Jay-Z, Jaleel White, and George Clooney. Getty Images (3)
Jaleel White‘s career has spanned 40 years — which means his memoir is full of star-studded stories featuring fellow celebrities such as Jay-Z, George Clooney, Rashida Jones and more.
White rose to fame after playing Steve Urkel for nine seasons on Family Matters. Being a child star in the ’90s led to some interactions that would make anyone starstruck — and that continued well into adulthood as White continued to work in front of the camera.
The actor’s passion, however, started to expand into writing. He penned some episodes of TV before working on a memoir that highlighted the highs and lows of living life in the spotlight.
“Anything that I put in the book I see as a lesson. If I put it in the book, it was a lesson on how to move forward,” White exclusively told Us Weekly about the stories that made it into Growing Up Urkel, which was released on Tuesday, November 19. “I want the entertainment value to be there. I don’t like to be a waste of people’s time.”
White’s tell-all highlighted his star-studded romances, feuds and collaborations over the years. That included connections with well-known actresses including Jones and Bianca Lawson (more on that later!).
“If there’s anything that you could — in your own way — express, I only think it’s funny at this point. I am not pining over those interactions,” White, who is married to Nicoletta Ruhl, explained about those sections in his book. “I went out of my way to only chronicle very interesting and impactful moments I had while dating women who I had zero physical contact with. Most people do the opposite and go, ‘Hey, I hooked up with this person and this person.’ I’m like, ‘Well, you know what? I’m going to pick out about three or four chicks that actually left an indelible impression on me. And we never touched each other beyond a hug.’”
He continued: “That matters to me because it was more about the lesson and quite frankly the lack of immaturity or worldliness on my part. Sharing those stories was done strictly for entertainment purposes. I can laugh in my own dating follies — and I hope they will be able to.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of every name drop featured in White’s memoir — outside of his Family Matters costars:
Magic Johnson
During his time on Family Matters, White crossed paths with the professional basketball player, who handed him a signed pair of sneakers. White joked that since the interaction took place in a locker room, Johnson was “barely holding on” to his towel.
“It started swinging back and forth, just enough, and I was like, ‘Thank you so much, man,’” he wrote. “I was trying to keep my eyes to myself, but I was like, ‘Wow.’ I just never imagined I would get this unfiltered view of Magic’s johnson.”
Larry Johnson
White recalled calling a contact at the NBA to get Larry — another professional basketball player — to make a cameo on Family Matters. Larry agreed for a “low, low fee” but things got tense when producers asked the athlete to “tape over the Converse logo” on his sneakers to not give free advertisement on the show.
White referred to it as “disrespectful” since Larry agreed to appear on the show for “basically no money” for him. He also questioned whether it “could have opened a lot more doors” for the show if producers allowed Converse to be promoted on screen.
Leslie Moonves
Moonves was the chairman and CEO of CBS from 2003 until September 2018, when he resigned following multiple allegations of sexual harassment, which the former exec denied. Prior to becoming CEO, Moonves had worked at the network since 1995 and was previously the president of Warner Bros. Television and interacted with White quite a bit because of Family Matters.
White mentioned an animated series starring Urkel that allegedly got nixed by Moonves. He also recalled a conversation where he shut Moonves down when he suggested a promotion involving White’s face on KFC’s buckets of chicken.
The relationship between White and Moonves “changed forever” after Family Matters was canceled. White felt that he was a reminder of Moonves’ “first major failure” as CBS’ network president.
David Letterman
White recalled an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman that turned disastrous due to issues between the host and Moonves. He claimed Letterman brought him on but refused to have him as a couch guest and instead only signed off on them doing a skit.
“Letterman brought me on his show, just to make me and my mother wait six hours in a freezer and then made fun of me. All because he hated Leslie Moonves,” White wrote. “I think what hurt my feelings most was that I had always admired Letterman.”
Rashida Jones
When White was a teenager, he developed a crush on Quincy Jones’s daughter, whom he ran into at a party. He attempted to subtly slip Rashida his number during a handshake but she allegedly held up the paper for everyone to see.
Bianca Lawson
White revealed that his “official first date” came at 16 after he met a girl at the NAACP Image Awards. He got his Family Matters costar Darius McCrary to drive him on the date, which didn’t go over very well since the girl didn’t bother to “return any affection” but later asked for money when they went to an arcade.
The couple, however, remained in touch over the phone and they hung out once more before White didn’t hear from her again. White revealed that he was talking about Lawson when he recalled seeing her on Saved by the Bell: The New Class one year later.
“It hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized then that Bianca was an aspiring actress,” he wrote. “I highly doubt my asking for her phone number would have gone the same way had my position in television not signaled a possible opportunity for her. I imagine that ambition is what won me her phone number in the first place, and probably extended our knowing each other.”
