On the age of 12, Jaleel White was solid as lovable nerd Steve Urkel on the ‘90s sitcom “Household Issues.” He was 21 when the present wrapped.
“I at all times felt secure and guarded on set,” White, 47, tells TODAY.com.
He pauses after which provides, “I used to be fortunate.”
White is alluding to “Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Children TV,” an explosive docuseries that particulars alleged abuse and exploitation at Nickelodeon.
“Baby actors are having a second the place a few of the harsher realities of our enterprise are coming to gentle,” White says, likening it to the #MeToo motion towards sexual violence.
In his upcoming memoir, “Rising Up Urkel,” White says he celebrates the mothers and dads who have been lively in safeguarding their youngsters, slightly than making an attempt to develop into celebrities themselves.
“Some mother and father would costume so flamboyantly, you’d suppose they have been the star,” White recollects. “And so they additionally appeared to prioritize their pursuits over their little one’s.”
White says his mom, Gail, who was additionally his supervisor, had “no want to be well-known.”
“She wasn’t excellent however she did sufficient to guard me from a few of the apparent trappings within the enterprise,” he says. “For one factor, she was a helicopter mother. She was throughout my ass as a result of the children which are left alone are those that the predators have a tendency to hunt out.”
White remembers listening to about different little one actors who didn’t have spending limits and have been allowed to remain out all evening.
“They’d freedoms that I didn’t have,” he says, noting that his curfew at all times matched his shoe measurement.
“After I was within the ninth grade, I wore a measurement 9 and I needed to be in the home by 9 o’clock,” he says.
White says he is by no means had to consider being a stage dad himself. His daughter, Samaya, 14, whom he shares with former accomplice Bridget Hardy, has no want to be in present enterprise.
“Individuals have been asking her since she was little and she or he at all times says ‘no!'”
As for his personal story, White says he is excited for the memoir to point out a distinct facet of him.
“Everybody is aware of me as this iconic character,” he says. “This guide will give readers an enormous look backstage of what occurred when the cameras shut off.”
“Rising Up Urkel” is offered for pre-order at JaleelWhite.com.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. Extra from TODAY:
