Jaleel White who famously played the role of Steve Urkel recently shared why he declined a Family Matters reboot. Netflix approached White in 2013 or 2014, hoping to revive the show in a similar style to Fuller House, but White felt it wouldn’t capture the original show’s unique spirit.
“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 said.
In a video promoting his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, he explained that a reboot should reflect the real story behind Family Matters, not just follow the previous show’s model.
White, who wasn’t originally intended to be the star, grew into the role over nine years, balancing his life on set and in school. He felt this personal journey would be a better reboot focus.
He also mentioned that revisiting the character’s high-pitched, nasally tone would be hard on his voice, which was strained during his teenage years, leading to lasting vocal issues. Now, he’s content with sharing his story through his memoir rather than reviving the character.