White questioned whether Lawson had “genuine attraction” for him or whether she knew who he was and wanted help in the industry. He cited Lawson and an interaction later with Daphne Duplaix as “pivotal” in his “understanding of female motivations in show business.”
Bill Cosby
When White was still a main cast member on Family Matters, White connected with Cosby and remained in contact with him while his star was on the rise. His bond with Cosby changed when White tried to pitch a show to Cosby once he got older. White realized he saw his interactions differently than Cosby, who might have viewed it as a “kiss-the-ring” moment.
Michael Jordan
White recalled Michael Jordan and his children watching Family Matters from the audience bleachers until the attention became too much. Jordan’s presence shut down the whole set and everyone — including the cast — went to go shake his hand.
Denzel Washington
While on the ABC lot, White ran into Washington, who would say they should try to play basketball together one day. They met again when White was in college but got the chance to fly out for a basketball game on a private jet — and Washington was invited on the flight as well.
Gabrielle Union
White and Union attended UCLA together, which he wasn’t aware of until years later. During a party, Union told him “the truth” about how he was viewed on campus.
“‘We couldn’t stand you, Jaleel. The rest of us couldn’t afford Top Ramen, could barely afford our books. We’re working in a shitty bookstore, and you walked in there and made us price out a display bear for five hundred dollars,” Union told White. “We hated you and your Range Rover, always driving around, playing loud music.’”
Will Smith
In his memoir, White recalled getting the chance to pitch a show to Smith after he signed an overall production deal with Universal in the late ’90s. Outside forces caused White to doubt that the collaboration would happen so he signed on for a short-lived show instead. White’s decision “ended” his friendship with Smith.
“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 Us. “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.”
R. Kelly
In Growing Up Urkel, White revealed an attempt to get R. Kelly to star in his never-released film but a friendly basketball game ruined the negotiations. White recalled Kelly playing “like a lunatic” before he stepped in and that caused the record producer to never speak to White again.
Diane Warren and Richard Simmons
While having lunch with Warren, White recalled the songwriter bringing along her parrot, which didn’t sit well with Simmons. He allegedly complained but the restaurant took Warren’s side over his.
“His sense of his own importance made him go up and try to get one of the best songwriters of our generation and her bird kicked out of a restaurant so he could eat his expensive French lunch. Clearly he miscalculated,” White wrote. “It didn’t matter how essential Russell thought he was to Hollywood’s ecosystem at that time, Diane’s celebrity quirk was more tolerable and desired in that place and at that particular moment than his. I can only imagine how hard that ego check must have been.”
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
White met Warner because he was dating fellow Family Matters star Michelle Thomas, who died at age 30 in 1998 from a cancer battle. White broke down the accidental way he ended up taking part in a music video for Warner’s abstinence project titled “Contents Under Pressure,” which he quickly regretted.
Tatyana Ali
White briefly mentioned Ali, whom he has known since she was a teenager. White recalled reconnecting with Ali when he made an appearance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. By then, Ali was “very different” despite putting on a public persona that resembled her character, Ashley Banks.
Ali was dating Jonathan Brandis when White appeared on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Her devotion to her boyfriend caused her to turn her head “so far toward the camera” in an attempt to hide the fact that their lips “were barely touching.”
Jay-Z
According to White, he once ended up in the same VIP area at a club as Jay-Z. He asked if Jay-Z wanted to play basketball with him and his friends, to which the producer said he did “play ball” but didn’t seem to have any interest in spending time with White.
Claire Danes
White recalled being put into consideration to play Linc in The Mod Squad opposite Claire Danes. She wanted “someone edgier” and the role eventually went to Omar Epps.
Omar Epps
Speaking of Epps, White lost out on Love and Basketball because Spike Lee wanted someone else for the role. Epps ultimately got that job as well.
William Shatner
White’s cameo on Boston Legal wound up being very memorable when scene partner Shatner “made the acting choice to pinch” his cheeks. Director John Telesky spoke out in White’s defense, which allegedly didn’t make Shatner happy. White also joked about Shatner later not remembering him despite them going on to cross paths at press junkets and events.
“William Shatner would never know what it meant for me to be on the set with Boston Legal, because I was very much holding my own with those cats. I had to take a very backseat to people who I was equally as famous as — but in that moment — it was just about being good at your craft,” White told Us. “I can laugh at the reality that he did not know who I was, where we worked together and am more excited about the fact that my chops have always held up when the moments came. So when the moments came for me to act next to somebody who was a big deal, my chops always held up, and I take great pride in that.”
Jonathan Brandis
White worked with Brandis shortly before the actor died by suicide in 2003. Brandis’ final role was in an unsold pilot with White titled 111 Gramercy Park, which he was hopeful would get picked up to series.
