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“Family Matters” is one of the most iconic Black sitcoms of all time, and the star character, nerdy neighbor turned love interest Steve Urkel, kept us falling out in laughter from 1989 all the way to 1998. But now that almost 30 years have passed since the show’s end, Jaleel White, who played Urkel, is telling his story about how the character changed his life in a new memoir called “Growing Up Urkel.”

In an except from the memoir— set to be released on Nov. 19, 2024— White said by the show’s eighth season, the executives needed to switch up Urkel’s look, reported The Sun. With the tight jeans, funky suspenders, and iconic “Did I do that?” catchphrase, White was slowly growing up and out of the character. To account for this, the executives said “Let’s get rid of the suspenders. Lower his pants, too,” White wrote.

And the most hilarious part of it all? At the time of the changes, White was 20 years old, so of course every part of him was growing…. and we mean every part. The executives reportedly said “Oh and…It’s getting a bit uncomfortable watching him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh…bulge.”

White, who was in college at the time, said he was literally “peeling” himself out of denim “like a banana.” He also said because of the show’s success, the execs were doing everything just to keep it on air. But although fans of the show were more than happy for the sitcom to continue running, keeping up with his character meant White had to make some sacrifices and suffer some consequences.

In fact, White said in his memoir voicing Urkel was “physically painful.” The high-pitched, nasally voice was easier for White when he was 13-years-old at the start of the show, but by 22 years old— the show’s end— White’s voice had drastically lowered, making that iconic voice that much harder to accomplish.

While speaking at 90s Con 2024, White said he even damaged his real voice for years because of it. “I spoke to a doctor,” he said. “What happened is during puberty I spoke at the same pitch for extended periods of time. If the pitch had been going all over the place I wouldn’t have damaged it quite as much.”

Despite the troubles and sacrifices, White has always said he “wouldn’t do anything differently. It was a great experience and it was a small sacrifice to make for one hell of a legacy.”