In the lineage of great character actors, before there was Tony Soprano there was Steve Urkel. Like anyone who grew up in the late 80s and early 90s, Urkel and Family Matters was a distinct and beloved part of my childhood. Alas, we all grow up and now Jaleel White is in his mid 30s and the host of SyFy game show Total Blackout. Yes, SyFy has game shows and not just awesomely terrible original movies with wildly over-the-top CGI graphics and horrible acting.
He's also apparently a big fantasy football fan, tweeting the following message of support to New England Patriots TE Jake Ballard. In case you haven't noticed, the Patriots have some, let's say, uncertainty at their TE position for the coming season. It's not too often you see a famous character actor tweet a third string tight end, but these are the times in which we live. It's a charming, if not peculiar example of this social media age.
USA Today's Mike Garafolo found it amusing saying we've now reached "ridiculous offsesaon levels" in that period of late June when anything will pass for NFL news and White didn't appreciate that feedback. Somehow, that sparked a brief Twitter spat between Urkel and a national NFL writer…
#lifehappens @TheJakeBallard It's becoming obvious to some you could be in for a monster year sir #notthatiplayfantasyoranything #first
— Jaleel White (@jaleelwhite) June 19, 2013
Wait, what just happened here? RT @TheJakeBallard: “@jaleelwhite: @TheJakeBallard becoming obvious you could be in for a monster year sir"
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 19, 2013
6/19/13 3:47 pm: Jake Ballard retweets Steve Urkel telling him he'll have a big year. We've officially reached ridiculous offseason levels.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 19, 2013
Hey Bruh don't be an ass @MikeGarafolo Do ur job & maybe get some #rogaine for that head of urs. Jake's a solid talent ✌@espn
— Jaleel White (@jaleelwhite) June 19, 2013
I stand corrected. NOW it's ridiculous. RT @jaleelwhite: don't be an ass @MikeGarafolo Do ur job & maybe get some #rogaine for that head
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 19, 2013
don't be a bitch and edit my tweets either media guy @MikeGarafolo just retweet it, it'll get your swag up
While not quite officially reaching Twitter War status, this spat falls just below the surreal nature of Mike Florio getting smacked down by the Jaguars mascot. Maybe Garafolo could have been a bit clearer with the context of his remark, but geez… who knew Urkel was so sensitive? For that matter, Garafolo didn't even change the content of what White wrote with his retweet. Does Jaleel White get this fired up when anyone chooses to add a comment to an RT of his? Do people who RT Jaleel White suddenly get infused with magical Urkel Swag?
The ironic thing in all of this is that Garafolo and White actually agree on Ballard's capabilities, which makes this whole argument completely and utterly pointless, except to see Urkel be a jerk to an NFL writer on Twitter. Garafolo handled it well, although he could've at least tried to make a comeback involving Laura Winslow.
Maybe he doesn't take too kindly to being referred to as Steve Urkel anymore. Such is the curse of the great character actors.
H/T Adam Klug
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