Tracee Ellis Ross Gushes About Yara Shahidi on Her 18th Birthday -- See the Sweet Post

Yara Shahidi Tracess Ellis Ross
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The 'Black-ish' star turned a year older on Saturday.

Yara Shadihi is 18 years old!

The Grown-ish star turned a year older on Saturday and her TV mom, Tracee Ellis Ross, couldn’t help but gush about her on-screen daughter.

"Happy 18th Birthday sweet and beautiful @yarashahidi ...Your interest in and focus on change excites me. Your love of learning comforts me. The way you admire and drink in James Baldwin makes me love you!" Ross wrote on Instagram alongside a slideshow of the two of them. "The way you use your light as a way to deepen our understanding of humanity and further social progress motivates me. Thank goodness you are now taking your rightful place as a person who can vote! (Still love these photos by @terrytsiolis from 2014)."

Shahidi replied to Ross' post, writing, "Thank you for the love Tracee. Happy to grow up and into myself in a space like Black-ish."

The birthday girl also posted a very personal note on her Instagram, explaining how her 17th year was her favorite.

"I think my 17th Year may have been my favorite. Then again, I leave every year thinking it to be my best, only for it to get topped by the next," she wrote on Instagram. "But this particular revolution around the sun has been full of love, fantastic music, college app anticipation, family, last minute travel, inside jokes with my brothers, therapeutic conversations with my amazing parental unit, realizing I'm grownish, wandering, wondering, figuring out friendships, friends who are like family, the launching of voting initiatives, new mentors, fashūn moments, James Baldwin books, entering new creative spaces, entering new adolescent spaces, and so much more."

Jennifer Garner, who worked with Shahidi in the 2012 film Butter, also shared a sweet throwback pic of the young actress when she was 10.

"You were formidable at 10, and are a force at 18. Happy birthday and tons of love, @yarashahidi! XX #BUTTERthemovie #youstoletheshow #yourestillstealingtheshow?," Garner captioned her pic.

Zendaya also shared a picture of the two on her Instagram Stories and wrote Shahidi a sweet birthday message.

"Wishing a very happy 18th birthday to my lit sis, Yara. Thank you for your brilliance, geniusness (if that’s even a word, she would know lol) and pure heart. I love watch you gloowww," Zendaya wrote.

Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories

ET caught up with the former Black-ish star last month when she found out her Freeform show was getting renewed for a second season.

At the time, the actress compared the renewal news to meeting Frank Ocean. Hear what she said in the video below.

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