Jaleel White Ignores his ‘Jerkel’ Nickname

Jaleel White feels his fans are intelligent enough to judge him not by the recent tabloid headlines but by his tango and abilities.

He again spoke against reports about his involvement in a tirade against his
Dancing with the Stars partner Kym Johnson during rehearsal and said that he and his partner are “having a ball.”

During an interview, Jaleel White said, “My relationship with Kym should speak for itself in [terms of] ... what’s going on on the dance floor.”
Jaleel White is the former Family Matters star and he is 35 years old.

He also said that he has ignored people who’ve nicknamed him “Jerkel” that has been derived from his Family Matters character name Steve Urkel.

“I didn’t even know [about the nickname],” he says. “I’ve stayed offline. I don’t think that’s what people are saying. That’s what certain websites or comments boards are coming up with for fodder, and it will pass.”

White has successfully reduced his weight by 12 lbs since the season began.

Instead of getting disturbed about the nickname, he is concentration more over the preparation for the next week’s rock-themed episode. In this upcoming episode, Jaleel White will be channeling Mick Jagger in a tango. However, he feels that mastering the moves isn’t the hardest part about competing in the dancing competition.

“The toughest thing about the show is having a camera on you five hours a day, capturing your every move, except going to the bathroom,” he says. “I ask anybody to imagine how you’d feel learning something you’ve never done and have to present to the whole country.”

At present, he is also focused on finding precious time to spent with his 2½-year-old daughter, Samaya, who learned how to quickstep with Johnson.

“I think intelligent people know who I am,” he says.