Jaleel White Says That Playing Steve Urkel Damaged His Voice

Recently, Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel on Family Matters, reflected on how playing the role damaged his voice for several years.

White said, “I spoke to a doctor, and what happened is during puberty I spoke at the same pitch for extended periods of time. If the pitch had been going all over the place I wouldn’t have damaged it quite as much.”

He continued, “It’s been in remission, and I’m fine now. I felt like I was really losing it. I would constantly get network notes like, ‘We can’t hear him. Please be more clear.’ It was kind of a scary thing for me to go through.”

He added, “I wouldn’t do anything differently. It was a great experience and it was a small sacrifice to make for one hell of a legacy.”

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