Lauren Keyana Palmer was born on August 26, 1993,[5][6] in Harvey, Illinois, and was raised in nearby Robbins, Illinois.[7] She grew up in a Catholic household.[8][9] Her parents, Sharon and Lawrence "Larry" Palmer, who met in drama school, had both worked as professional actors before settling into full-time jobs. Her father, who is a Catholic deacon, works for a polyurethane company, and her mother is a high school teacher who works with autistic children.[10][11][12] The nickname "Keke" is not a shortening of "Keyana": according to Palmer, her name came about because her older sister had an imaginary friend named Keke before she was born.[13] Palmer first sang in a church and performed at a stage show at a Chicago tourist destination. In 2002, she auditioned for a stage production of The Lion King at age nine.[10]
Career
2000s
Palmer performing in March 2008
In 2004, Palmer gained her first film role in Barbershop 2: Back in Business. In 2005, she signed a record deal with Atlantic Records. That same year, she was featured in the television film Knights of the South Bronx, as well as starring in the television series Second Time Around and ER. That same year, producer Ralph Farquhar helped Palmer book the starring role in a Disney Channel pilot titled Keke and Jamal. The pilot was not picked up, and never aired.[14]
In 2008, Palmer began her starring role as the title character in Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP. Palmer also wrote and performed the theme song for the series. Palmer earned $20,000 per episode of True Jackson, VP, which made her the fourth-highest-paid child star on television.[24] In July 2009, designer Jane Siskin created a Walmart fashion line inspired by True Jackson, VP, with all the designs being approved by Palmer.[25] She also played the lead role in the 2008 film The Longshots.[26]True Jackson, VP ended in 2011.[27]
2010s
Palmer debuted as the voice of Aisha in Nickelodeon's revival of Winx Club.[28] She received an NAACP Image Award nomination for her voiceover work.[29] In 2012, Palmer starred in the film Joyful Noise, released in January 2012. She produced and starred in Rags, a television musical film, as well as voiced Peaches in Ice Age: Continental Drift.[30] In July 2012, Palmer released the single "You Got Me" featuring Kevin McCall. The video for the single was released on July 11, 2012.[31] She released a self-titled mixtape Keke Palmer on October 1, 2012.[32]
In 2013, Palmer portrayed Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas in the TLC biopic, CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story,[33] which aired in October on VH1.[34] In 2014, she starred in the horror film Animal, which was released on June 17.[35] Palmer then recurred during the second season of Showtime's drama series Masters of Sex, portraying Coral, a nanny.[36] That same year, Palmer hosted a daytime talk show on BET titled Just Keke. In doing so, she became one of the youngest talk show hosts in television history; the show itself has been regarded as "groundbreaking" and "refreshing".[37] In September 2014, Palmer became the first African American to star as the title character in the musical Cinderella on Broadway.[38] She performed her final show during the closing night of the show's run on January 4, 2015.[39] Later that year, Palmer announced that she had signed with Island Records.[40]
Between September 2015 and December 2016, she starred as Zayday Williams in the horror comedy series Scream Queens, created by Ryan Murphy.[41] In January 2016, Palmer starred as Marty Maraschino in the television special Grease: Live.[42]Rolling Stone's Brittany Spanos regarded Palmer's performance "a standout" and highlighted her "assertiveness, confidence and biting sense of humor".[43] In June, Palmer released Waited to Exhale, an album she wrote during her time on True Jackson, VP that went unreleased due to label issues and her "anxiety-driven hesitance".[44] On November 4, Palmer released her second extended play, titled Lauren, with a 17-minute short film of the same name being released exclusively on Billboard's website.[45] In 2017, Palmer released her memoir, I Don't Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice.[46] That same year, she joined the drama series Berlin Station during its second season.[47]
Palmer in 2018
In April 2019, Palmer began guest co-hosting ABC's daytime talk show Strahan and Sara, sporadically filling in for co-host Michael Strahan and more regularly beginning in June during co-host Sara Haines's maternity leave.[48] She joined the slasher television series Scream as a series regular in its third season, portraying a character named Kym Johnson,[49] which premiered on July 8, 2019.[50] On August 26, Palmer became a third permanent co-host of Strahan and Sara, which was then re-titled Strahan, Sara and Keke.[51] In September, Palmer starred as a "lovestruck stripper" in the crime drama film Hustlers, directed by Lorene Scafaria.[52] She sang the song "Giants" as part of a virtual group named True Damage, in which she voices a character named Senna, in the video game League of Legends for the 2019 World Championship.[53] The song features singers Becky G and Soyeon as well as rappers Duckwrth and Thutmose as the other group members.[54] In November, True Damage performed the song live during the opening ceremony of the finals.[55]
