Jaleel White reveals the thing that ‘bothered’ him about Steve Urkel

Jaleel Whitean actor known for his role as Steve Urkel in “Family Matters,” he said most people couldn’t guess how he would describe his childhood playing an iconic television character.

His “eclectic journey” into adulthood, as he called it, is the core of his upcoming memoir, which comes more than 40 years after his start in Hollywood.

White stressed that he wants his new book, “Growing Up Urkel,” to inspire and engage “thinkers.”

“What has always bothered me about Urkel is the idea that the show and that character were somehow created with less thought,” White told celebrity.land.

“When you do television, it’s the biggest team effort there is in entertainment. There are people you don’t know who are involved in the images of your show, and I have my part in that. I’m the one who lives with the images. So I wanted people to know how conscious I was of certain moments.”

White, whose memoirs will be published on November 19, understands that he is a familiar face and looks to use this to his advantage as he adds another chapter to his decades-long career by introducing a new game show“The other side”.

In the show, two teams face off to guess how different groups of people answered the same question, with a final round offering players the chance to take home $10,000.

White revealed that he is inspired by “traditional” late-night personalities, such as former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who used his on-screen familiarity to calm guests’ nerves before the show.

“He would always come to visit his guests while he was tying his tie. That was always his routine,” White said, adding that he “respected” that custom as a child.

“He would put you at ease, ingratiate you with his everyman before you sat down on the couch. I extend that same courtesy and I can see some of the anxiety disappear. And overall, it’s a really great nostalgic relationship I have with them.”

As White prepares to reel viewers in on “Flip Side,” she’s also preparing to detail some “pretty intimate moments” in her upcoming memoir.

White said he’s nervous about the book’s release and hated the first draft, but after several rounds of editing, he’s ready to talk about his “emotional” journey from his years as an iconic child actor to becoming an adult.

He noted that his parents, Michael and Gail White, “never really got the credit they deserved.”

“They were lucky in a lot of ways, but they always acted with the best intentions for me, which sets them apart from a lot of other parents who don’t necessarily put their kids into the business with the best intentions for them,” White said, adding that his mother wanted to save money to send him to college.

“I have to give her credit for the mistakes she made. She made everything she could imagine for me a reality.”

Today, White said he is immersed in the “joy” that is at the heart of his new show and sees his career as helping people feel better about themselves.

“I can give away money, I can give away laughs and relatable moments to people from all walks of life,” White said of “Flip Side.”

“And I think we need that now more than ever.”

“Flip Side” premieres in national syndication Monday, with additional streams beginning September 16 on Game Show Network.