Yikes! Jaleel White Reveals What Playing Steve Urkel For 10 Years Did To His Voice

“Did I do that?” It’s arguably Steve Urkel’s most famous line in the hit series ‘Family Matters.’ Now, Jaleel White is revealing what playing the nerdy neighbor role for nearly 10 years did to his real-life voice!

RELATED: Jaleel White Reprises His Role As Steve Urkel For ‘Scooby-Doo And Guess Who?’

Jaleel White Said THIS About His Steve Urkel Days

Jaleel spoke at 90s Con 2024 on Sunday (Dec. 1), which was held in Daytona Beach, Florida this year. During the event, White said he had to alter his voice on the TV series for that high-pitched, congested sound. He starred on the show from 1989 to 1998. Ultimately, he damaged his voice, per Complex. White learned the extent after speaking to a doctor.

“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,” Jaleel White said.

At one point, Jaleel said he thought he would fully lose his voice. The TV network really shook White when they repeatedly sent notes about his voice projection.

“I would constantly get network notes like, ‘We can’t hear him. Please be more clear.’ It was kind of a scary thing for me to go through,” he reportedly said.

Will ‘Family Matters’ Get A Reboot?

Speaking of his ‘Family Matters’ days, the actor recently released a new memoir, ‘Growing Up Urkel.’ As you can probably guess, the book centers on how the role amped up his status in acting but also defined his perception in Hollywood and to fans.

According to Rolling Stone, Jaleel White was booked to star in a single episode of ‘Family Matters.’ However, his character was a W with the viewers, and he was added to the 13th episode. By the second season, production had added him to the main cast, and the rest is history.

As for a ‘Family Matters’ reboot in his future, Jaleel says he’s down for it. However, he wants more than the ‘Fuller House’ formula, which shows the original cast grown with kids of their own. White also wants to be paid more than the $80,000 he was already offered for the basic plot.

“What? So I don’t get to have any say in what’s going to be written, you’re going to cut my old salary in half, I’m going do fewer episodes, and there’s going to be no pitching at all because you’ve already set up that it’s me, Laura, and a kid,” Jaleel told Rolling Stone in November.

Earlier this year, the actor began a new chapter in his life off the screen when he married tech executive Nicoletta Ruhl.