Not often do we get to see celebrities grow, mature, and blossom right before our eyes. But, some celebs became stars at a young age and we’ve been able to watch them become even bigger successes. Here are 14 black childhood stars then and now!

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Every actor wants that breakout role that will propel them into the mainstream stratosphere. However, finding that one perfect character can be a blessing and a curse for some actors as they can become typecast and find it difficult for lightning to strike twice. Not only are many asked to play similar characters for the rest of their careers, but even decades after taking on these roles, people still ask them to say memorable catchphrases or do famous dances. These are a few of the many stars who created iconic characters but never quite found the same success again because of said character.

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Jaleel White might have been awfully close to having a Chris Brown temper tantrum at ABC Studios the way he went off during his “Dancing with the Stars” rehearsal last Friday. According to an insider account given to US Magazine, Jaleel “flipped out” after he accidentally stepped on his partner, Kym Johnson’s foot. When Kym exclaimed “ouch” over the mistake, Jaleel reportedly “got in her face,” and called her out for “acting like a baby . . . He was shouting at her, calling her an ‘idiot.’”

Things got so bad that Kym supposedly left the studio crying and fellow celeb competitor Donald Driver “tried to calm him down” while Jaleel “started going off on the producers and shouting about how they put him with a ‘stupid’ partner.” When Pro dancer Mark Ballas got involved that only escalated things and Jaleel reportedly said, “‘You remind me of that annoying sitcom neighbor who gets into everyone’s business!’” Jaleel was banned from the studios for the rest of the day but now he’s refusing to go back at all and wants his “own rehearsal space elsewhere.”

This outburst might seem totally random, but in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight, Jaleel sort of foreshadowed something like this could happen. He told them:

“I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable with the cameras there for the entirety of rehearsal … Yeah, [I'm comfortable with] a camera with a great script and ‘action’ and ‘cut’ is wonderful but when you have a camera there capturing your missteps and your frustrations, honestly sometimes you just want to punch the camera.”

Luckily he didn’t take it that far, but this news definitely doesn’t help his defense against allegations from his ex that he was verbally and physically abusive. A rep for Jaleel only had this to say about the incident: “[White and Kym Johnson] are getting along great. Watch tonight’s dance.”

That’s not exactly a denial that the flip out happened. Do you think Jaleel is just buckling under the pressure of the show or could he have anger issues?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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I swear whenever you make a comeback, somebody always tries to break you back down. Jaleel White’s ex-girlfriend and mother of his 2-year-old daughter, Bridget Hardy, has come out with some pretty harsh allegations against the child actor that I find to be a little suspect. I’m not saying they’re not true because I’m still clinging to Jaleel’s image as Urkel on “Family Matters,” but for one, she gave her “exclusive” story to Star magazine of all publications, and two, why are you suddenly breaking this news now? Oh, I know, because he’s on “Dancing with the Stars.”

Bridget told Star Jaleel was abusive, saying once when she confronted him about evidence she found of him cheating on his phone, like naked pictures and suggestive texts, “He hit me across the chest area.” In another incident, the fight was much more intense.

“He pushed me into the toilet, and it broke,” she said. “Water went everywhere, through the walls and even to the kitchen downstairs.”

Jaleel has strongly denied any wrongdoing and he hasn’t been given any domestic abuse charges but that hasn’t stopped Bridget from making more allegations about his emotional abuse and his infidelity.

“He told me I’m not working; I have no money; I’m white trash. None of it was true,” she said, before claiming he tried to bribe her into getting out of his life so he could “maintain his playboy image.”

“He texted me and offered me $200,000 to leave our daughter with him and have me go and start my own family. He basically tried to pay me off. I went home screaming and said, ‘We’re done.’”

Jaleel apparently took her words literally because Bridget said when she returned home with her daughter from a planned trip to Seattle she was locked out of the house she shared with him and all her belongings were in storage.

As for the million dollar question of why she’s speaking up now, Bridget said this:

“I was always protecting him and keeping quiet for him. I know he felt bad.”

I can pretty much guarantee he feels worse now. Who do you think is telling the truth in this situation?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Source: ticketsinventory.com

In my house, the general rule is that when ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” is on, my mother is unavailable. She won’t be taking any calls and she won’t hear you speaking to her. She’s all in. This season I know she’s going to be even harder to reach since her girl Gladys will join the show.

In addition to Gladys, daytime darling Sherri Shepard and child star Jaleel White will also join the cast.

See who else is going to be joining the show at theGrio.com. 

Are you a fan of DWTS? Are you more inclined to watch now that Gladys, Sherri and Jaleel are going to be on the show?

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Jaleel White, who will probably always be known for his role as Steve Urkel, spoke with “Vanity Fair” about his 31 year career.

The 34 year old Jaleel talked about his successes and rejections in the industry, including getting dissed by Bill Cosby and literally growing out of his Urkel role. Turns out White was supposed to be a Cosby kid…bet you can’t guess which one.

Check out the full story over at AOL’s Black Voices.