https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jaleel-white-black-child-actor-hollywood-interview-family-matters-212715752.html

White hosts a podcast, Ever After, where he interviews fellow child stars mostly from his 1990s era, including Blossom's Mayim Bialik. Despite his starring role in Family Matters, White says that he was always aware that Hollywood treated him differently than other successful — and white — child actors like Wonder Years star Fred Savage or Bialik. "You were made to feel African-American," White tells Yahoo Entertainment. "Fred Savage was always invited to the Emmys; he was always treated like a darling during this time. I was never invited to the Emmys, even to present. I was pretty much told that I would be wasting my time to even submit myself for nomination."

Were cast members of shows like Fresh Prince Of Bel Air and the Cosby show ever there?

God bless you and Jaleel always!!!

Holly

Even *I* who disliked Urkel's character and what it did to the show agree with Mr. White that it was unfair that he and none of the other FM cast members never got to be invited to the Emmys even to present! I mean, they WERE a ratings giant for a long time and that should have been honored

Maybe it was because The Wonder Years was an Emmy Award winning show and Family Matters wasn't? Was the cast of Full House, Step by Step, Alf or Perfect Strangers ever invited to the Emmy Awards? Does Jaleel White really believe his one dimensional character on a very stupid show, was unfairly cheated out of an Emmy Award? Just sounds like he is being jealous and petty towards Fred Salvage.

https://www.emmys.com/shows/wonder-years

Family Matters would never have been in contention for an Emmy, just as Step By Step, Perfect Strangers, and Full House weren't Emmy considerations.

Family Matters would never have been in contention for an Emmy, just as Step By Step, Perfect Strangers, and Full House weren't Emmy considerations.

The Brady Bunch also never received any Emmy nominations.

The Brady Bunch also never received any Emmy nominations.

Yeah, I'm totally with you on this. I just don't know why Jaleel White would think his show would ever have been considered for an Emmy. It basically became a live-action cartoon.

The Cosby Show (https://www.emmys.com/shows/cosby-show), A Different World (https://www.emmys.com/shows/different-world), The Jeffersons (https://www.emmys.com/shows/jeffersons), and even Gimme a Break (https://www.emmys.com/shows/gimme-break) received nominations or won awards, so it's just a matter of Family Matters not being in that class of a show. Family Matters did get an Emmy nomination (https://www.emmys.com/shows/family-matters) for Outstanding Visual Effects in 1996.

Maybe it was because The Wonder Years was an Emmy Award winning show and Family Matters wasn't? Was the cast of Full House, Step by Step, Alf or Perfect Strangers ever invited to the Emmy Awards? Does Jaleel White really believe his one dimensional character on a very stupid show, was unfairly cheated out of an Emmy Award? Just sounds like he is being jealous and petty towards Fred Salvage.

https://www.emmys.com/shows/wonder-years
Bronson Pinchot, who of course was Balki from Perfect Strangers, was given an Emmy nomination for his performance of the character during the season two episode named Falling In Love Is. Sadly, the award went to someone else. :explode: :explode: :explode:

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

If any of the cast deserved an Emmy nom, it would probably been Reginald VelJohnson. Another negative impact of Jaleel White's portrayal of Urkel was perpetuating the nice guy myth that if you keep stalking and harassing a girl, eventually she fall madly and deeply in love with you.

Bronson Pinchot, who of course was Balki from Perfect Strangers, was given an Emmy nomination for his performance of the character during the season two episode named Falling In Love Is. Sadly, the award went to someone else. :explode: :explode: :explode:

God bless you and him always!!!

Holly

Never knew that!

Yeah, I'm totally with you on this. I just don't know why Jaleel White would think his show would ever have been considered for an Emmy. It basically became a live-action cartoon.

The Cosby Show (https://www.emmys.com/shows/cosby-show), A Different World (https://www.emmys.com/shows/different-world), The Jeffersons (https://www.emmys.com/shows/jeffersons), and even Gimme a Break (https://www.emmys.com/shows/gimme-break) received nominations or won awards, so it's just a matter of Family Matters not being in that class of a show. Family Matters did get an Emmy nomination (https://www.emmys.com/shows/family-matters) for Outstanding Visual Effects in 1996.

Exactly, and after season 4 it was kinda a mess anyway.

Can we consider that African-Americans might just have more credibility re whether they themselves had experienced racism than non African-Americans looking in from the outside?

I don't claim to know what went on with the Emmys or 'Family Matters' but since Mr. White did believe the exclusion of the cast members from that awards show may have been linked to racism, I don't think that should be randomly dismissed instead of at least considering the folks' own experiences and POVs and considering how things might be improved and made more fair in the future.

