For example, Daniel Craig is James Bond yet he’s gone on to act in more dramatic roles throughout his career. Daniel Radcliffe is Harry Potter, but recently he starred as Weird Al Yankovic in a biopic movie. And so on and so forth. Jaleel White started acting as a preschooler because his teacher identified him as a bubbly kid who showed the aptitude for a future in acting. He also read by the age of four so he could read most scripts thrown his way, and at age three acted in a Jell-o pudding commercial with Bill Cosby. His parents, especially his mother Gail, viewed acting and its spoils as a ticket to obtaining a college education.Starting from these preschool years, she dragged Jaleel to one audition after

The Urkel, allowing it to live infinitely in YouTube highlights. Jaleel might be the one person who has not bought into himself as Urkel. He is Jaleel or J and claims that there is more to him than this quirky character, or is there. The few successful acting roles he has landed post Family Matters have been more mature versions of Urkel- the quirky doorman, the cop on Big Fat Liar, other comedy acts on doomed projects. All he desired is to write or act in more dramatic roles so people can see him as Jaleel, not as Urkel, for the rest of his life. I do not read celebrity memoirs for their literary prowess. I make that clear from the beginning because I have yet to find many books in this genre that wow me from a narrative standpoint. I select celebrity memoirs so I can get to know about the person away from the camera, the person behind the persona. Jaleel White seems genuine here. Many readers thus far view him as whiny, jealous, and entitled. I view him as a man trying to shed the nerdy boy next door image so that it does not define him for life. He actually has a daughter close in age to my kids, and he wrote this memoir so that she would learn about his life and how he has worked hard to create a better life for her than the one he had. Yes, Jaleel White had many more