Jaleel White Says Playing Steve Urkel Left His Voice Damaged For Years

Jaleel White attended the ‘90s Con event at Dayton Beach, Florida, where fans were gathered to interact with and learn from their favorite acts from back then. Jaleel was one of the famous youngsters of his time, appearing as the annoying and awkward Steve Urkel in Family Matters.

Steve was known for his distinct high-pitched voice, such that one could tell it was him even before seeing him. Although it was fun to hear Jaleel fake his voice for the role, it nearly cost him his real voice and some years of voice coaching.

Jaleel White did not mind sacrificing his voice for Steve Urkel

In retrospect, Jaleel confessed to feeling no regrets about his voice issues because he gave him a lasting legacy. He expressed his gratitude to physicians, medical officers, and his voice coach for helping him live normally again because communicating with people grew worse.

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Jaleel admitted to feeling sidelined by the group, however, co-stars Jo Marie Payton, Reginald VelJohnson and Kellie Shanygne Williams said the rest of them already had a bond, so it was hard bringing someone new in. The 47-year-old teased his upcoming book Growing Up Urkel, where he documents further details about his life and career.

Beyond being Steve Urkel

Jaleel played Urkel until 1998 and reprised his role in the 2019 series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? He immediately joined the UPN series Grown Ups, which lasted only a season before taking a break from acting. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in film and television and eased back into the industry with a few supporting roles and cameos.

Aside from acting, Jaleel is also a business owner with his line of halal cannabis products called the Purple Urkle strain. He recently got married to sports technology business executive Nicoletta Ruhl after a child from a previous relationship.