Family still Matters Melissa Hank
White puts his mother to the test in reality series
50 Ways To Kill Your Mum Debuts July 15, Visiontv
Jaleel White may have put his mother on a show called 50 Ways To Kill Your Mum — sending her careening through the desert in an off-road vehicle, and surrounding her with a swarm of bees — but family still matters to the Family Matters star. It’s just that, well, it’s funny to see the woman who raised you squealing in terror.
Based on the British series 50 Ways to Kill Your Mammy, the Canadian version of the show pairs celebrities with their moms for thrill-seeking adventures, all in the name of extreme bonding. It debuts July 15 on Visiontv, with other stars such as Annie Murphy (Schitt’s Creek), Jennie Garth (Beverly Hills, 90210) and Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight) in the mix. White’s episode airs Aug. 5.
“I’ve bungee-jumped from a crane in Greece. Safari — where you’re a jeep’s distance away from lions and tigers — I love that kind of stuff,” says the actor best known for playing über-nerd Steve Urkel.
“But when we went to amusement parks when I was a kid, my mom would be the first one to say, ‘Just because you’re tall enough doesn’t mean you have to do it!’”
To be fair, she had good reason to be cautious. White started acting in TV commercials at age 3 and debuted the breakout role of Steve Urkel on Family Matters at age 12. She became his manager, and Hollywood isn’t exactly known for being kind to child actors.
White has since appeared on such shows as Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, Castle, Bones and CSI (he jokes that at one point it was his goal to be on every procedural on TV). But looking back on his time on Family Matters, he sees the benefit of his mom’s parental guidance.
“What’s weird is that I find that time peaceful, and now is insane. People are like, ‘I want to hear about the drugs and drama.’ And I’m like, ‘That may have been going on around me, but it didn’t affect my home,’” he says. “And we didn’t have cellphones back then. You were the last person to know you were famous. Nowadays you have social media and a built-in audience waiting for you.”
At 42, White’s also looking to bond with his nine-year-old daughter — though maybe not by hanging out with her and 20,000 bees.
“I haven’t done anything super risk-taking with my daughter, just graduating in the ranks of roller-coasters. We haven’t gotten to the loops or big twists, but I think that’s coming soon,” he says.
Incidentally, White’s daughter is aware of his past on Family Matters, but watching Daddy is not her go-to.
“When she was young, my mom spent a whole weekend showing her episodes of my show,” he says. “She knows who Daddy is, and I think she considers me to be funny, but I’m her dad. She wants to watch Youtube and Disney Channel.”