Jaleel White sparked controversy following the on-set drama and several accusations made against him. The actor is currently ruling the internet because his Star Wars character might have connections with The Mandalorian.
Jaleel White is a versatile actor known for playing Steve Urkel in Family Matters. Did you watch it? Hailing from Culver City, he is now 46 years old. Some of Jaleel White’s noteworthy acting credits are The 15:17 to Paris, Hustle, Charlie & Co., Grown Ups, Boston Legal, Trial & Error Season 2, and American Dad!.
Jaleel White also hosted the game show Total Blackout. He even participated in Dancing with the Stars Season 14 back in 2012. Did you watch Bones? He portrayed the character of Officer Adams.
Coming back to Jaleel White’s controversy, it all led to several disagreements and accusations on the set of “Family Matters.” Naturally, his relationship with the other cast members also got worse. During an interview, Jaleel shared that he was “not very well welcomed” by the cast. What happened? What did he do?
Jaleel White Controversy Explained
Talking about Jaleel White’s controversy, it all started after his misbehavior with his ex-girlfriend came out to the public. To be more precise, Jaleel White’s ex-girlfriend, Bridget Hardy, accused him of domestic violence. But, the actor hardly faced any charges of battery because of the incident.
It happened in 2010. After these claims were made against him, Jaleel White came out to the public to share his side of the story. He said, “There was no verbal abuse. Couples argue that’s normal. I’m not going to pretend like we didn’t have any arguments we broke up.”
Jaleel White and Bridget Hardy share a daughter, Samaya. Despite their separation, the actor maintained a friendly relationship with their daughter and often posted pictures with her. She became his topmost priority. The actor had a complicated love life in the past.
In addition to this, the Family Matters co-star, Jo Marie Payton, also accused him of fighting with them after a disagreement. This created chaos in the set. Despite this, she mentioned that Jaleel White was “just a kid” back at the time and had not much experience. Jaleel was then 22 years old, and the fight took place while filming Season 9 of the show.
Jo Marie Payton said, “There was one time he wanted to physically fight me.” The actress also accused him of being so angry at that time that he started kicking and screaming. The disagreement started after she stopped Jaleel from doing something unspecified for the scene.
According to her, whatever Jaleel wanted to do at the time wouldn’t pass the standards and practices of the ABC network. In case you forgot, Jo Marie Payton played the character of Harriet Winslow in the same. Because of the argument, she left the scene for a time and later returned for the next scene.
Jaleel White’s misbehavior didn’t get much appreciated by the other cast members of Family Matters. That was the time when the actor felt that he was not celebrated much in the set. Overall, it was his behavior that led to the series of controversies.
However, keeping everything aside, despite being rocky at the beginning, Jaleel White managed to become the breakout star of the show. The sitcom later started focusing on Jaleel’s wacky antics. Family Matters was no more as grounded as it used to be in the initial days. His hardship with the other cast members was just a matter of time.
Best wishes to Jaleel White for the upcoming days of his life. Make sure to follow the Family Matters actor, Jaleel, on his Instagram account for more updates.
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