Jaleel White Reveals The 1 Thing That 'Irked' Him About Steve Urkel

Jaleel White, an actor known for his role as Steve Urkel on “Family Matters,” said most people couldn’t guess how he’d describe growing up playing an iconic TV character.

His “eclectic journey” to adulthood, as he called it, is at the core of his upcoming memoir, which arrives over 40 years since his beginnings in Hollywood.

White emphasized that he wants his new book — “Growing Up Urkel” — to both inspire and appeal to “thinkers.”

“Because the thing that’s always kind of irked me about Urkel is the idea that show and that character were somehow created with less thought,” White told HuffPost.

“When you’re making TV, it’s the greatest team effort in entertainment there is. There’s people that you won’t meet, participating in the imagery of your show, and I play my part in it. I’m the one that lives with the imagery. So I wanted to let people know how aware I was of certain moments.”

White, whose memoir is set for release Nov. 19, understands that he’s a familiar face, and he looks to use this to his advantage while adding another chapter to his decades-long career as he hosts a new game show, “Flip Side.”

The show sees two teams battling head-to-head to guess how different groups of people responded to the same question, with a final round that offers players a chance to take home $10,000.

White revealed that he’s inspired by “legacy” late night personalities, such as former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, who used their on-screen familiarity to calm guests’ preshow jitters.

“He’d always come visit his guests when he was tying his tie. That was always his routine,” said White, adding that he “respected” the move as a kid.

“It settled you down, it ingratiated you with his everyman before you sat out on the couch. I extend