The feeling that comes with watching Keke Palmer succeed is a difficult thing to articulate with words. It’s Alasia Ballard finding out she got saved on America’s Next Top Model. It’s watching Kamala Harris and Michelle Obama share a double fist bump during the 2021 inauguration. It’s Taraji P. Henson’s embrace with Viola Davis at the 2015 Emmy Awards. It’s the understanding that there were quiet battles experienced, endured, and fought. It’s a feeling of unfiltered camaraderie because no one champions a Black woman like another Black woman.
Unbeknownst to her, I’ve been a sideline champion of Palmer’s for as long as she’s been working. We’re only nine months apart in age, but I’ve grown up watching her soul-soothing and sistah-affirming magic for almost two decades. Born and raised in Harvey, Illinois, Palmer made her professional acting debut in the 2004 comedy Barbershop 2: Back in Business. The 28-year-old has since appeared in more than 60 movies and television shows, including young entrepreneur True in Nickelodeon’s NAACP Image Award–winning teen sitcom True Jackson, VP (2008); as strong-willed Olivia in the 2012 musical comedy-drama film Joyful Noise alongside Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton; and as scheming stripper Mercedes in the 2019 blockbuster Hustlers.
Palmer also holds the title of youngest talk show host ever with 2014’s Just Keke on BET and was a cohost of the short-lived third hour of Good Morning America. She currently voices Maya, a teen activist in Disney’s reboot of The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, in addition to sitting on the judging panel of HBO Max’s gag-worthy ballroom competition show Legendary. And let’s not forget her musical abilities, which have given us R&B/soul hits including “Bottoms Up” and “I Don’t Belong to You” and a run in “Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella” in 2014, making her the first Black woman to play the fairy-tale character on Broadway.
But of all the parts that make up Palmer’s diverse résumé, it can be argued that playing Akeelah, a shy spelling phenom, in 2006’s Akeelah and the Bee is the one most young fans like myself remember for its exploration into how we see ourselves among others who do not see their own true talent. And when preparing for this interview, I was reminded of a quote from the film—originally from Marianne Williamson’s A Return to Love—that not only has stuck with me through the years but also seems to have been a prophecy for Palmer’s legacy.
And that legacy is only getting stronger with the buzz around one of Palmer’s upcoming—and most high-profile—projects, the lead in Jordan Peele’s top-secret new sci-fi horror movie, Nope, alongside Daniel Kaluuya, a role that’s already generating low-key awards buzz for the actor.
And so one must ask: How has this young woman (a.k.a., Keke “Keep a Job” Palmer) kept pace with—and kept the attention of—a notoriously easy-to-distract business, one that she’s successfully forged for over two decades? “You kind of assume that…years later in this industry, someone’s sparkle is going to fade,” Peele says over email. “But it hasn’t at all with Keke. She’s gotten so much brighter and so much more in control of her instrument, and that’s paired with this relentless drive that matches any working actor today.”
It’s the definition of Black excellence coupled with an understanding that relevancy often means ubiquity. Acting. Red-carpet hosting. Morning TV. Short-form comedy. Fashion inspiration. Instagram icon, with more than 11 million followers and counting. Everywhere you look, there’s Palmer with a sparkle that continues to illuminate and forces everyone who’s watching to step up their game. At this moment we’re watching Keke Palmer in all her glory, and she’s in full control.
As a testament to our culture’s anthem, I used Nina Simone’s “To Be Young Gifted and Black” as a reference point for this conversation with Palmer, below.
Glamour: You landed your debut role in Barbershop 2 and have been working ever since. At 28, you have two major projects on the horizon, with Jordan Peele’s Nope and Disney Pixar’s Lightyear. How do you find the balance between chasing the bag and allowing yourself to just be?
Keke Palmer: I’ve always loved to perform. As a kid, it was the only thing I cared about doing. As I got older, I developed other wants and dreams. Things that don’t necessarily connect solely to a career—being there for my nieces and nephew the day they’re born, going to family reunions, or having my own family one day. So I’ve continuously tried to learn how to continue to grow and balance my relationship with my love for my career or my passion in the arts and who I am outside of that as a person. I keep learning about myself, and I keep adjusting. It’s ever growing and ever changing.
You’ve grown into a full-fledged multihyphenate. At what point did you feel like you didn’t have to choose between your gifts and your goals? That you can pursue them all?
My mom always encouraged me to do everything. She told me I didn’t have to do one thing. She gave me people to admire in that way, like Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and even Queen Latifah. And she made me feel like creativity was not subjugated to just one medium and that I could always express it in different ways. I wasn’t thinking about it quite as articulately as that [at a young age]. I was more so thinking, I like to sing, I like to act and dance.
No industry in the world can match the rejection rate found in the entertainment business, and the unrelenting hoops emerging actors have to jump through. You’ve said it took “about five” auditions before you booked Akeelah and the Bee at 12 years old. How did you find the drive to succeed despite the nos you’ve faced and the perfectionism required of young stars?