Can we consider that non-African-Americans might just have more credibility re whether they themselves had practiced racism than African-Americans looking in from the outside?

Yes, it works both ways.

Not an invalid point.

However, one must keep in mind that there ARE still some non-African-Americans who think that it's perfectly fine (and non-racist) to perform in minstrel shows and blackface then claim that 'some of their best friends are black' so they CAN'T be racist.

I think what we all need to do is consider what's fair and not fair re other folks (and apply the 'would one like it if someone of another ethnic background did such-and-such with us and then try to have the same consideration for others one would want for oneself) and not be so quick to dismiss the possibility that others may not have always been fair.

Can we consider that African-Americans might just have more credibility re whether they themselves had experienced racism than non African-Americans looking in from the outside?

I don't doubt that Jaleel White and other FM castmembers experienced racism before, during, and after Family Matters. Jaleel White not being invited to the Emmys is not an example of racism. It wasn't an Emmy-worthy show, like most Miller-Boyett shows. Screech, Vicki the Robot, and yes, Urkel, didn't get invited to present or receive awards.

I don't doubt that Jaleel White and other FM castmembers experienced racism before, during, and after Family Matters. Jaleel White not being invited to the Emmys is not an example of racism. It wasn't an Emmy-worthy show, like most Miller-Boyett shows. Screech, Vicki the Robot, and yes, Urkel, didn't get invited to present or receive awards.

I'm NOT a fan of Mr. White nor, especially Urkel, (and I am particularly appalled that he bullied his young costar back then AND made fun of her performance so many years late)r.

However, since neither of us have ever met nor had anything to do with whoever was in charge of the Emmys, IMO one can't say for certain that the 'Family Matters' cast not being invited is "not an example of racism." I mean, for we know, that COULD have been the Emmy folks' MO but short of them actually saying "Yeah, we didn't invite the 'Family Matters' cast because we didn't want them around since they are African-Americans" there's no way to definitively prove or disprove that their motive could have been due to racism.

I think it would be fairer to say 'As far as we know, their lack of invites may or may not have been an example of racism'.

Remember, there's more than one way to skin a cat!

^^^ I second this. There are plenty of other reasons out there besides prejudice why certain things do not take place.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

I'm NOT a fan of Mr. White nor, especially Urkel, (and I am particularly appalled that he bullied his young costar back then AND made fun of her performance so many years late)r.

However, since neither of us have ever met nor had anything to do with whoever was in charge of the Emmys, IMO one can't say for certain that the 'Family Matters' cast not being invited is "not an example of racism." I mean, for we know, that COULD have been the Emmy folks' MO but short of them actually saying "Yeah, we didn't invite the 'Family Matters' cast because we didn't want them around since they are African-Americans" there's no way to definitively prove or disprove that their motive could have been due to racism.

I think it would be fairer to say 'As far as we know, their lack of invites may or may not have been an example of racism'.

Remember, there's more than one way to skin a cat!

All good points!

To play devil's advocate a bit, I wouldn't be so quick to suggest that there was absolutely a discrimination element to play so much that Family Matters to borrow from a bit from one-time Laverne and Shirley writer Winifred Harvey (https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/winifred-hervey?clip=28175#show-clips), wasn't considered a "cool enough" of a show.

Family Matters was almost a borderline kids show but not something that you wouldn't feel inherently embarrassed to like if you were an older kid (i.e. above the age of 13) when compared to something decidedly "edgier" like Boy Meets World or Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

I don't think that shows that came from the Miller-Boyett factory like Family Matters and Laverne and Shirley were ever critically acclaimed.

To play devil's advocate a bit, I wouldn't be so quick to suggest that there was absolutely a discrimination element to play so much that Family Matters to borrow from a bit from one-time Laverne and Shirley writer Winifred Harvey, wasn't considered a "cool enough" of a show.

Family Matters was almost a borderline kids show but not something that you wouldn't feel inherently embarrassed to like if you were an older kid (i.e. above the age of 13) when compared to something decidedly "edgier" like Boy Meets World or Sabrina the Teenage Witch.

I don't think that shows that came from the Miller-Boyett factory like Family Matters and Laverne and Shirley were ever critically acclaimed.

Yeah, the later seasons of Family Matters were slapstick comedy one step down from Three's Company. People wouldn't invite Bozo the Clown to present at the Emmys; why would they invite Urkel/Urkelbot/Myrtle Urkel?

I think that Darius McCrary hit the nail on the head on Vice TV's Dark Side of the Ring when he said that Family Matters at the end of the day, was a show that just seemed "too white" to be embraced and honored at something like the BET Awards but it was also probably "too black" to be acknowledged by the Emmy Awards.