Throughout her career, Keke Palmer has proven that the sky’s the limit — and she’s only getting started.
Palmer, who was born in Harvey, Illinois, began singing in the church choir at age 5. After her family moved to Los Angeles, the “Bossy” singer quickly found herself working as an actress, landing her first acting role in 2004’s Barbershop 2: Back in Business.
She rose to fame after starring on her own Nickelodeon series, True Jackson, VP, from 2008 to 2011. Three years after wrapping the Nickelodeon show, Palmer made history in more ways than one. She landed her own BET talk show and was also the first Black actress to play Cinderella on Broadway.
“I waited my entire life for a moment like that,” she told Essence in 2016 of being Cinderella. “I hate saying it was a huge deal that I was the first African American to ever be a part of this musical. It’s great, but I also want people to feel like it’s crazy, because it shouldn’t always be this way. But I loved that my little brother and sister got to watch this show and actually see a diverse world just like the one around them.”
As Palmer continued to grow as an actress with roles on Scream Queens, Star and more, she chose to become her own boss and launched her own record label. The musician had already been with three labels by her mid-20s, but with Big Boss Entertainment, she could call her own shots.
“It’s about empowering myself,” the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards host told Billboard in February 2018. “I want to empower my peers, so they also feel they’re not a part of the old way of doing things and be a part of the big bosses. Big Boss is about me helping expand and using what I know. I’m not always going to be Keke Palmer the entertainer, but it’s meant for me to get outside and move to the forefront. That’s what I’m building towards.”
When it comes to her next move, Palmer has a few ideas, including another challenging job: Comedy. “I have dreams of doing standup one day,” Palmer told Us Weekly exclusively in February 2020. “Yikes!”
Scroll down to see the evolution of Palmer’s career.
After moving from Illinois, Palmer landed her first acting gig playing Queen Latifah’s niece in Barbershop 2: Back in Business in 2004. She followed the film up with a series of TV appearances and a role in 2005’s Madea’s Family Reunion as Nikki.
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2006’s Akeelah and the Bee marked Palmer’s first leading role. In the film, the actress portrayed Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl who takes part in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. The same year, she began voicing Aisha on Winx Club, which she continued to do for six seasons.
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The child star broke into the music industry with her debut album, So Uncool, in 2007. She has since released multiple mixtapes and EPs and her music has appeared on film soundtracks.
Palmer’s career took off after she landed her own series on Nickelodeon when she was 15. She played True Jackson on True Jackson, VP for three seasons, from 2008 to 2011.
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In 2009, Nickelodeon teamed up with Walmart to create a fashion line, Mad Style by True Jackson, inspired by the hit show.
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Palmer went back to her choir roots with 2012’s Joyful Noise, which was the first time the star both acted and sang in a film.
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In 2014, Palmer made history as the youngest-ever talk show host with Just Keke on BET. She also starred as the first Black Cinderella on Broadway the same year.
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After releasing her music video for “I Don’t Belong to You” in October 2015, which shows her leaving her boyfriend for a woman, the artist revealed that she doesn’t put labels on her sexuality. “I think the point of the whole video was to let people know that — that my sexuality is up to me,” Palmer told Cosmopolitan in its November 2015 issue. “That’s really the point — it’s female autonomy and her being who she wants to be in the world; there’s no labels attached, she’s just doing her! She doesn’t have to explain it to anybody because at the end of the day, it’s her that decides what she wants to do, and who!”
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The “Yellow Lights” singer continued to push herself with her career, starring on Scream Queens from 2015 to 2016 and dropping her Lauren EP in November 2016. The same year, she played Pink Ladies member Marty Maraschino in Grease: Live!
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The Illinois native released her first book, I Don’t Belong to You: Quiet the Noise and Find Your Voice, in January 2017.
The Ice Age: Collision Course actress made a bold statement when she shaved her head in May 2017 and then dyed her head purple. “As you can see from my track record … I love finding new versions of myself,” Palmer told Refinery 29 about the transformation.
“It makes me feel super inspired.” She continued: “I’m in a place in my life where I realized I don’t have anything stopping me from expressing myself in any facet, and that makes me happy.”
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The “Bossy” singer launched the independent record label, Big Boss Entertainment, in 2018 after being a part of three other labels in her youth. She was 24 at the time.
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As Palmer’s music career continued to move forward, her acting roles also grew. She played April Lewis on Berlin Station and Gigi on Star from 2017 to 2019. When those roles came to an end, the actress didn’t waste any time landing the role of Kym on Scream: The Series and Mercedes in Hustlers.
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The 2 Minutes of Fame star permanently became the third cohost on the third hour of Good Morning America in 2019. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the show was halted and in August 2020, she confirmed it had been canceled by the network, but not before she was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for her work as host.
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Palmer was named as one of the movers and shakers on the Time 100 Next 2019 list. She was dubbed a “phenom” by the publication alongside tennis star Coco Gauff, rapper Lil Nas X and more.
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During the Black Lives Matter protests in June 2020, Palmer urged members of the National Guard to march alongside the peaceful demonstrators. “This is when you and y’all stand together with the community, with society, to stop the governmental oppression. Period. We need you,” she said while taking part in a protest in Hollywood. “March with us. March beside us. Get your people. … Let the revolution be televised. March beside us and show us that you’re here for us. Make history with us, please. Let’s just do it. We start marching and you march with us.”
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The Singled Out host released her third EP, Virgo Tendencies, Pt.1, in August 2020, featuring 12 new tracks.
That same month, Palmer was announced as the host for the MTV Video Music Awards, which will take place on August 30. “I’m hosting in my own way / Bringing you the VMAs / Gonna change up the scene / Rock out of quarantine,” the actress sang in an Instagram video after she was announced as the awards show host.
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