2020s
Strahan, Sara and Keke ended unexpectedly in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic ended live studio programming through the industry, and ABC decided to shift the timeslot towards news.[56] Palmer later received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host alongside Haines and Strahan.[57] That same year, Palmer began starring in a web television comedy series titled Turnt Up with the Taylors, in which she portrays all of the characters.[58] She released an extended play titled Virgo Tendencies, Pt. 1 on August 28.[59] On August 30, Palmer hosted the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, during which she also performed her song "Snack".[60][61] She released a follow-up EP – Virgo Tendencies, Pt. 2 – in December 2020.[62] The following year, Palmer won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for her performance in Turnt Up with the Taylors.[63] Later in the same year, Palmer briefly hosted a reboot of the classic 90's MTV dating show Singled Out with Joel Kim Booster as her co-host for the short-lived online streaming service network Quibi. In 2021, she hosted the reality competition series Foodtastic for Disney+.
On February 9, 2023, it was announced that Palmer was set to star alongside Sacha Baron Cohen in the David O. Russell film Super Toys. The film is a period piece set in the 1970s.[70][71] In June 2023, it was announced Palmer had been invited to join The Academy as an actor.[72] Palmer starred in Usher’s music video for his single "Boyfriend", which was released on August 16, 2023.[73][74]
Other ventures
Palmer hosts her own podcast, Baby, This is Keke Palmer.[75][76] Her biography I Don’t Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice was published on January 31, 2017.[77] On August 5, 2024, Palmer announced her second book Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative, which was released on November 19, 2024.[78][79]
Palmer works with the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of the American charity Cool To Be Smart program, speaking to children about the importance of learning. She is also a supporter of Urban Farming and the Girl Scouts.[80] She has worked with the YWCA and Saving Our Daughters.[80] As of 2010, Palmer has been a representative for the Saving Our Daughters project, an anti-bullying campaign.[81] She is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.[82] In 2020, she marched in Hollywood, California, as part of the George Floyd protests.[83] That same year, she addressed the movement during her opening monologue at the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards.[84]
Palmer was included in Time's 100 Next list in November 2019,[85] which "spotlights 100 rising stars who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, science, health and more."[86]
Palmer has said she does not want her sexuality defined by labels; she believes that people should be fluid with labelling themselves, as their identities can change.[93] In February 2017, during an interview on The Wendy Williams Show, when asked by Williams whether she was sexually fluid, Palmer replied, "Yeah, I like whoever loves me. Love is defined by the individual, and what I feel today is not what I necessarily may feel five years from now. I don't want to limit myself to one feeling or one idea of anything."[94] In 2019, as part of the #YouKnowMe campaign, she shared via Twitter that she had an abortion at the age of 24.[95]
In an interview with People magazine in 2024, Palmer disclosed that she was molested as a child and did not realize it until she read a book about sexual abuse.[96]
Relationships
Palmer spoke publicly about her turbulent relationship with singer Trey Songz after he allegedly tricked her into being in a music video while at a party in 2017. Palmer accused the singer of "sexual intimidation," disclosing that she hid in a closet to avoid being filmed and berated by Songz, only to later realize that he and his friends had recorded her without prior knowledge or consent. Songz denied the claims during an interview on The Breakfast Club radio show, stating, "I did not put her in the video without her permission. I don't care that much to sneak Keke Palmer in the video for two seconds."[97][98][99]
In June 2021, Palmer began dating fitness instructor Darius Jackson.[100][101] While hosting Saturday Night Live on December 3, 2022, Palmer announced she was expecting her first child with Jackson.[102][103] Their son was born in February 2023.[104][105] Palmer and Jackson separated in October 2023, following a series of alleged incidents surrounding domestic violence throughout their relationship.[106] In November of that year, Palmer was granted a temporary restraining order against Jackson as well as temporary sole custody of their son. She dropped the requests in May 2024 and their domestic violence restraining order hearing was canceled.[107][108]
