Jaleel White is probably most well-known for playing quirky neighbor Steve Urkel on “Family Matters,” but the actor recently gave fans a look at one of his (short-lived) roles from before that iconic character ever came to be.
On Tuesday, August 11, 2026, White took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of himself dressed in a military-esque uniform and standing next to a young girl. While the photo may have looked like a random childhood acting memory at first, fans quickly recognized the young actress standing beside him.
White captioned the post:
“Shout out to the Pittsburgh fan who shared this photo with me from the 1988 ABC pilot ‘Cadets.’ 🤯 Who is the actress to my left who was the star of this pilot?”
The answer? None other than Soleil Moon Frye, the actress who rose to fame as the title character in 1984’s “Punky Brewster.”
Yep, this is one of those random television throwbacks that somehow manages to connect two very recognizable faces from the ’90s before either one had reached their biggest roles.
Jaleel White & Soleil Moon Frye in ‘Cadets’
“Cadets” was an ABC sitcom that never got picked up by the network for a full series. Frye starred as Tyler McKay, while White played Cadet Nicholls. The pilot also featured Richard Roundtree, William Sadler, and Corin Nemec. Luckily, for those around to see it (or willing to dig up the old footage) that single pilot episode did run as a “summer special” on September 25, 1988, essentially becoming a TV movie.
According to Vincent Terrace’s “Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010,” the show synopsis read:
“Spunky, immature 13-year-old Tyler McKay has grown up in various public institutions after being abandoned as a small child in the big city. Her guardians decide to enroll her at a very strict, regimental military academy known as Appomattox, which has just begun to accept girls.”
Let’s be real, seeing White and Frye together in a project that most fans probably never knew existed makes this throwback even more fun.
Fans Can’t Get Over This Throwback Photo
The photo also prompted plenty of reactions from fans, many of whom seemed just as surprised to see the two future television stars together.
One fan wrote:
“This randomly came up on my YouTube feed a few weeks ago! I was like “what is THIS??” And I watched the pilot! Actually enjoyed it!”
Another commented:
“Punky Brewster and Steve Urkel. Who would’ve thought anyone of us would see something like this?”
One fan explained that they were at the convention (Steel City Con) when he saw the photo, writing:
“My daughter and I were next in line, seeing your reaction to this photo was priceless 😂”
After another fan asked asked about his reaction, they added:
“Big, full body laughter, on the verge of tears, took him a few minutes to recover. Immediately took this picture of it and said he was texting it to Soleil. Said it made his whole day and just completely blown away someone found it ❤”
Other fans remembered the pilot, with one writing:
“Maaaaan, I don’t think I’ve seen this since then”
And another joked:
“D*mn, we got robbed! This should have gone to full production!”
The Following Year, Jaleel White Became Steve Urkel
While “Cadets” never made it past its pilot, White’s career was about to change in a major way.
In 1989, “Family Matters” premiered on ABC, introducing audiences to the Winslow family and, eventually, their unforgettable neighbor Steve Urkel. The sitcom ran for nine seasons from 1989 to 1998, spending its first eight seasons on ABC before moving to CBS for its ninth and final season.
White’s character was originally supposed to be a one-off appearance, but according to Rolling Stone:
“13-year-old Jaleel White left such a strong impression with the audience during his few minutes onscreen as Steve Urkel that he was quickly written into the following episode. When the second season rolled out, White was added to the main cast.”
And honestly, it is pretty remarkable to look back at a photo from 1988 and know that just one year later, White would land the role that would define his career for an entire generation of television viewers.
White went on to reprise his role as Steve Urkel in appearances on “Full House” (1991) and “Step by Step” (1991; 1997), as well as later projects including “Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?” (2019) and “Urkel Saves Santa: The Movie!” (2023).
Jaleel White Has Continued Acting
Of course, White’s career didn’t end with “Family Matters.”
He went on to appear in “Sonic the Hedgehog” (1993), “Grown Ups” (1999), “Big Fat Liar” (2002), “Dreamgirls” (2006), “Who Made the Potato Salad?” (2006), and “Me, Myself and I” (2017), showing fans he could tackle everything from animation and comedy to drama.
In 2024, he appeared in projects including “Beyond the Likes,” “Grubbs” and “Skeleton Crew.” He also joined an impressive group of ’90s television stars for “Good Will Dunkin’,” Dunkin’s 2026 Super Bowl commercial (seen below), which brought together White, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Jason Alexander, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jasmine Guy, and Ted Danson.
White’s latest throwback is a great reminder that actors can have fascinating careers long before audiences discover the role that makes them household names.
And it seems like fans certainly appreciated getting this unexpected glimpse into White’s pre-Urkel days. Between seeing a young Jaleel White alongside a young Soleil Moon Frye and hearing about his genuine reaction to the long-forgotten photo, this is one piece of television history that was definitely worth bringing back into the spotlight.
