Jaleel White, the actor best known for playing Steve Urkel on the 1990s sitcom Family Matters, spoke about his time as a child star after a docuseries featuring former show writers and child actors revealed a toxic workplace on Nickelodeon’s sets.
“I always felt safe and protected on set,” White said in an interview with Today magazine.
“I was lucky.”
“Child actors are having a moment where some of the harsher realities of our business are coming to light,” added White, who was on the Perfect Strangers spinoff for nine seasons.
In the five-episode docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, former Nickelodeon stars and writers described the abuse they faced on shows run by producer Dan Schneider.
Schneider parted ways with the channel in 2018. He posted an interview on his YouTube channel, where he discussed the allegations featured in the documentary.
Schneider, who created shows including Drake & Josh, iCarly and Zoey 101, said watching the documentary was “very difficult” as he faced his “past behaviours – some of which are embarrassing and that I regret”.
“I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” he told iCarly’s T-Bo actor BooG!E in the 19-minute long video clip, adding: “I hate that anybody worked for me and didn’t have a good time.”
Drake and Josh star Drake Bell revealed the extensive sexual abuse he suffered from former dialogue coach Brian Peck, while former All That cast member Giovonnie Samuels talked about the racism on set. Two former women writers also described being asked to split a salary while working on The Amanda Show.
White credited his mother, who was also his manager, for keeping him safe. “She wasn’t perfect but she did enough to protect me from some of the obvious trappings in the business,” he said.
White said he celebrates parents who actively ensured the safety of their children in his forthcoming memoir Growing Up Urkel, currently available for preorder on his website.
“Some parents would dress so flamboyantly, you’d think they were the star,” White said.
“And they also seemed to prioritise their interests over their child’s”.`