Man, I don’t know how. My mom did a good job mentally preparing me at a young age and always keeping me with the concept of “If you don’t get it, then it wasn’t for you.” I never felt like I had lost anything. When I would get rejected, I wouldn’t feel like, “Oh, they didn’t want me.” I’d feel like, “Oh, that wasn’t what God wanted.” Attaching the faith and abundant thinking allowed me to survive the industry and all the rejection I’ve endured.
Was there ever a part you wanted badly but didn’t get?
I auditioned for [2005 comedy] Are We There Yet? and I remember being so sad I didn’t get it. But when I look back on it, I wasn’t ready. When I was, I got the opportunity to do the movie The Long Shots, [also] with Ice Cube. That’s why I always say everything is not always for you. Sometimes if you wait and keep trucking, growing, and doing your own thing, greater things will come.
You’ve gone on to play numerous—and incredibly diverse—roles since Akeelah, but that’s the one fans always seem to come back to. Do you ever get frustrated with being remembered for that legacy role that was, by all accounts, wonderful but very much a “kid” part?
I honestly love Akeelah. I’m happy I had a role that’s that memorable. Some people are always going to say, “Oh, Keke Palmer, from Akeelah and the Bee!”…but I don’t have any bad feelings about it. If anything, I think that’s crazy that that character still has impacted so many people. It blows me away because some people don’t get that kind of role during the entirety of their careers…. And the reality is, everybody knows me for something different. Some people don’t even associate the girl from Akeelah with the girl on Instagram.
You’re now a part of the nostalgic animated series The Proud Family and the Toy Story franchise with Lightyear. Do you think people underestimate the power of animation?
Animation is one of the biggest disarmers of profound conversations. Not to say that it’s not the same with live action, but I think it’s harder to disarm people. And Disney Pixar is great at that. I can be just as intense as I am lighthearted. And I love being able to use lightheartedness and comedy and disarming elements of entertainment to talk about the things I really want to talk about.
You play Emerald in Jordan Peele’s anticipated film Nope. As a filmmaker, Peele is known for using horror to comment on culturally resonant themes that engage in some form of social critique. What’s one conversation starter you want the audience to take away from spectacles like Nope?
Human beings are intrigued by spectacles, even when they can be dangerous or even when they are emotionally in danger more so than physically. But spectacles are something that we’ve been dealing with all of humanity, whether we’re watching the gladiators, or we’re watching political scandals, or we’re on the latest gossip site, or we’re on the freeway rubbernecking because we saw a car accident happen back there.
We expose ourselves to so many spectacles online that it can sometimes alter the way we think about things positively or negatively…. And this movie does it in a unique way that’s fun, exciting, and within the horror genre. Although the audience is going to see the spectacle viewpoint. They’re also going to see the viewpoint of grief and siblingship, and they’re going to see the viewpoint of film and how the people behind the film should be more acknowledged. I’m excited to see everyone’s biggest takeaway because it represents how you see and view the world. It’s interesting that how we view art says more about us than it does the art itself, and I think that’s the coolest thing Jordan does.
Talk about the importance of films like Nope creating an intersectional portrait of Blackness.
It means everything. What I love about Jordan Peele is that he normalizes Black people in leading roles. And being in the leading role is no commentary on being Black. Obviously, there was that connection with Get Out, but that wasn’t the case with Us. It’s not the pivotal connection of his work. The most consistent piece in his work is its social commentary that the audience can chew on afterward.
However, it is about normalizing and putting Blacks and people of color at the forefront. Telling their narratives and stories effortlessly that includes their culture but doesn’t tie their identity to being Black in a way that’s victimized or subservient. It’s important for creators like Jordan Peele, actors, and all of us, to continue to push that envelope as it pertains to Black representation being very robust because we are robust people.
You recently tweeted, “No means no, even when it doesn’t pertain to sex” after a fan continued to film you without your permission. What’s your response to this idea that if you want to be famous, you must take the bad with the good? How do you decide which parts of your life to share with the world and which parts to keep sacred?
It’s true that you do have to take the good with the bad, whether you’re famous or whether you’re working at Starbucks. Everybody that walks in there isn’t going to be nice, but [you] can say to the asshole that comes to you at Starbucks, “I’m not fucking taking your order.” It’s the same thing. So yes, as a famous person, people are going to do that to me, but I also can tell people, “Hell no.”
Celebrity-ism is something that many people want, so it’s hard for them to have compassion for it—because if they don’t envy it, then they despise it. Neither of those things will help you understand or put yourself in the position of someone else, but at the end of the day, it’s a job. That’s why I always try to help people get that viewpoint. I do this because I love it, not because I wanted to be famous, but because I wanted to create art and conversations. Fame is a side effect that I have to deal with that sometimes can be cool and sometimes can be bad. But in between all of that, I’m a human being learning how to set my boundaries and let people know when I’m on the clock and when I’m not. That’s me keeping it real.
You’ve become something of an Instagram icon, posting everything from comedy, fashion, and brutally honest words about what you’re going through, including your journey with PCOS. As millennials, we’ve witnessed social media permeate every facet of our lives. What’s one thing you love and hate about the internet?
