Jaleel White Explains His Controversial Comments About “Family Matters” And “Hood” Shows

You probably know Jaleel White best as the actor for Steve Urkel in the classic television show Family Matters, but he believes there’s a certain dynamic to that appraisal that doesn’t get talked about enough. Moreover, while promoting his memoir Growing Up Urkel at the Wilmington Public Library in Delaware, he spoke on how he feels that the Black community undervalues the show because it wasn’t “hood” like Martin, Living Single, and other examples. This prompted a lot of controversy and backlash, as debates ensued over this overly dismissive notion. The actor recently clarified his comments on the Higher Learning podcast, explaining where he thinks he went wrong and what he would’ve done differently.

“I want to say, I misspoke, but I could’ve worded things better if I had known I was speaking on a world stage and not just a small room in Delaware,” Jaleel White remarked about his Family Matters take. “I shouldn’t have invoked the word ‘hood.’ When you say the word ‘hood,’ it makes certain people feel like you’re demeaning them. And that’s not what I meant at all. I conflated a couple of ideas. There’s a lot of good in the hood, and I shouldn’t have generalized. Those are the two mistakes I made in that.”

However, this wasn’t the only hot topic that Jaleel White engaged with in 2024. The 48-year-old claimed in his memoir that Bianca Lawson clout-chased him when they went on a couple of dates back in the days of his prime TV stardom. Clearly, he has a lot of reflections and realizations when it comes to his time in the spotlight. Despite backlash and criticism for comments like these, the years since these events have made them clearer for White, even if it’s an imperfect perspective in many’s eyes.

Furthermore, this recent controversy adds to some other alleged rifts in the Family Matters cast, such as Jo Marie Payton claiming that Jaleel White wanted to fight her. Nevertheless, folks all over continue to hold the show in high regard and with rose-tinted glasses. It’s a classic, and nothing can take that status away.