Jo Marie Payton alleges her time on “Family Matters” included threats of physical violence from Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel on the show.
The actress, who played the role of Harriette Winslow on the long-running 90s sitcom reports that White’s sudden rise to fame as a child star became too much for him to handle, resulting in some tense moments on set, according to an interview with Entertainment Tonight.
“There was one time he actually wanted to physically fight me,” Payton said. During the “Original Gangsta Daw”‘ episode, White and Payton had a disagreement on set.
“He was so mad, he started kicking and screaming and stuff. He said something about, ‘She must want to melee,'” said Payton, who later learned that meant he wanted to fight. “I was gonna whip his behind.”
Payton revealed she didn’t fully blame White for his behavior, indicating the adults around him didn’t help him with his transition into superstardom, according to Entertainment Tonight. She admitted the adults around him didn’t set him straight.
“Letting him run wild and do whatever he wanted to do, thinking he can say what he wants to say, you know, and hurt people’s feelings and all that,” she said. (RELATED: ‘That ’70s Show’ Is Returning To TV With New Reboot On Netflix)
‘Family Matters’ mom: Jaleel ‘Urkel’ White tried to ‘physically fight me’ https://t.co/F2PzO62pCT pic.twitter.com/hcKuafYP17
— New York Post (@nypost) May 5, 2022
The time Payton spent on the set of “Family Matters” wasn’t entirely embattled. In spite of a few less than desirable experiences with White, she expressed that she enjoyed her time on the show. “I did love all of my ‘Family Matters’ crew,” she said in the interview. “I’ve kept in touch with a lot of them, I see them on other shows … I love them all. We had incredible writers, I love them, and they know who my issue was with. It wasn’t with the entirety of them.”
As for a reunion show sometimes in the future – she hasn’t entirely ruled out the idea, reported the outlet.