Jaleel White, who is best known for his role as nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel, on the 1990s sitcom, Family Matters, has launched an Urkel-themed weed brand. Throughout Family Matters’ nine season run, White was arguably the program’s most popular character. His chest-high trousers and oversized glasses came to be emblematic of everything Urkel.
Originally expected to simply be a one-time character, Urkel’s immediate popularity on the series – which focused on a Black suburbanite family in Chicago, necessitated a recurring role. Eventually Urkel was turned into the show’s main character and his catch-phrases, which were uttered in the character’s inimitably nasal tone, included such comedic gems as “Did I do that?” and “Got any cheese?” The character’s success came at a time where another sitcom nerd, Carlton Banks (Alfonso Ribeiro), was also an instant fan-favorite on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Unlike Carlton, however, Urkel proved to be far more divisive, with many viewers put off by the character’s abrasive voice and downright annoying tendencies. Yet despite these traits, Urkel’s fanbase was strong enough to keep Family Matters on the air for several seasons longer than the acclaimed Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
With Family Matters long since behind him, White’s acting career has continued in sitcom television. Most recently, he’s become the host of his own talk show, Ever After With Jaleel White. But while TV remains an integral part of his career, White is taking his Urkel persona in an entirely different direction – one that some might argue betrays the character’s family-friendly nature. According to Forbes, White is on the verge of launching his own marijuana brand called ItsPurpl. The line of products capitalizes on the Purple Urkle cannabis strain, after White realized that no companies were focusing exclusively on it. White said:
The thing that always stood out to me was there no clear brand leader for fire purple weed. It made no sense to me, that no company of significance had claimed this lane, so why not me?
ItsPurpl will officially launch on April 20, 2021, though initially it will only be available in the state of California. Depending on its success, White is hoping to expand the brand’s availability in the near future. Packaging for the product is Urkel-centric, though subtle enough as to not render it gimmicky. It features an ombre-purple outline of Urkel’s face on a solid black background. In addition to the weed, which will be available in eighths, vape pens and hand-rolled joints called Noodle Doinks – which use a piece of uncooked fusilli pasta as a filter, White will also be launching some limited ItsPurpl merchandise, which includes a waffle iron that features the company’s Urkel logo.
As the legalization of marijuana becomes increasingly more common around the world, numerous celebrities have gotten into the competitive cannabis industry. Seth Rogen, Snoop Dogg, Mike Tyson and Willie Nelson are just a handful of the names associated with their own brands of weed. White certainly has his work cut out for him with ItsPurpl, but given the fondness that many people still have for Family Matters, the idea of smoking Steve Urkel’s weed will be a tough temptation for some to resist.
