A fresh wave of “Family Matters” nostalgia is sweeping the streaming world, as cast members Telma Hopkins and Kellie Williams retell stories and fun memories that kept one of television’s most beloved sitcoms running week after week.
The duo often gives flashbacks on their “Welcome to the Family with Telma and Kellie” rewatch podcast, where they revisit the show episode by episode, blending humor with behind-the-scenes context fans never saw. Such as the aftermath of Hopkins and Jaleel White’s dangerous fall on set.
They recently spoke about episode 14 titled “Baker’s Dozen” from season 1 of “Family Matters,” where Hopkins revealed a tragic accident on set that few, including Robinson and other cast members of the show, knew about.
While discussing, Hopkins casually mentioned a comedic moment that led to a serious injury and required surgery. “Boy that food fight was fun,” said Hopkins about the episode.
As Williams listens in disbelief, her co-star explains how a scene involving slick floors, dough, and safety mats went wrong.
“You know all that tart dough we had all over the mats and all that? Steve, I mean, Jaleel slipped and fell, and somehow when he fell, I hit him and went over him— but on all fours, managed to miss all of those mats and landed on the cement,” the former Tony Orlando and Dawn member recalled.
The slip-up from Jaleel White, who played Steve Urkel, did more damage than anyone knew and resulted in Hopkins tearing her meniscus and going straight to the doctor once filming wrapped.
Her knees swelled so badly, she joked, “My knees looked like I was smuggling grapefruits.”
Thankfully, she ended up not having surgery after meeting someone who had the surgery previously and warned her against it for being so young. “For your craft, you’ve sacrificed your body,” said Kellie. “And we appreciate it so much.”
The “Baker’s Dozen” episode aired during season 1 on Jan. 12, 1990, and centered on the Winslow family racing to fulfill a massive lemon tart order in under 48 hours. Long hours, constant movement, and an extended food fight sequence made the shoot physically exhausting, all in service of the chaotic energy that defined early “Family Matters.”
White’s involvement in the episode wasn’t even part of the original plan. According to the show’s fan site, Urkel wasn’t even written into the storyline, but once White arrived on set the writers worked him in because, as many would later realize, he was the show’s biggest star.
When the podcast clip discussing Hopkins’ fall was shared on Instagram, reactions were immediate and took aim at the four-eyed suspenders wearer.
One commenter wrote, “Ouch…I def blame Steve for that.”
Another added, “Steve/Jaleel was a problem in character and off character
A third leaned into the show’s legacy, writing, “That was a so Steve moment… ‘Did I do that!’”
One comment took a sharper turn: “Steve/Jaleel was a problem in character and off character.”
Those responses echo broader conversations that have followed White in recent years.
In September 2024, he spoke publicly about his own trauma on set. He shared that performing Urkel’s high-pitched voice damaged his vocal cords during puberty, describing it as a sacrifice tied to the role.
A few months later, while promoting his memoir “Growing Up Urkel,” White revisited long-standing on-set tensions and acknowledged that his rapid rise reshaped cast dynamics in ways that weren’t always comfortable. All of a sudden, the kid was the most important cast member, and some of the adults, who had already been stars, didn’t fully appreciate that evolution.
Decades later, “Family Matters” continues to live on through reruns, ’90s conventions, and now podcasts that give its cast space to speak freely, without scripts or studio notes. The affection for the show remains intact, but the nostalgia is becoming fuller and more honest.
And as these stories resurface, it’s clear that some of the messiest moments from the Winslow kitchen didn’t fade when the laughter stopped — they simply waited for the right time to be told.
