Keke Palmer Biography

Keke Palmer is an American actress, singer, and TV personality best known for starring in leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions, having appeared in both blockbusters and independent films. She had a career breakthrough starring in the drama film, Akeelah and the Bee in 2006. Palmer rose to fame for starring in Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011, voicing Aisha in the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club from 2011 to 2014, and starring in a lead role in Rags in 2012.

Keke Palmer Age

Palmer was born Lauren Keyana Palmer on August 26, 1993, in Harvey, Illinois, U.S.A. She is 31 years old as of 2024. Palmer celebrates her birthday on August 26th.

Keke Palmer Height

Palmer stands at an approximate height of 5 feet and 5 inches.

Keke Palmer Family

Palmer was born to Sharon and Lawrence “Larry” Palmer. They raised her in a Catholic household in nearby Robbins, Illinois. The pair met in drama school since they worked as professional actors before they settled into full-time jobs. Larry is a Catholic deacon who serves a polyurethane company. On the other hand, Sharon is a high school teacher dealing with autistic children and a choir director. Besides Palmer, they have three other kids including Lawrence, Lawrencia, and Loreal Chanel.

According to Palmer, her nickname “Keke” came about because her elder sister had an imaginary friend named Keke before she was born. She first sang in a church and performed at a stage show at a Chicago tourist destination. When she was 9 years old, she auditioned for a stage production of The Lion King.

Keke Palmer Boyfriend

Palmer is very private about her personal life therefore it is not known if she is in any relationship. She has a son named Leodis Andrellton Jackson with her ex, Darius Jackson. Leodis was born in February 2023 and is a year old as of 2024. In 2019, she revealed that she had an abortion when she was 24 years old as part of the #YouKnowMe campaign. She has coped with polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS) and has struggled with anxiety and depression. Additionally, she has amblyopia.

Keke Palmer Darius Jackson/Babby Daddy

Palmer has a son named Leodis Andrellton Jackson with her ex, Darius Jackson. They began dating in June 2021. Darius works as a fitness instructor. On December 3, 2022, she revealed that they were expecting a child while hosting Saturday Night Live.

In October 2023, Palmer and Jackson split after a chain of reported events surrounding domestic violence throughout their relationship. She received a temporary restraining order against him in temporary sole custody of their son in November of that year. However, she dropped the requests in May 2014, leading to the cancellation of their domestic violence restraining order hearing.

Keke Palmer Trey Songz

Palmer publicly commented on her stormy relationship with singer, Trey Songz, who reportedly tricked her into being in a music video while at a party in 2017. She said that he secretly filmed her and used the video in his music video, Pick Up the Phone, without her permission. Additionally, she said that he sexually intimidated her while recording the video, to the point of her hiding from him in a closet so that she wouldn’t be filmed and rebuked by him. During an interview on The Breakfast Club, Trey rejected the claims stating that he didn’t put her in the video without her permission and that he didn’t care much to sneak her in the video for 2 seconds.

Keke Palmer Net Worth

Palmer has an estimated net worth ranging between $5 Million – $ 15 Million which she has earned through being an actress, singer, and TV personality.

Keke Palmer Akeelah and the Bee

Palmer had a career breakthrough starring as Akeelah Anderson in the drama film, Akeelah and the Bee in 2006. After unsuccessfully auditioning for the role 5 times, the film’s director gave her the role after seeing the emotion in her crying the 5th time around. Three hundred girls auditioned for the role of in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta

Akeelah is a bright 11-year-old hailing from a poor neighborhood and studying at Crenshaw Middle School. She lives with her widowed mother, Tanya, her three older siblings, Kiana, Devon, and Terrence, and her infant niece, Mikayla. After winning the Crenshaw Schoolwide Spelling Bee, she competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Her performance in Akeelah and the Bee won her a Black Reel Award, a Young Artist Best Actress Award, and an NAACP Image Award. She also won a nomination for the Critics’ Choice Movie Best Young Performer Award.

Keke Palmer True Jackson, VP

Palmer starred as True Jackson in Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011. Additionally, she co-wrote and performed the series’ theme song. True is a 15-year-old teen who gets the role of the Vice President of the Youth Fashion Department Mad Style. Max Madigan, the company’s founder and CEO, gives her the position after he sees her wearing his designs that she modified to suit her needs. At the time, she was selling sandwiches and lemonade alongside her friend Ryan in the New York City fashion district.

Palmer earned $20,000 per episode, making her the fourth-highest-paid child star on television. In July 2009, designer Jane Siskin developed a Walmart fashion line drawing inspiration from True Jackson, VP, and receiving Palmer’s approval for all the designs.

Palmer’s performance in True Jackson, VP won her four NAACP Image Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program Awards. She won nominations for her 2010 performances at the Black Reel Awards and NAACP Image Awards.

Keke Palmer Winx Club

Following the end of True Jackson, VP, Palmer renewed her contract with Nickelodeon voicing Aisha in Nickelodeon’s revival of Winx Club. Aisha is the the fairy of waves and the crown princess of Andros(a realm of oceans). Winx Club follows the adventures of a group of girls known as the Winx including Aisha, Bloom, Flora, Musa, Stella, Tecna, and Roxy at the Alfea College for Fairies. They turn into fairies and use their powers to fight against villains. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her performance in the show.

Keke Palmer Rags

Palmer produced and starred as Kadee Worth in Nickelodeon’s Rags in 2012 opposite Max Schneider and Avan Jogia. In the film, Kadee is a famous pop singer who befriends Charlie Prince, a talented musician. They met at a masquerade ball when he performed under the stage name “Rags.”

