Jaleel White Breaks Down on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Jaleel White, 35-year-old actor best known for playing Steve Urkel on the 90s sitcom "Family Matters," recently had an emotional breakdown on his current show "Dancing With the Stars."
White began to cry on Monday night's episode of the show after he was asked about the most defining moment in his life. The former "Family Matters" actor credited the transformation of the show's character Steve Urkel into a charming alter-ego Stefan Urquelle for giving him an important moment.
"Playing Stefan Urquelle was life-changing for me. I was apprehensive about playing Stefan, but the executive producers saw in me the man I hadn't become yet," said White, who was 19 at the time. "It introduced a new side to me. After I played that character, people started treating me differently. When I played Stefan Urquelle, I showed people there was more to me to offer."
White and his partner Kym Johnson danced to a song that was featured in White's former show, Babyface's "For the Cool in You." After the performance, tears came for White who was grateful for a chance to redefine himself.
"I love entertaining people," White said through tears. "And I have been since I was three. I just wanted to complete this week."
Despite his tearful performance, White reportedly had issues with Johnson before the show aired on Monday night. After White stepped on Johnson's foot, Perez Hilton reported that the actor had words for his partner that left her in tears.
"Now he says he refuses to go back to the rehearsal studio again, that he wants his own rehearsal space elsewhere," a source told Hilton. "It was a huge fiasco that went down. A total mess."
Still, White managed to thank his partner through his tears.
"Kim has been strong for me all week," White said of his partner.
The pair received a score of 25/30 after judges told them that they did a good job, although White was a bit still. White and Johnson are now tied with Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd along with partners Roshon Fegan and Chelsie Hightower.