I love that it’s limitless. You could do many things on it, whether that’s put your work out there, express yourself, or create. The thing that I don’t like about it is the same reason I love it—it depends on the individual and what they do with that power. It’s a pendulum; there’s positive and there’s negative. Then going even more full tilt, both positive and negative are necessary. What we need is a balance. Sometimes it just requires you to have a lot of accountability on what you choose to give your attention to online, because if you go too left and not enough right, you’re going to end up in the deep. That’s what makes the internet great but also somewhat spooky.
Let’s talk about firsts. You made history on Broadway as the first African American woman to play Cinderella and also on TV as the youngest host to have their own talk show. What are your thoughts about the responsibility that comes with being a first?
It’s a great thing. But it constantly reminds me that there’s a lot of room for all of us to get into these doors, get these things done, and have these moments because I think we forget how quickly Black people have succeeded past the point that they were meant to. We forget how it was not that long ago. And when we have these moments, it’s a reminder that we can do more. To branch out and go in all these different corners, access all these different spaces, grow and ultimately create lineage in that space. I think about the Barrymores, and I think about myself in entertainment. I want my great-great-great-great-grandniece and my great-great-great-great-grandson to carry the Palmer name. If I’m the first, we got a lot more stuff we can do.
A quote that’s always resonated with me is Toni Morrison’s, “When you get these jobs that you’ve been so brilliantly trained for, just remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else.” What are the causes that are near and dear to you?
I’ve been working with Saving Our Daughters for a long time, since I was really young. It’s about exposing young Black girls to things they wouldn’t always see in their everyday surroundings. Encouraging them and just making them see themselves in every space possible. And it’s very near and dear to my heart because I can’t change everything. I’m not able to fix and save the world, even though I wish that I could, but I can do a little bit from where I am by exposing, supporting, and giving them access—offering the same kind of opportunities that were offered to me.
When I think about Queen Latifah or Ice Cube, these are some of the people that helped start my career. Because of their success, I got an opportunity. Many young people want to find a way to get into the business and think that the only way you could be is onscreen. We’ve got gaffers, we’ve got key grips, and we have people that work in electric. I hope one day I can be in a position to produce and create opportunities for people in my community, not just onscreen but behind the screen.
What does being in control look like for Keke today?
Pouring into myself more and saying no a lot more. My 28th year has been highly insightful and empowering for me to step into my autonomy in an even crazier way than I ever have. I feel like when God gives you gifts, you want to make sure you do what you need to do with them. Do what you’re meant to do. A big part of that is taking responsibility over myself and protecting and loving myself, stepping into that higher-self persona and observing me, and being in control looks like saying no. It looks like “I can’t do it.” Or “It’s not possible for me. Maybe another time.” Or “I’m sorry, I don’t want to.” Honestly, it’s me revoking access.
Much of your music has the underlying theme of being in control of your love life. When did you first come to terms with your own empowerment, and what agency do you want Black women and girls to reach regarding their romantic or sexual lives?
I came into that around 25 or 26. What saved me was putting myself first. That doesn’t mean I’m not compromising, but my level of compromising is very tight, and not in the way of being selfish, but in the form of: I cannot go against what I think is right for me. In love, the main thing for us young women is that we end up contorting ourselves into a pretzel. I want us to know that—and this is something I tell myself—the only way I’m going to have love, and the love that I want, is if I love myself first. If the guy isn’t into the things I’m into, or if he wants me to do stuff that I don’t normally do, and I’m going to do it because I want him to like me, then he’s not the one. And maybe he could be the one, but I wouldn’t know because I didn’t tell him no and see how he responded to it.
That’s the big thing I’d hope for young women. We often get wrapped up in love, wanting love, and feeling like we need it to be validated by it. And it’s okay to want it, but on top of wanting it, we have to know that we don’t need it. The part of us knowing and accepting that we don’t need it is what’s going to explode us into the stratosphere and allow us to focus on things that are going to take us to where we should be going and around the kind of people we should be around, and ultimately getting to that endgame, whatever that might look like.
This year marks your 20th in show business. What chapter would you call this season of your life, and what chapter do you hope to come next, or in your 30s?
This chapter is like the end of the first Renaissance-age book, and now we’re going into the next chapter where I expand that Renaissance. And that can be as much behind the screen as I have been in front of the screen. I’m excited to produce more, write, direct, and provide other opportunities for more people interested in doing behind-the-scenes work.
And in my 30s, I want personal time. Personal life, family, friends, being with my nieces and nephew, all that fun stuff. I’ve sacrificed in my early years, and I don’t regret any of that, but I’m moving into a space where I know I don’t have to only exist for others.
What are Keke’s words to live by?
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” It’s Aristotle. I love [this quote] because it reminds me every day that I have a chance and an opportunity to get it right. I don’t have to think about everything from the full-wide picture all the time. I can take it one day at a time.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Stylist: Justin Hamilton
Hair: Malcolm Marquez for KISS Colors & Care
Makeup: Jordana David
Manicure: Riley Miranda for Gel Bottle
Prop Styling: Romain Goudinoux
Location: The Switch IG / FB / Twitter: @theswitchtv
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