Family Matters Star Jaleel White Says Sitcoms Will Never Be The Same: 'We Didn't See It That Way'

When discussing some of the characters who absolutely ruled the world of '90s sitcoms, the name Steve Urkel is bound to come up. Played by actor Jaleel White, Urkel made his big debut during the first season of the hit series "Family Matters" in 1989. And while the show's creators originally intended for him to be nothing more than a one-off character, his first appearance proved to be such a hit that they had no choice but to bring him back. Within a few years, Urkel had effectively become the star of the show, with his nerdy antics completely usurping the Winslow family's suburban dramedy. 

These days, the actor behind Urkel looks quite a bit different than he did in the 1990s. So too does the TV landscape itself. And if you ask White, there doesn't seem to be any going back to the way things used to be — especially as far as sitcoms are concerned. During an August 2026 interview with USA Today, White opined that part of the reason TV is so different now is that viewers' habits and sensibilities have changed. 

In his view, the intrusiveness that made Steve Urkel such an icon back in the '80s and '90s simply wouldn't fly with modern audiences. "I don't know if sitcoms are going to make a comeback. I don't see how it can," White said. "It's hard because there's so many tenets of sitcoms that don't work with modern life," he continued, adding, "So you get people in the comments that want to be like: 'Why does that boy keep coming over to that house uninvited? That's stalking.' Like what? We didn't see it that way at all." 

Notably, "Family Matters" was not Jaleel White's first experience as a main cast member on a sitcom — nor was it his last. About a decade after the show ended, White played the lead role on the short-lived UPN sitcom "Grown Ups" (not to be confused with the Adam Sandler film of the same name). However, save for some guest appearances here and there, he has largely left the sitcom world behind.

As for what else the former "Family Matters" star has been up to, White also became well known for voicing the video game character Sonic the Hedgehog in various animated projects, and even guest-starred in episodes of shows like "NCIS" and "CSI." And while sitcoms aren't really his thing anymore, he did reprise his role as Steve Urkel as recently as 2023, voicing the character in the animated film "Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie." That said, according to White, the closest he's come to capturing the essence of '90s television has been hosting the game show "Flip Side" — a gig he landed in 2024. Even so, it's still not quite one to one.

"I have a live audience on my game show 'Flip Side,' but that's different [than a sitcom studio audience]. Game shows really benefit from having a live audience," the actor said during his aforementioned interview with USA Today in August 2026. "I definitely miss a good live studio audience, so the game show helps," he concluded.