Jaleel White says Family Matters cast was not welcoming to Urkel at first

Steve Urkel is something of the anti-Fonzi or a cool Screech, depending on your interpretation. The annoying next-door neighbor of the Winslow family for 215 episodes of Family Matters, Jaleel White’s Urkel ruined parties, Christmases, family gatherings, an episode of American Gladiators, a trip to outer space, and his school’s chemistry lab (allegedly). He was also the show’s breakout star, inspiring toys, lunchboxes, and catchphrases like “Did I do that? and “Got any cheese?” (That last one made him the bane of parents of six-year-olds everywhere). But apparently, the Winslows weren’t only sick of Steve on the show; they were tired of him in real life, too.

In a revealing interview with TVOne’s Uncensored, which aired Sunday, Jaleel White says that the adult cast members of Family Matters weren’t too keen on the rise of Urkel. Basically, according to White, Jo Marie Payton, Reginald VelJohnson, and Telma Hopkins, who played Harriet, Carl, and Rachel, respectively, all thought they were the show’s stars. Payton, who appeared as the character Harriet on Perfect Strangers, the show Family Matters spun-off from, understandingly assumed that she was the star, considering, again, her character was the basis for everything. As did, VelJohnson, hot off his role in Die Hard. Meanwhile, White theorizes that the studio told Hopkins that she was “technically the biggest star” in the cast because of her long and successful career. So when White came in with his flashy glasses, nasally tones, and just an ungodly amount of swagger, they weren’t happy.