Jaleel White Reveals Reason for Thumbs Down on ‘Family Matters’ Reboot | WATCH

Jaleel White Not Down for A ‘Family Matters’ Reboot
Jaleel White / Twitter

*For many people, “Family Matters” holds a special place in their hearts. For Jaleel White, the classic sitcom, particularly his role as Steve Urkel, was a moment in time best left without a reboot.

Citing a promotional video for White’s memoir “ Growing Up Urkel,” Vibe reports that plans for “Family Matters” reboot in the works by Netflix. According to White, the reboot of his ’90s show, which the streamer pitched to him in 2013 or 2014, would be in the same vein as its hit “Full House” reboot “Fuller House. “

“It didn’t make any sense to me,” he said in the video, explaining that a “Family Matters” reboot modeled after “Fuller House” felt forced. “I didn’t feel that it was right for us to copy what Full House had done to fit inside someone’s business model to capture the magic that made our show make sense.”

Instead of rebooting, White mentioned another choice for him and fans to revisit “Family Matters”: a real story “inspired by what really happened,” behind the scenes of his time of his time on the series.

“How Family Matters came to pass is actually a greater story than what was made up inside the show,” he voiced. “Family Matters was never intended for me to be the star, and growing up on a studio lot while attending public school—that’s a story that would resonate today.”

YouTube video

Despite the potential White felt his vision had, the notion didn’t fly with a former “Family Matters” producer, who didn’t hold back in bluntly telling him there was no interest in his “memoirs.”

“Here we are, 12 years later. And I think there might be some people who would want to hear those stories,” the actor countered while highlighting the public’s love of learning more about “Family Matters beyond what is already known about the “TGIF” fixture and its cast during the height of its success.

Reinforcing White’s argument, Vibe noted his recent appearance during ‘90s Con 2024.

During the event, White touched on other reasons behind his hesitation to be a part of a “Family Matters” reboot. Among the reasons was his voice, which deepened with age in addition to the effect that doing Uke’s nasally tone would have on him.

Jaleel White as Steve Urkel (L) and himself (R) - via Getty
Jaleel White as Steve Urkel (L) and himself (R) – via Getty

Doing the high-pitched Urkel voice over the years took its toll on White, who confessed that it strained his voice during his teen years, and on into adulthood. Add in the challenge of recreating the love triangle between Urkel, Myra Monkhouse (Michelle Thomas), and Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams) and it would be a thumbs down overall for White to bring that “magic” back for new and old “Family Matters” fans.

“Without Michelle, I just don’t want to do it as a straight ‘Fuller House’ reboot; it wouldn’t work,” he admitted about pursuing the reboot without Thomas, who died in 1998 from a desmoplastic tumor after being diagnosed with a rare cancer.

MORE NEWS FROM EURWEB: Jaleel White Reveals Voice Damage from Steve Urkel Role on ‘Family Matters’ | WATCH Funny Urkel Clips

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