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If your formative years were in the late ’80s or ’90s, you’re likely familiar with the sitcom Family Matters. The theme song might still play in your head, and you’ve probably mimicked Jaleel White’s iconic line, “Did I do that?” from his unforgettable character, Steve Urkel.
This beloved series graced our screens for eight seasons, from 1989 to 1997. In the years following its finale, some cast members have revealed there were behind-the-scenes tensions, largely centered around the character of Urkel that audiences were unaware of.
Recently, one of the show’s stars has opened up about these off-camera strains with White, shedding light on why his character’s antics sometimes irked fellow actors.
Telma Hopkins addresses on-set tensions with White and other castmates over Urkel
During a chat on Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia on AM 970, Telma Hopkins, who portrayed Aunt Rachel, shared insights about the backstage drama.
When questioned about witnessing any on-set issues, Hopkins candidly replied, “Of course, I did…I was there!”
When asked if she witnessed any issues on set, Hopkins answered, “Of course, I did…I was there!”
She went on to say that White’s sudden dominance of the Urkel character caused a major shift for the cast as he was originally just supposed to play a minor role.
“You have to remember that that show was really Jo Marie [Payton]’s project. And then when Jaleel’s character came on, it shifted, you know,” Hopkins explained. “It was such a big shift that it was hard. We had a couple of meetings about it. Nothing changed.”
She added that it was “less so for me because I wasn’t the star of the show. I was still affected by it because everybody had to do some shifting when he came on. But for Jo and Reggie [VelJohnson], it was really a big deal.”
Hopkins then touched on a key frustration others had regarding the “cultural authenticity and respect within the portrayal of a Black family on television.” She used the way Urkel entered the Winslow family home as an example, sharing, “One of the things that really bothered us that we had meetings about was the fact that we don’t know any Black children that are able to come into a house without knocking. That was–that’s not a Black thing.”
White and Payton have both spoken publicly about the friction over Urkel’s popularity
White has also spoken in the past about the in-house problems over how immensely popular Urkel had become.
“There was some jealousy,” White previously told Los Angeles Times, stressing that the friction was only with the adults. “Not with the kids on the show, though. We worked through all our issues, and we were all cool.”
Payton recounted how it felt seeing Urkel’s popularity skyrocket, telling TV Series Finale, “So it may have caused a little conflict, just because … It was a real shocker to all of us, you know what I mean? Because he was this little character and we had just gotten to know each other, and I didn’t know Mr. VelJohnson or Telma prior to that. I didn’t know any of them prior to that.
“So we all had gotten together, we had done 12 shows, and we were a little family, so we had learned to know and like each other and communicate, and relate and energize with each other. And then Jaleel came in and it was fun to have him there and all, but of course it did the same thing Happy Days did [with the Fonz character].”
However, Payton admitted, “We were all happy to be working, and he [White]made the show go, and we’re all still happy about it right now. We’re still laughing to the bank with the residuals.”