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The treatment of child stars has been a hot topic lately. One of TV’s most famous child stars, Jaleel White, is shedding light on the details of his experience in his new memoir, “Growing Up Urkel.”

The “Family Matters” star revealed several surprising stories about his time on the popular ABC comedy, as well as his life in the spotlight and his relationships with his former co-stars. Keep in mind that like most memoirs, these stories are all from White’s point of view, so it’s up to you how you feel about them.

His promotional tour has provided shocking insight into the behind-the-scenes drama on the series. To save you a little time and internet searching, we’ve gathered some of the most surprising revelations from Jaleel White’s “Growing Up Urkel.”

He Almost Played ‘The Cosby Show’s’ Rudy

During an interview with “The Breakfast Club,” he discussed how the role of Rudy came down to him and Keisha Knight Pulliam, hinting that Bill Cosby wanted the character to be a girl, while the network wanted a boy. Losing out on the role when he was just seven-years-old devastated him, but obviously, everything worked out for the best.

His Urkel Costume Needed Adjustments

Growing up in front of the whole world comes with some unexpected challenges. For White, that involved his wardrobe. With the show in its eighth season, network executives needed to find a way to hide some of the more mature aspects of his body. They switched the character from jeans to khakis and eliminated his suspenders.

White writes in the book that execs reportedly said, “Oh and…It’s getting a bit uncomfortable watching him in tight jeans. There’s a, uh…bulge.”

Being Steve Urkel Took a Physical Toll on Him

In addition to the longterm damage that the character’s nasally voice did to his own vocal chords, White also suffered through the constant bruises caused by Steve’s physical comedy craziness.

He also couldn’t change his look up, as he had to maintain the character’s nerdy teen appeal. Even as he hit his early ‘20s in the series’ final seasons.

He and Will Smith Had a Falling Out

White pitched an idea to Will Smith’s production company, but things ended up not working out. Apparently, this strained their relationship and the Urkel actor didn’t have the courage to call the rapper/actor and fix things.

“Will was becoming such a big star, so fast, that I didn’t have the nerve to call his phone myself months later and ask, ‘Hey, man, why’d you fire your head of TV? My agent said there was no deal to be made. They’re offering me this show at UPN and I know in my heart this premise is weaker than ours.’”

Now that he’s older, he sees things differently and writes about how he always saw the Oscar winner’s potential for superstardom.

His Infamous Feud With Jo-Marie Payton

Jo-Marie Payton left the role of Harriette Winslow in “Family Matters’” final season after she and White allegedly almost got into a fight. In recent years, she’s expressed a desire to move on from the incident and he once again denied that it ever happened on “The Breakfast Club.” In the book, he addresses rumors that he was “difficult,” while also noting that Payton was frequently tardy. He even mentions a time that she was late for a table read because she had car trouble and had to switch vehicles.

“Whenever I hear in interviews, thirty years after the fact, the different ways in which I might have been a difficult costar, it’s safe to say I never held up any table readings because I had to go back home and get my other Mercedes,” he writes in the memoir.

It’s safe to say these two may not be able to get past their differences and find a path to a reunion.

He’s Still Friends With Darius McCrary and Kellie Williams

Since they grew up together and went through puberty together, White is still close friends with former co-stars Darius McCrary and Kellie Williams. They keep their hangouts low key so they don’t get mobbed by fans, but they were two people that he definitely checked in with as he was revealing certain stories in the book.

“The general public is always going to see Steve, Carl and Laura as the triumvirate. For me, I’m always going to see me, Kellie and Darius as the triumvirate that was our childhood,” White told Us Weekly. “We were very much linked to each other in adolescence and in our puberty years. So I don’t really need to talk to anybody beyond those two and Bryton McClure.”

If you’re curious about the rest of White’s “Family Matters” secrets, “Growing Up Urkel: is out now.