As Family Matters’ Steve Urkel, Jaleel White won the hearts of millions of fans throughout the ’90s with his portrayal of the lovable nerd next door, a role he landed when he was just 12. He’s gone on to appear on TV hits such as House, Boston Legal, and Fresh Off the Boat, and in films including Big Fat Liar, Dreamgirls, and Netflix’s acclaimed 2022 basketball drama Hustle, opposite Adam Sandler.
White surely knows how to hustle in Hollywood himself, having parlayed his childhood stardom into a successful career that’s spanned five decades. The UCLA grad and actor-writer-producer has hosted his own podcast and tackled the stand-up comedy circuit, and he’s now opening up in his memoir Growing Up Urkel, which he calls “a self-reflective look at my life growing up famous in the ‘90s and the impact the fame had on my life to come.”
Here, White reveals all his favorite things about the Golden State, from shopping destinations to his favorite teams and more.
Where do you live? I live in Playa Vista in Los Angeles.
Why there? In my mind, I live here because of its wonderful proximity to the airport (LAX)! In reality, it’s a place where I got lucky to land co-parenting my daughter. It’s such an amazing state. Look, I’ve been lucky to have traveled to a lot of places: Greece, Italy, you name it. As far as year-round living in a place to make a living, California is unique and special. Italy is beautiful, but when you look around at ways to make a living, I didn’t see it.
Who or what is your greatest California love? My favorite singular spot is the California Incline. It’s the street that goes from Ocean Avenue to the Pacific Coast Highway that overlooks the Santa Monica Pier. On a beautiful spring or summer day, it’s just that spot that, at any time, you can’t help but say that I’m so lucky to live here. Another thing I love about California is that it’s one of the rare states where I can literally be on the ski slopes and at the beach in the same day, and I’ve done that before. We will ski in the morning, get on the plane, come back to L.A., and end up having dinner at the crashing waves at night.
What is the biggest misperception about Californians? From a guy’s perspective, it’s that the athletes are soft. East coast and Southern athletes think that they’re so tough and that West Coasters are so soft. But they meet us on a field or court and go, ‘Oh, Cali boys got some moves!”
What is your favorite Golden State splurge? Old me would have said Disneyland, but I would have to say flying to see a Warriors game in San Francisco or the Kings in Sacramento.
Time for a road trip—where are you going? Yosemite. Yosemite is great. The trees are just so amazing. The size of them is incredible. You feel so small.
If you could decree an official state culinary experience, what would it be? Shrimp tacos in downtown Los Angeles at Mariscos Jalisco taco truck. It’s downtown, not on a sexy street at all, but if you find these tacos, you have found the essence of the Los Angeles Mexican food scene.
What is your favorite way to play in California? Skiing is huge. I love a great ski day. Because [we ski] on [the California] side, Lake Tahoe. Because of my wife, Lake Tahoe has really become a part of our annual routines. We have created a lot of core memories there. Even hiking!
Where would you go for the ultimate shopping spree in California? This is tricky stuff because how much money do we wanna spend? Do we wanna save money, or do we wanna blow money, because if we wanna blow money, then you gotta go somewhere like the South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. It has everything. It’s as close to the Mall of America as California is going to get. It has every brand store there is. Or, you have the Cabazon Outlets. That’s where you go for the deals. Every brand has representation. It’s right outside of Palm Desert, and you have to drive through the Cabazon Outlets to get to Coachella. You can do such big damage there. You can get stuff for a deal, and you can even get brands you forgot about.
Best California song? I know people will argue for some Beach Boys, but for me, it’s Tupac’s “To Live & Die in L.A.” Just the lyrics, he doesn’t miss a beat. It’s my favorite line: “It wouldn’t be L.A. without Mexicans.” “To Live & Die in L.A.” makes me wanna put on Dodger blue and Laker purple.
How would your California dream day unfold? I just had one the other day. I got a workout in the morning. We are so lucky to be able to work out outdoors here. I had a very productive work day, followed by a kick-ass lunch in West Hollywood. Then I came back home to change and went with 20 people to a Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. We just felt like teenagers. Such a fun night. I felt like a parent, a teenager, and a responsible adult because we were home by midnight.