Every once in a while, a character on a series becomes more popular than the show itself, and these characters manage to stand the test of time. Characters like Kramer from Seinfeld and Joey Tribbiani from Friends are two examples of ones that became massively popular and became fixtures in pop culture during their time on television.
During the 90s, Steve Urkel became a pop culture icon thanks to Jaleel White’s exceptional performance on Family Matters. Needless to say, White made bank as Urkel, but just how much was he pulling down?
Let’s take a look and see how much Jaleel White was making to play Steve Urkel.
Jaleel White Has Had An Interesting Hollywood Journey
Jaleel White is a performer who is certainly known best for his time playing Steve Urkel on Family Matters, and while this did solidify his legacy in Hollywood, the truth is that the performer has done far more than just play the lovable Urkel.
White began his acting career back in the 80s, and he had a chance to gain some valuable experience before becoming a breakout star. Shows like The Jeffersons, Mr. Belvedere, and Good Morning, Miss Bliss all gave White a role at one point, and he would use his time on these shows to sharpen his skills.
Over time, White would make appearances in loads of other projects on both the big and small screen. On television, White ended up on shows like Full House, Step by Step, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and more. Even in recent years, he has landed plenty of television work on notable shows.
On the big screen, White has done some solid work. He has been in projects like Quest for Camelot, Big Fat Liar, and The 15:17 to Paris. His work in film is not as extensive as his work on television, but it is still great to see that he has never shied away from acting in movies.
As great as all this is, Family Matters still remains the biggest success of White’s career in entertainment.
He Became A Star As Steve Urkel
In 1989, Family Matters began its storied run on television, and while the show focused on the Winslow family, it would be their nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel, who would steal the show from seemingly out of nowhere.
Jaleel White revealed that Urkel wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms when he first burst onto the scene.
“I was not welcomed to the cast at all. They know what it was… I didn’t think anything of it being cast to be on Family Matters because it was supposed to be a guest spot, one and done,” said White.
Even though the Winslow clan gave him a lukewarm reception behind the scenes, the character of Steve Urkel wound up doing something that no one saw coming: he became more popular than the show itself and was one of the biggest parts of 90s pop culture, which says a lot about White’s work.
90s television was filled with plenty of great characters, and those that were around to see it will gladly attest to Steve Urkel being arguably the biggest and most famous. Urkel was everywhere during the 90s, and Jaleel White’s career had officially taken off during these years.
Naturally, people can look back and see just how popular White became while playing Urkel, but they have grown curious about how much money he was pulling down while playing the iconic character.
He Made Bank As The Character
So, how much money was Jaleel White making to play Steve Urkel during his peak years on television?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, “He went on to appear in 204 of the show’s 215 episodes. At his peak of the show, Jaleel earned $180,000 per episode, roughly $4 million per season. After adjusting for inflation, that’s the same as earning $300,000 per episode today, roughly $7 million per season today.”
That is a ton of money for a young star to be pulling down, and it just goes to show how popular the character was back in the 90s. Again, Family Matters was a huge show, but the character of Steve Urkel was a household name who had transcended the popularity of the show itself. So, it shouldn’t be too surprising to learn that Jaleel White was being paid a premium for his work.
To date, Steve Urkel remains one of the most popular characters in television history, and his place alongside other classics cannot be denied. We are just glad to see that Jaleel White made the big bucks during those years.
