You remember Steve Urkel. Everyone does. The high-water pants, the snort-laugh, the "Did I do that?" catchphrase that basically defined TGIF on ABC for a decade. But honestly, if you dig a little deeper into the Winslow family lore, there’s a character who weirdly explains everything about Jaleel White’s range as an actor.
Enter Myrtle Urkel.
She wasn't just a gimmick. Well, okay, she was totally a gimmick. But she was a specific kind of 90s sitcom trope that actually worked. Myrtle Mae Urkel was Steve’s cousin from Biloxi, Mississippi, and her appearances on Family Matters shifted the energy of the show every single time she stepped through the door. While Steve spent years pining for Laura Winslow, Myrtle arrived with a singular, terrifyingly focused mission: to make Eddie Winslow her husband.
It was chaotic. It was loud. It was honestly a bit surreal.
Why Myrtle Urkel was the Ultimate TV Curveball
Most people forget that Myrtle didn't show up until season seven. By that point, the show was leaning hard into the "Urkel-verse." We already had Stefan Urquelle, the smooth, suave version of Steve created by a transformation chamber. But Myrtle was different because she wasn't a science experiment. She was just... family.
Jaleel White played her in full drag, and he didn't half-step. He leaned into the high-pitched Southern drawl and the aggressive hospitality.
Think about the physical comedy required here. White was already playing the most famous nerd in television history. To then layer on a Southern belle persona—complete with massive hats, floral prints, and a pursuit of Eddie that bordered on a contact sport—showed a level of commitment you don't see in modern multi-cam sitcoms anymore.
Eddie Winslow, played by Darius McCrary, was usually the cool guy. He was the jock, the ladies' man, the guy who mostly stayed out of the way of Steve’s gadgets. When Myrtle showed up, that dynamic flipped. He became the prey. It gave McCrary a chance to play "the victim" in a way that was actually funny because Myrtle was so relentlessly sweet and deeply delusional about their "romance."
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The Biloxi Connection and the Southern Belle Trope
Myrtle was a walking stereotype of a Mississippi debutante, but she was filtered through the lens of a Chicago sitcom. She represented the "country cousin" trope that was popular in Black television at the time. You saw it in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin.
Her first appearance in the episode "She's Back" set the tone. She didn't just walk in; she arrived like a hurricane.
The writers used Myrtle to bridge the gap between Steve’s nerdiness and a different kind of social awkwardness. Steve was awkward because he was brilliant and clumsy. Myrtle was awkward because she had zero boundaries and an outdated sense of Southern charm.
- She called him "Edward."
- She offered him "supper."
- She completely ignored his "no" as if it were a suggestion.
Honestly, it’s a bit weird looking back at it now. The "aggressive female pursuer" trope hasn't aged perfectly, but in the context of 1990s TV, it was the perfect foil to Steve’s pursuit of Laura. It showed Steve what he looked like from the other side.
Did he learn anything? Not really. But we got some great episodes out of it.
The Transformation of Jaleel White
We have to talk about the acting. Jaleel White has been very vocal over the years about how exhausting it was to play Steve Urkel. The voice alone was a strain. Then you add Stefan. Then you add Myrtle.
Playing Myrtle required a different physicality. She wasn't just Steve in a dress. She moved differently. She had a distinct sashay. White once mentioned in interviews that playing these multiple characters was his way of proving he was more than just a kid in suspenders. He wanted to be a character actor.
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If you watch the episodes where Steve and Myrtle are on screen at the same time, the technical work is impressive for a 90s sitcom recorded in front of a live audience. They used body doubles and split-screen effects that were pretty advanced for a weekly show.
There's a specific charm in the "Myrtle episodes." They usually happened around big events—weddings, parties, or the holidays. She was a disruptor. Just when the Winslows thought they had a handle on the chaos, Myrtle would roll in with a trunk full of lace and a thirst for Eddie that could not be quenched.
Why We Still Talk About These "Bit" Characters
In the era of streaming, we tend to binge shows and forget the "flavor of the week" characters. But Myrtle Urkel stuck.
She stuck because she represented the peak of the show’s absurdity. Family Matters started as a grounded spin-off of Perfect Strangers. It was about a middle-class cop and his family. By the time Myrtle was a regular guest, the show had time machines, teleportation devices, and Jaleel White playing half the cast.
It was a live-action cartoon.
And you know what? It worked. The ratings stayed high because people wanted to see what Jaleel would do next. Myrtle was the proof that the show had completely surrendered to the Urkel phenomenon.
What People Get Wrong About Myrtle
A lot of fans think Myrtle was in the show from the beginning. She wasn't. She only appeared in a handful of episodes—specifically nine across the last three seasons.
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Her impact was just so outsized that she feels like a bigger part of the show's DNA than she actually was. This is the "Mandela Effect" of sitcoms. We remember the big hats and the "Edward!" scream so vividly that we assume she was there for the whole ride.
She was also the centerpiece of some of the show's most "meta" moments. In the later seasons, the writers started poking fun at the fact that everyone looked exactly like Steve. It was a self-aware nod to the audience. We were all in on the joke.
The Real Legacy of the Urkel Family Tree
If you’re looking to revisit the best Myrtle moments, you have to watch season 9, episode 8, "Deck the Halls." It’s a classic example of how she could derail a holiday plotline.
What’s fascinating is that despite her obsession with Eddie, Myrtle actually had a heart of gold. She wasn't a villain. She was just a girl who knew what she wanted. In a weird way, she was the most confident character on the show. She never doubted her beauty or her charm, even when everyone else was staring at her in confusion.
That’s the beauty of 90s TV. It didn't have to make sense. It just had to be funny.
Actionable Takeaways for the Nostalgic Fan
If you're going back to watch these episodes on Max or whatever platform has them now, keep an eye out for a few things:
- Watch the background characters. The reactions from the rest of the Winslow family (especially Reginald VelJohnson) are gold. They aren't just acting; they look genuinely exhausted by the chaos.
- Look for the seams. Try to spot the body double when Steve and Myrtle are in the same frame. It’s a fun game to see how they pulled off the camera tricks.
- Appreciate the costume design. The wardrobe team for Family Matters went all out for Myrtle. The patterns, the hats, and the accessories are a masterclass in "Southern Belle Overload."
- Listen to the audience. The live audience reactions when Myrtle enters are noticeably different from when Steve enters. There’s a mix of "Oh no" and genuine delight.
Myrtle Mae Urkel might have been a late addition to the cast, but she was the exclamation point on Jaleel White’s legendary run. She reminded us that as weird as Steve was, there was always someone weirder just a bus ride away in Mississippi.
The next time you see a pair of oversized glasses or hear a Southern drawl on a sitcom, remember Myrtle. She did it first, she did it loudest, and she did it all for the love of Edward.