The actor was shocked that people were so &34;in love&34; with the character. Why Family Matters star Jaleel White thought Steve Urkel's alter ego Stefan was 'b

The actor was shocked that people were so "in love" with the character.

Why *Family Matters *star Jaleel White thought Steve Urkel's alter ego Stefan was 'boring'

The actor was shocked that people were so "in love" with the character.

By Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino

Daysia Tolentino is a writer at *. *She has written for * *since 2025. Her work has appeared in NBC News, Vulture, GQ, and InStyle.

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September 28, 2025 4:00 p.m. ET

Jaleel White as Steve Urkel on 'Family Matters'. Credit:

ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty

Did I *have to* do that?

That's what Jaleel White thought when he played the cool alter ego of his *Family Matters* character Steve Urkel.

On a recent episode of *You Made It Weird,* hosted by Pete Holmes, the sitcom star shared that he felt his Stefan Urquelle character was "boring." Holmes had asked if Urquelle was the actor's idea to introduce audiences to the "real" him.

"I thought it was a one-note joke and so I was really taken aback when everybody just fell in love with him," White said.

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The *Dancing With the Stars *alum said that he was personally "always comfortable in my skin." He said the Urquelle character was an effective storytelling device to keep viewers watching. White added that he wrote a bit about the alternate personality in his recent memoir *Growing Up Urkel. *

Urquelle was born out of Urkel's desire to woo his longtime crush and neighbor Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams). He previously told ** that he was surprised that people liked the character, which he also called boring at the time.

"It came as such a shock to me that people were so interested in seeing me as me," he said.

Jaleel White as Steve Urkel's alter ego Stefan Urquelle on 'Family Matters'.

Warner Bros. Classics/YouTube

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White wasn't a fan of another Urkel alternate: Myrtle Urkel. He was worried about getting teased at school for the role. Still, the actor eventually put on Myrtle's dresses a few more times on the show.

Listen to the full episode of *You Made It Weird* with Jaleel White below.

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