Jamie Lee Curtis has been in Hollywood long enough to know what it’s like to be recognized.
But in a moment of role reversal, the Oscar-winning actress admitted she once found herself completely starstruck—and the story is as unexpected as it gets.
During her September 4 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Freaky Friday star couldn’t contain her laughter while playing Colbert’s “Questionert” segment.
When asked if she had ever asked another celebrity for an autograph, Curtis tried to answer through tears of laughter before blurting out the name: “Urkel.”
She was, of course, referring to Jaleel White’s beloved sitcom character from Family Matters. Curtis explained that she had been with her child at the time, and White was kind enough to sign. “I have it in her scrapbook,” she told Colbert proudly. The host responded, “That’s a nice mom,” to which Curtis, still giggling, declared, “I’m a nice mom!”
The revelation quickly made its way back to White, who responded with his own story on the Everybody Lurks podcast.
Watching the clip of Curtis retelling the autograph moment, he laughed: “Gets funnier when you keep watching it. How could I forget signing an autograph for Jamie Lee Curtis?”
White recalled that Curtis was starring on ABC’s Anything But Love at the same time Family Matters was airing in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
“I remember, after I signed an autograph for her though, I only knew her as the lady with the big boobies from Trading Places,” he joked.
White later posted the clip on Instagram with the caption, “We never know who will remember us and why 😍 What a Freaky Friday 🤯,” tagging the podcast.
For Curtis, who starred alongside Richard Lewis in Anything But Love from 1989 to 1992 before going on to roles in True Lies, Halloween sequels, and her Oscar-winning turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once, the moment was a reminder that even A-listers get tongue-tied around TV legends.
And for White, it was proof that Steve Urkel’s suspenders and catchphrases had a reach far beyond Friday-night sitcom fans.