On the age of 12, Jaleel White was solid as lovable nerd Steve Urkel within the '90s sitcom “Household Issues.” He was 21 years previous when he completed the present.
“I all the time felt protected and safe on set,” White, 47, tells TODAY.com.
He pauses, then provides, “I used to be fortunate.”
White is referring to “Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Youngsters TV,” an explosive docuseries detailing alleged abuse and exploitation at Nickelodeon.
“Little one actors are going by way of a time the place among the harshest realities of our enterprise are coming to mild,” White says, evaluating it to the #MeToo motion towards sexual violence.
In her upcoming memoir, “Rising Up Urkel,” White says she celebrates mothers and dads who have been lively in defending their youngsters, somewhat than attempting to grow to be celebrities themselves.
“Some dad and mom dressed so extravagantly you'd assume they have been the star,” White remembers. “And so they additionally appeared to prioritize their pursuits over these of their youngsters.”
White says her mom, Gail, who was additionally her supervisor, “had no want to be well-known.”
“She wasn't excellent, however she did sufficient to guard me from among the apparent pitfalls of the enterprise,” he says. “On the one hand, she was a helicopter mother. She was on my butt as a result of youngsters left alone are those predators are likely to go after.”
White remembers listening to about different little one actors who had no spending limits and have been allowed to remain out all evening.
“That they had freedoms that I didn't have,” he says, noting that his curfew all the time matched his shoe dimension.
“Once I was in ninth grade, I wore a dimension 9 and needed to be house by 9 o'clock,” he says.
White says he's by no means had to consider being a stage dad himself. His 14-year-old daughter, Samaya, whom he shares along with his ex-partner Bridget Hardy, has no want to enter present enterprise.
“Individuals have requested her since she was little and he or she all the time says 'no!'”
As for his personal story, White says he's excited that the memoir will present a distinct facet of him.
“Everybody is aware of me as this iconic character,” he says. “This ebook will give readers a behind-the-curtain have a look at what occurred when the cameras went off.”
“Rising Up Urkel” is out there for pre-order at JaleelWhite.com.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. Extra from TODAY: