Jaleel White Recalls Prince Booting Him Out Of His Table At A Keyshia Cole Concert

The name Jaleel White may not ring memories for a younger generation, but there are millions of people who tuned in every week once upon a time to watch him portray his iconic character of Steve Urkel. The world’s favorite 1990s nerd became a cultural phenomenon during those Family Matters days, but now the child actor is a grown man with a family of his own.

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Jaleel recently sat down with Fox Soul for their series One on One with Keyshia Cole, and during their chat, Jaleel shared a few memories he had with his longtime friend. While complimenting Keyshia on her “street-savvy” and knowing how to read a person’s character better than others, Jaleel recounted a story of when Prince “punked” him for his V.I.P. table at one of Keyshia’s concerts.

“Keyshia performed at the House of Blues and I came to see her and I was a guest at her table,” Jaleel said. “This was… House of Blues doesn’t even exist no more, right? This was the second level, that was the V.I.P. level and it was dead center and you know the artist can see you. This woman came and tapped me on my shoulder and was just like, ‘Um, yes, um, can I have a favor out of you, um, Prince would like your table.”

Jaleel was confused because there was “plenty of space at our table” so the actor didn’t know why he had to move. He asked where he would have to relocate to and it was the next table over just a foot away. When Jaleel asked if Prince could sit at that table, he was told Prince “has a preference for your table.” Eventually, Jaleel decided to give up his seat and let the Purple Rain icon “punk” him out of his section because he didn’t want to disrupt a potential opportunity for Keyshia.

It didn’t go unnoticed because as soon as Jaleel saw her backstage she said, “Ay, Prince was up there? What he want?” Check out his full episode below.