“I could only speculate what Jonathan was going through at the time,” White noted. “I imagine that Jonathan felt he needed that pilot to feed his soul. I’ve never known an actor to ask me repeatedly about our pickup prospects the way he did when we shot 111 Gramercy Park. He was as much a veteran performer as I, our prospects for pickup should have been as clear to him as they were to me.”
After learning about Brandis’ death, White considered leaving the industry because the business “kills people from the inside.”
Shemar Moore
White befriended Moore when he was still on The Young and the Restless. In multiple parts of his memoir, White commented on how Moore’s “looks and charm combined” made him very appealing to women during their outings.
Kym Johnson
In 2012, White appeared on Dancing With the Stars despite not having an interest in the opportunity. He was trying to navigate a coparenting arrangement with his ex-girlfriend Bridget Hardy at the time, which affected his approach to the competition show.
White recalled getting an email from Hardy that he ignored. That led to a process server arriving at the ABC lot looking for White minutes before he was set to perform on screen. His personal issues took a toll on White’s partnership with his pro partner Johnson.
“I also cried on camera, and I regret it deeply because it became a meme and a great many people thought I was acting. I wasn’t,” he wrote. “The producers really led me there.”
After Johnson wasn’t able to rehearse because of a side job, White decided to be petty by not requesting first-class tickets for her when they were scheduled to take a flight together. White’s manager “intercepted the travel plans” and took Johnson’s economy seat so she never knew what White had planned to do.
“It was a moment in my career though that as tough as it was, I would absolutely do it again,” White admitted to Us. “I had a lot to learn about what it was to participate in a reality show — and it’s one of the more prestigious ones. I lasted seven weeks and I didn’t fall. I learned a hell of a lot about myself. So I would absolutely do it again.”
Alfonso Ribeiro
White compared his character Steve to Ribeiro’s Carlton from Fresh Prince of Bel-Air — including how both actors “tried to reinvent ourselves” after being known for one speck role. In the DWTS passage from the book, White noted that Ribeiro “understood the assignment” when it came to leaning into his past on DWTS instead of turning away from it.
Damon Wayans
White shared some advice he received from Damon and Marlon Wayans about the industry.
“‘Let me hip you to your real job in show business, Jaleel. Your real job as a Black man in show business is to always turn chicken s— into chicken salad,’” White recalled. “Cynical as it seems, he wasn’t lying.”
Eddie Murphy
White was pitched for a movie titled Life with Mikey because it was originally written for Eddie Murphy but the actor “wasn’t interested in working with kids at that time.” The role ultimately went to Michael J. Fox.
George Clooney
While White was still filming Family Matters, he would occasionally play basketball with Clooney, who was filming ER on the same lot.
“I remember that one day, when I was playing with George outside of our stages and I’d asked him a similar question about money and Friends. George told me he would do the opposite of what the Friends cast was doing [asking for a raise],” White wrote. ”He had a huge role on a great show, and he wasn’t planning on asking for more money. ‘I’m happy with my deal. I’d rather let my contract expire. If I tried to renegotiate, they’d just sign me up for much longer than I plan to be here.’”
Shawn Levy
Growing Up Urkel addressed White’s uncredited role as himself on Big Fat Liar, which started with a meeting with Levy. White was offered “scale plus ten” that meant “not even one thousand dollars for a single day’s work.”
White said he would sign on for free if they donated ten thousand dollars to his church.
“I learned the film’s budget was 15 million and Frankie Muniz was paid a reported five. Tim Allen and Jeremy Piven had been offered five million to play the role of sleazy producer, Marty Wolf,” White wrote. “And the role that was offered to me had originally been offered to both Fred Savage and Neil Patrick Harris, and they both passed.”
The situation got worse once White was on set and realized all his “dialogue had been changed.” He attempted to rewrite it himself instead of taking on the “studio-sanctioned deceit” of playing a version of Steve Urkel.
“They were dead wrong to show me one script, only to change my dialogue and add Urkel glasses once I agreed. But apparently, I was more wrong to have rewritten Universal’s intellectual property. The practice of switching drafts of scripts to purposely mislead talent was actually quite common back then,” he continued. “Remember, Shawn Levy was the guy who told me, ‘Some roles you do more for the relationships.’ And I haven’t heard from Shawn Levy since.”
White told Us he saw the experience as a lesson, adding, “I went through a lot being recruited on that film. I went through a lot during the filming of that film. And no, it did not go the way it was negotiated at all. But ironically enough, the initial intention fared well enough on screen that it turned out to be a terrific appearance to the film. Sometimes I will accept that I can be harder on myself. So for it to have turned out as well as it did, I accept that that was part of my journey.”
Dave Chappelle
White called Chappelle a good friend because they “organically kept in touch” and have bonded about being fathers to girls in the same age range.