Jaleel White Says “Family Matters” Execs Made Him Adjust Urkel Costume Due to Visible Bulge

The actor played Winslow family neighbor Steve Urkel in the beloved ABC sitcom between 1989 and 1998

Jaleel White is getting candid about his days on Family Matters.

In his upcoming memoir Growing Up Urkel, the now 47-year-old actor, who was a teen when he rose to fame on the beloved sitcom playing Winslow family neighbor Steve Urkel, opens up about his experience growing up in front of the camera.

In an excerpt from the book, first published by The Sun, White details the physical and mental changes he experienced while on the 1989 to 1998 series and how he claims show executives also adjusted to them.

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

"Let’s get rid of the suspenders. Lower his pants, too. Oh, and... it’s getting a bit uncomfortable watching him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh... bulge...," White claims he was told.

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" by the time he was in college.

Related: Jaleel White Explains Why Family Matters Will Never Get a Revival, Says It 'Belongs Only in the '90s'

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

"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 said about his character's speaking tone.

While he said his vocal issues 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 executives.

"It was kind of a scary thing for me to go through," he said.

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Growing Up Urkel will be available on bookshelves on Tuesday, Nov. 19, from Simon & Schuster. It is also available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.