NEED TO KNOW
- Jaleel White is celebrating his daughter Samaya’s sweet 16
- The ‘Family Matters’ alum shared a series of throwback photos in honor of his daughter’s big day
- White shares Samaya with ex Bridget Hardy
Jaleel White’s daughter is celebrating her sweet 16!
The Family Matters alum, 48, shared a series of photos on Instagram on Thursday, Aug. 14, in honor of his daughter Samaya’s 16th birthday. White, who shares his daughter with ex-girlfriend Bridget Hardy, included one snap of the father-daughter duo on Samaya’s big day.
The actor could be seen wearing a T-shirt with vintage cars on it, posing next to his teenage daughter, who smiled and held up balloons that read “Happy Birthday.” He also included photos of Samaya from throughout the years, including ones of them skiing and celebrating her 11th birthday.
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“Welp… that came speedy 🤷🏽♂️😢 a certain one and only daughter of mine turned 16 today 🎂,” White wrote in his caption.
“I thank your soul daily for choosing me to be your chief provider and protector. For all that you’ve done to raise my consciousness you owe me nothing, Sweetie,” he continued. “My heart is full ♥️ The greatest gift you can bestow upon me from this moment on is staying mindful to become the absolute best version of YOU 🫵.”
“I hope ur smiling from ear to ear all day long, HAPPY SWEET 16, BABYGIRL 🎉 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉.”
Although White is well-known for playing Steve Urkel on the ‘90s sitcom Family Matters, the actor has shared that he wants to keep acting for his daughter. In an interview with Fox News in September 2019, the actor mentioned that he continues to take jobs to set a good example for Samaya,
“You get different motivating factors in your life, period. I think my biggest motivating factor right today is my daughter,” he said. “You got to provide an example for your kids. They series you more than they listen to you.”
White added, “So, she sees me go to work, she sees me continuing to act, continue to endeavor, staying up late nights, writing, taking pitch meetings, traveling for my job. And those are the things that are going to instill a work ethic in her. So, I got to be her inspiration right today. And that’s one of the things that keeps me steadfast.”
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