JoMarie Payton tells the shocking story about her former co-star during their time filming 90s comedy Family Matters.
During a recent interview, the legendary actress who played Harriet Winslow for nine seasons discusses the time when Jaleel White allegedly wanted to fight her while on set. Payton recalls that the incident happened during the taping of the Season 9 Episode 10, “Original Gangsta Dawg.”
According to her, White wanted to change something within one of the scenes, but she knew that it wouldn’t go past the station’s standards and practices.
“There was something that he wanted to do and I said ‘We can’t do that, standards and practices will not let that pass. It’s not gonna happen.’ He wanted to do it anyway,” Payton said. “He was so mad, he started kicking and screaming and stuff.”
She also stated that things escalated quickly from there which caused her to walk off the set, while White was mumbling things under his breath.
“He said something about, ‘She must want to melee.’ I said, ‘What’s a melee?’ He said, ‘a fight.’ I turned around- if he wanna fight, I would,” she said in the interview. She said if co-star and tv son, Darius McCrary didn’t pull her away she was “gonna whip his behind.”
What are your thoughts on this incident?