Keke Palmer Sexuality

Palmer mentioned that she doesn’t want to put labels on her sexuality. She also said that people should be flexible while labeling themselves since identities can change. During a February 2017 interview on The Wendy Williams Show, she said that she likes who loves her when Wendy asked her whether she was sexually flexible. She also said that she doesn’t want to be limited to a feeling or an idea of anything, since what she might have felt today may be different five years from then.

Keke Palmer Abuse

During an interview with People magazine, Palmer revealed that she was molested as a child but didn’t realize it until she read about sexual abuse in a book.

Keke Palmer Career

Palmer is best known for starring in leading and character roles in comedy and drama productions, having appeared in both blockbusters and independent films. She has a career breakthrough starring in the drama film, Akeelah and the Bee in 2006.

During her career, Palmer has won many awards including two Primetime Emmy awards and nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2019, Time magazine mentioned her in its list of the most influential people in the world. 

Palmer kickstarted her career as a child starring in 2004 in the films Barbershop 2: Back in Business and The Wool Cap. Two years later, she had a breakthrough starring in Akeelah and the Bee in 2006. She continued her career starring in films like Madea’s Family Reunion in 2006, Jump In! in 2007, The Longshots in 2008, and Shrink in 2009. She released her debut studio album, So Uncool, in 2007.

Palmer rose to fame for starring in Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011, voicing Aisha in the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club from 2011 to 2014, and starring in a lead role in Rags in 2012. She later transitioned to mainstream roles in VH1’s CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story in 2013. She debuted on Broadway starring as Ella in Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella from 2015 to 2015. This made her the first African American to play the title role in the musical Cinderella on Broadway.

2015 to present;

From 2015 to 2016, Palmer starred in FOX’s Scream Queens. Next, she starred in Epix’s Berlin Station from 2017 to 2019, Scream in 2019, and Turnt Up with the Taylors in 2019. Moreover, she has acted in the films  Animal, Pimp, Hustlers, and Nope. In 2023, she received an invite to join the actor’s branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

Besides films, Palmer worked as the host of Just Keke in 2014, making her one of the youngest talk show hosts in television history. She also worked as the co-host of the talk show, Strahan, Sara, and Keke from 2019 to 2020.

Palmer appeared in Usher’s music video for his single Boyfriend, which was released on August 16, 2023. She is scheduled to appear in One of Them Days, Good Fortune, The Pickup, I Love Boosters, and Being Mortal. Since 2022, she has hosted the revival of the game show, Password and voices Maya Leibowitz-Jenkins in The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Music

Palmer signed a record deal with Atlantic Records in 2005. On September 18, 2007, she marketed her debut album, So Uncool, which ranked number 86 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In July 2012, she marketed her single, You Got Me, featuring Kevin McCall. On July 11, 2012, she released the song’s music video. In October of that same year, she marketed a self-titled mixtape titled Keke Palmer.

In 2019, Palmer sang Giants as part of a virtual group named True Damage, featuring Becky G, Soyeon, Duckwrth, and Thutmose as the other group members. True Damage performed the song live during the opening ceremony of the finals in November of that year. She has marketed three extended plays (EPs) including Lauren in 2016, Virgo Tendencies, Pt. 1 in 2019, and Virgo Tendencies, Pt. 2 in 2020.

Artistry

So Uncool, her first studio album, had heavy contemporary R&B influences. Her music influences include Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Ciara, Aaliyah, Brandy, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne

Awards

Palmer won a nomination for a Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Award for her performance as Lou in The Wool Cap in 2004. Her performance in Akeelah and the Bee won her a Black Reel Award, a Young Artist Best Actress Award, and an NAACP Image Award. She also won a nomination for the Critics’ Choice Movie Best Young Performer Award.

Palmer’s performance in True Jackson, VP won her four NAACP Image Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Program Awards. She won nominations for her 2010 performances at the Black Reel Awards and NAACP Image Awards. Her hosting work in Strahan, Sara & Keke won her a Daytime Emmy  Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host Award nomination.

Palmer’s performance in Facebook Watch’s Turnt Up with the Taylors won her the Primetime Emmy Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series Award. She won nominations at the Saturn Awards and Critics’ Choice Super Awards for her performance in Nope. Further, she won the New York Film Critics Circle Best Supporting Actress Award and the Toronto Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actress Award. She won her second Primetime Emmy Award for her work hosting Password.

Other Ventures

Palmer hosts the Baby, This is Keke Palmer podcast. On January 31, 2017, she marketed her biography I Don’t Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice. She will release her second book, Master of Me: The Secret to Controlling Your Narrative, on November 19, 2024.

Palmer is involved with the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs of the American charity Cool To Be Smart program, where she tells children about the significance of learning. She supports Urban Farming and the Girl Scouts. Moreover, she has worked with the YWCA and Saving Our Daughters.

In 2010, Palmer served the Saving Our Daughters project as a representative. Additionally, she supports the Black Lives Matter movement, marching in Hollywood, California as part of the 2020 George Floyd protests. She also tackled the movement during her opening monologue at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2020.

Keke Palmer Movies and TV Shows

Palmer has starred in several movies and TV shows during her career such as

• Cleaner
• The Longshots
• Unstable Fables: Tortoise vs. Hare
• Shrink
• Imperial Dreams
• 2 Minutes of Fame
• Lightyear
• Strahan, Sara and Keke
• Abducted: The Carlina White Story
• CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story
• Scream Queens
• Berlin Station
• Under the Boardwalk
• The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder
• This Is Me… Now: A Love Story
• The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy
• RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars