Why Hanna's Son Aiden In NCIS: Los Angeles Looks So Familiar
LL Cool J first joined the "NCIS" universe when he appeared in a two-part episode in Season 6. That introduction to LL Cool J's Sam Hanna served as a jumping-off point for "NCIS: Los Angeles," in which the rapper-turned-actor has now been starring for 14 seasons and counting. Hanna may be a trained U.S. Navy SEAL and a Senior NCIS Special Agent, but he is first and foremost a family man. Sam and his wife, Michelle (Aunjanue Ellis), who sadly dies in the Season 8 episode "Uncaged," have two children: Kamran, played by Kayla Smith, and Aiden.
Aiden Hanna first made an appearance in the Season 6 episode "Humbug" in 2014 and has since returned to "NCIS: Los Angeles" four times, including a Season 14 episode after a two-year absence from the series (via IMDb). In the most recent episode, titled "Dead Stick," Aiden finds himself accused of a serious crime. Aiden is played by Tye White. Here's where you may have seen White before.
Tye White played O.J.'s son in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
A Detroit native, Tye White took a 9-to-5 job at Chase Bank upon graduating from the University of Michigan. He lasted one month before he quit and moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting. "I didn't know how I was going to survive, but I knew I had to try," White told Andscape. "I woke up with a renewed purpose for life because I was chasing something that I actually wanted to do." In 2011, the young actor's perseverance paid off and he booked his first TV role in an episode of "Pretty Little Liars," followed by parts in "Mixology" and "Drumline: A New Beat."
In 2016, White secured his first major role as Jason Simpson in "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." "That was probably the worst audition I've ever had," White recalled (via Andscape). "I walked out of that audition confident that I wouldn't get it ... Then six weeks later my agent called me, while I was driving, and told me I booked the role." As O.J. Simpson's son, White was able to rub elbows with an impressive cast that included Cuba Gooding Jr., Sterling K. Brown, and Courtney B. Vance. During production, White took to Instagram to pay homage to his castmate John Travolta, writing, "It has been truly a dream to call you co-star and even more eye-opening to learn from you the last [four] months."
White starred as Kevin Saterlee on Greenleaf
2016 proved to be a productive year for Tye White. In addition to appearing in "American Crime Story," the actor was cast in an episode of ABC's "Notorious." That year he also joined the cast of "Greenleaf" (via IMDb). Executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and released on the Oprah Winfrey Network, "Greenleaf" follows the scandalous Greenleaf family and their Memphis-based megachurch. The soap opera stars Keith David and Lynn Whitfield as the leaders of the Calvary Fellowship World Ministries, with Merle Dandridge, Lamman Rucker, and Deborah Joy Winans as their adult children.
White plays Kevin Saterlee, the youngest daughter's husband, who is coming to terms with his sexuality. Of his time spent playing Kevin, White told Starry Constellation Magazine, "I felt that Kevin's story was one I was empathetic to and I would be interested in trying to depict on television because I don't think this story has been told quite this way before. I don't think where we're going with it has been done before."
Tye White threatened Stellaride in Chicago Fire
Over the course of 11 seasons, "Chicago Fire" has seen just about every type of relationship, from the occasional steamy fling to solid couples like Mouch and Trudy, played by Christian Stolte and Amy Morton. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney) and Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) went through their fair share of tribulations before settling down, including a rift caused by Stella's high school friend, played by Tye White. For three episodes in Season 7, White played Tyler, who, while visiting Chicago, confessed his love for Stella.
White seemed to have fun playing the villain, even if it was just for three episodes. Upon his character's introduction in 2018, White took to Instagram to egg on "Chicago Fire" fans with a still of Tyler and Stella out at a bar. "Just to irritate all you #Stellaride fans lol," reads the caption. "He's just her friend, right?"
White went back to Detroit in American Auto
Tye White nabbed his next television role in 2018 with NBC's "American Auto." Created by "Superstore" showrunner Justin Spitzer, and starring "SNL" alum Ana Gasteyer as a fish-out-of-water CEO, "American Auto" is a workplace sitcom that looks at Detroit's auto industry. White plays Jack Fortin, a former assembly-line worker who ends up joining the company's executive level. In May, the series was renewed for a second season (via Deadline).
For the Michigan-born White, "American Auto" is bringing his career full circle. "A kid from Detroit playing a kid from Detroit on a TV show set in Detroit," White wrote on Instagram.
His hometown isn't the only reason White feels a kinship with his character. In an interview with Screen Rant, White said, "Sometimes I wake up, and I'm like, 'Yo, I'm on NBC. This is nice. Do I belong here? Did they make a mistake?'" He continued, "I feel really lucky to be here, and I think Jack feels that way too ... I think we both share that same common denominator; we both feel lucky and don't want to mess it up. So, I think Jack is just trying to press forward."