Family Matters Vet Jo Marie Payton Says Jaleel White Wanted To 'Physically Fight' Her While Filming Episode
Did he do that?
Family Matters was one of the best TGIF shows of the '90s, and a lot of that was due to fans' love of Steve Urkel and the Winslow family. Urkel usually caused trouble for the family when he came around, though not quite in the way that Jo Marie Payton said Jaleel White once did during filming. Apparently, the two actors almost threw hands, as Payton revealed White once wanted to “physically fight” her.
Jo Marie Payton spoke to Entertainment Tonight about a tense interaction on set between her and Jaleel White while filming the Season 9 episode "Original Gangsta Dawg.” She said:
It’s shocking to hear that anyone on the Family Matters cast might’ve had these kinds of issues, though that might be because of how light-hearted the show was. Who would’ve thought that the guy who played Steve Urkel would allegedly threaten to fight his coworker, and that it might’ve happened had Darius McCrary not stepped in?
Jo Marie Payton talked about the event more, but added that time provided her with a bit of context on Jaleel White’s Family Matters outburst. White was responsible for his own actions, though Payton explained that there were other factors at play that could’ve led him to believe that behavior was acceptable:
Jo Marie Payton did mention that she has tried to put all past bad feelings behind her and still keeps in touch with her Family Matters cast. She also continues to point out how wrong it was that the sitcom wrote actress Jaimee Foxworth (Judy Winslow) off the show without any explanation.
These are all things that a reboot could rectify, though there hasn’t been much said on whether it will ever happen. Of course, even Jaleel White has made some critical remarks about his time on Family Matters as well. Can’t we all just get along and get a reboot green-lit that brings back this wonderful series?
Family Matters is off the air, but anyone with an HBO Max subscription can binge the entire series right now. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll get more episodes in the coming years, but for now, maybe fans can get by with more gossip from the cast.
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Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.