Between the ages of 12 and 21, people do some serious changing. Jaleel White, the actor who played Steve Urkel on Family Matters, was no different. By the time the ABC sitcom was wrapping up, there was no getting around that White was a man. Wardrobe ...

The Family Matters legend speaks to VF about the hard lessons, difficult relationships—with figures from Les Moonves to Bill Cosby—and silver linings of being a young icon.