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John P. Fleenor/Netflix

The Oldest Daughter On ‘Family Reunion’ Is Just Getting Started

by Esme Mazzeo
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Netflix's new sitcom Family Reunion is about the McKellen family, who come from Seattle to Georgia for a family reunion — obviously. The show is also full of so many familiar faces. I know Tia Mowry from Sister, Sister and more recently the film Indivisible where she starred alongside Grey's Anatomy's Sarah Drew. Speaking of Grey's I know grandma M'Dear on the sitcom because Loretta Devine played Adele Webber on the drama. But who plays Jade on Family Reunion? Her face is new to me, but Jade is definitely a force on the show so I want to remember it.

Jade is played by Talia Jackson, and Family Reunion isn't her first break, but it's her biggest one thus far. Jackson also played Zoe on a Season 2 episode of Station 19. Shondaland roles must run in the family, as dedicated Grey's fans may remember her brother Armani from his recurring role as patient Braden Morris on Grey's Anatomy Season 10.

Playing oldest sister Jade on Family Reunion is definitely not a stretch for Jackson. As you can see from the game of "Grab The Cup" she played with Armani, she's an older sister who plays to win in real life. One look at her Instagram account and you can see how strong her bond is with both her real-life and on-screen families.

“The second we met each other, we all bonded automatically,” Jackson told Entertainment Tonight about meeting her on-screen younger siblings. “Ever since then, we act like a family. We go do stuff together outside of this, we go go-karting and eat dinner!”

Jackson and the other kids were delighted to talk about their bonds with Mowry off-screen. "She's such a mom in general," said Jackson in her on-set ET interview with the other McKellen siblings. "She's just so sweet and caring and like, is always taking care of us."

Jordyn Raya James, who plays little sister Ami on the show, got very emotional when talking about Mowry. "She's been very helpful for me, she's always done nice things for me," said James before shedding some happy tears and receiving a sisterly hug from Jackson.

John P. Fleenor/Netflix

The 17-year-old is more than just a great big sister and talented actress — she's also an incredible singer. I type that with confidence, because Hollywood Mom Blog said she was originally discovered by Grammy award-winning producer, David Foster. Plus, according to her résumé she's performed with Andrea Bocelli twice as a guest singer on his National Christmas Tour in 2009 and 2010. Jackson has also danced in the Nutcracker twice and appeared in theatrical productions of shows like Footloose and Ruthless. All of this and she can't even vote yet.

On the Family Reunion set with ET, Jackson said of Jade: "She is a quick-witted, very lovable person. But she's kind of gotten to be her own person and play by her own rules and all of the sudden moving in with M'Dear things become a little new to her."

Even though this is Jackson's biggest role yet, it's obvious when you dig into her career that she's not new to the industry. So, I can't wait to see the kind of trouble she stirs up on Family Reunion — which you can stream right now.

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