Family Matters star Jaleel White revealed chilling things about his time filming the beloved 90s sitcom.
The actor, who played the role of Steve Urkel from 1989 to 1998, revealed in his memoir, “Growing Up Urkel“, that he was told to wear looser jeans to hide his “bulge” when he was older, according to the US Sun.
White recalled that the show’s executives told him to ditch his trademark suspenders and tight-fitting high-waisted jeans after season 8, when he began to outgrow his geek character’s outfit in his 20s.
White thought about quitting comedy many times
White considered quitting comedy on several occasions. For one thing, playing Urkel became a painful process for the actor. He was literally getting too old to be able to carry the character’s trademark traits. Producers began telling the star to wear looser jeans to hide his “bulge.”
He was told to get rid of the braces and high-waisted jeans after season 8. “Let’s get rid of the braces. Lower his pants too,”White said. “Oh, and… it’s getting a little uncomfortable to watch him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh… bulge.”
Meanwhile, White previously said that other cast members did not welcome him with open arms when he joined the show.
“I didn’t see how I was trampling on anyone, I was taking the shine off anyone. It’s very important that I say this: I was not very well received in the cast, okay?”, White said. “And I don’t need to go over that with the adults over and over again. They know what it is.”
However, he quickly began to form a bond with the cast as things changed.