Jaleel White Is Against A ‘Family Matters’ Reboot: Here’s Why

Jaleel White has revealed the reason he remains against a reboot of the hit sitcom Family Matters. 

As the actor is on a press tour for his forthcoming memoir, Growing Up Urkel, he is opening up about his decision to decline interest in rebooting the ABC show, despite producers encouraging him that it would be a great look, Complex reported.

“Somewhere around 2013, 2014, I was approached by one of our former producers that Netflix had interest in doing a reboot of Family Matters on the heels of Fuller House having done so well,” he said. “And that didn’t make any sense to me.”

Family Matters ran on ABC from 1989 to 1997 was popular due to beloved characters like Steve Urkel, who White portrayed in the show. 

While he was a standout cast member alongside actors like Jo Marie Payton, Reginald VelJohnson, Darius McCray, Kellie Shanygne Williams, and a host of others, White says that initially it was “never intended” for him to be the star of the show. 

For him, following the model of the reboot for Full House simply would not work for Family Matters and despite his ideas for a better storyline, he says his ideas were shut down by the former executive producers who approached him with the idea of bringing the show back.

“I didn’t feel that it was right for us to have to copy what Full House had done to fit inside someone’s business model to capture the magic that made our show make sense,” White explained. “What I imagine for any reboot effort would be inspired by what really happened. How Family Matters came to pass is actually a greater story than what was made up inside the show.”

What was the story that White thought would be best to tell?

The Steve Urkel character is what put White on the map, so his idea of a reboot included the steps that it took to get him there. Specifically, he was hoping to highlight the nine years that he managed to pour into his role while also “growing up on a studio lot and in public school at the same time.”

“That, to me, was the greater story that needed to be told for today,” said White.

This isn’t the first time that White says the idea to do a Family Matters reboot was completely off of the table, using his voice deepening with age and the fact that Steve Urkel being married to Laura was not the most interesting plot.

“If Michelle had been here, I might have given it the old college try to create the triangle of Michelle and Kellie, but without that, I just don’t want to do it as a straight Fuller House reboot, it wouldn’t work, he explained during ’90s Con 2024 in September. 

He also said that Urkel’s iconic nasally tone actually did more harm to him over the years than good.

“I spoke to a doctor,” White recalled. “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. It’s been in remission and I’m fine now.”

When does Growing Up Steve Urkel come out?

White’s memoir, Growing Up Urkel is published by Simon & Schuster and releases on Nov. 19.