Jaleel White, who rocketed to fame as the goofy geek Urkel on “Family Matters” in the 1990s, explained why he fell out with Will Smith and what he wants the Men in Black star to know now.
In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly to promote his book Growing up Urkel, White explains how misunderstandings and outsiders killed his friendship with the Oscar winner.
“What’s weird is when you cross paths in our business, you never quite know how much or how little a moment meant to each other. And that can kind of play with your brain,” White told the publication. “It didn’t go nearly the way I thought it was going to go with the things that I said about my interactions with Will.”
White expresses admiration for Will Smith
White said he wants Smith to know this one thing: “I just always want Will to know — and I’m not sure he ever did — how much I admired his forging ahead. I saw it coming before the rest of America got a chance to see it coming. I could see it coming in NBA All-Star Stay in School Jam and would think, ‘This dude’s freaking energy is huge in the room.’ And you wouldn’t necessarily get credit for that when you’re a kid.”
White wrote in the book about making two dreams come to fruition all at once when he befriended Smith and pitched a show concept to him. Smith had just signed an overall production deal with Universal in the late ’90s. The partnership — which happened after making an appearance on the iconic “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” — was blossoming until White was told by his inner circle that the show he pitched Smith would not materialize.
White let outsiders pollute his friendship
“I should have called Will directly, and the truth was, I wanted to work with Will, badly,” White penned in the memoir. “Soon after my meeting with Will, his head of TV would end up getting relieved of his duties, which complicated the chain of command. And Will was becoming such a big star, so fast, that I didn’t have the nerve to call his phone myself months later and ask, ‘Hey, man, why’d you fire your head of TV? My agent said there was no deal to be made. They’re offering me this show at UPN and I know in my heart this premise is weaker than ours.’”
White said he cowered instead of having courage in that situation. He admits he took the safe way out and decided to star in the TV show “Grown Ups,” which caused irreparable damage to their budding friendship, he believes.
“My decision to go with ‘Grown Ups’ instead of exploring a show with Will Smith — sticking to my guns and being patient with the process basically ended my and Will’s relationship. There were no more invites to his house or his movie sets, no more calls to say ‘What’s up?’”
White said writing the book was therapeutic
In retrospect, White realized how outside elements contaminated his coveted friendship with Smith who’d become a Hollywood power broker and globally famous due to a succession of blockbuster movies.
“When I got the opportunity to nearly work with him, [I now] go back and look at the number of people that conspired to make sure that we did not speak directly any further,” White told the publication. “It sucks for me. But as long as I got it out and I got to express it, that’s once again in one of those areas where the book just becomes therapeutic.”
