Why Jaleel White Cries on Dancing With The Stars

Jaleel White broke down into tears on the Dancing With the Stars episode that aired April 2nd.

White is best known for his role as geeky teenager Steve Urkel in the '90s television show Family Matters. Now, in Season 14 of DWTS, White found himself caught up in emotions following his dance with his two-time dance champion partner Kym Johnson.

White, clothed in all-white suit, confidently danced the rumba with Johnson. Following the judge's remarks, when White stood in the backstage area to receive his scores, he began to cry.

White composed himself enough to explain that he likes to entertain people and has been doing so since the age of three. He also told host Brooke Burke that he really wanted to get through the week.

Many of the Dancing With The Stars episodes have themes for the performed dances that link each pair together in some way. The April 2nd episode featured details about a year that each celebrity in the cast chose to be a defining period in his or her life.

In the video footage proceding his dance, Jaleel White described his defining year. He explained that when he starred on Family Matters he was asked by the show's producers to take on a second character named Stefan Urquelle. This character was the alter ego to his character Steve Urkel. Urquelle was more suave than clumsy Steve Urkel and not dressed in ridiculous clothes like high-wasted pants with suspenders.

In the DWTS video, White explained that back then he was nervous to show a new side of himself to viewers. White also explained that following the appearance of Stefan Urquelle, the show's viewers began to react to him differently. He also began to see himself differently. He received more attention from female viewers; his image and sense of self improved.

White was likely caught up in the emotion of the dance, which he executed very well with partner Johnson. The pair received a total score of 26 out of 30 from the three judges. White was obviously reminded of the life-changing year as he danced the routine; this point is inferred given the words he spoke to Burke.

White was probably also under a large amount of stress. Doing well and receiving good scores from the judges helps the celebrities to stay longer on the show. If the scores are high then home television viewers are more likely to vote for the celebrity. White wanted to impress, and that he did.

White has likely not hurt his reputation by crying during the episode. If anything alters with his image following the episode, it will be a positive change. By crying, White shows he is in touch with his emotions and that he considered his time on Family Matters to be a large part of his growth into becoming a man. With his well-executed dance, Jaleel White has indeed outgrown the clutzy movements of his former role of Steve Urkel.