Keke Palmer

Lauren Keyana "Keke" Palmer (/ˈkiːki/ KEE-kee; born August 26, 1993) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received numerous accolades, including two Primetime Emmy Awards and nominations for a Daytime Emmy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Time magazine included her on its list of most influential people in the world in 2019.

Palmer made her film debut as a child with roles in the films Barbershop 2: Back in Business and The Wool Cap (both 2004), before achieving her breakthrough role as Akeelah Anderson in the drama film Akeelah and the Bee (2006). Her career progressed with roles in films such as Madea's Family Reunion (2006), Jump In! (2007), The Longshots (2008), and Shrink (2009), and the release of her debut studio album So Uncool (2007). She rose to prominence on Nickelodeon, playing the title character in the sitcom True Jackson, VP (2008–2011), providing the voice of Aisha in the Nickelodeon revival of Winx Club (2011–2014), and headlining the television film Rags (2012).

Palmer transitioned to mainstream roles with the VH1 biographical film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story (2013), and afterwards made her Broadway debut as Ella in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella (2014–2015). She has since starred in the Fox satirical horror series Scream Queens (2015–2016), the Epix drama series Berlin Station (2017–2019), and the slasher series Scream (2019). Her film roles include Animal (2014), Pimp (2018), Hustlers (2019), Nope (2022), and One of Them Days (2025), with the last two earning her critical attention. Also in the 2020s, she released two more studio albums.

Outside of acting, Palmer has hosted the talk shows Just Keke (2014) and Strahan, Sara and Keke (2019–2020), as well as the game show Password since 2022. She launched KeyTV Network, an online entertainment content platform, in 2021, and released her second book, Master of Me, a hybrid memoir and self-help manual, in 2024.

Lauren Keyana Palmer was born on August 26, 1993, in Harvey, Illinois, and was raised in nearby Robbins, Illinois. She grew up in a Roman Catholic household. 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. The nickname "Keke" is not a shortening of "Keyana": according to Palmer, her name came about because her older sister, Loreal, had an imaginary friend named Keke before she was born. In an interview with Glamour in 2022, Palmer said she prefers to go by Lauren and said she would like to be called by her given name "more than anything". 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.

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.

In 2006, Palmer had her acting breakthrough starring in the film Akeelah and the Bee, playing the titular Akeelah, a bright 11-year-old who comes from a poor neighborhood and competes in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times wrote that Palmer "makes an appealing heroine". For the role, she won a Black Reel Award and an NAACP Image Award. She also had a supporting role in the 2006 film Madea's Family Reunion. The following year, Palmer appeared in the thriller Cleaner. She portrayed a lead role in the television film Jump In!. Palmer also starred in two television programs Tyler Perry's House of Payne and Just Jordan. Palmer released her debut album So Uncool on September 18, 2007. The album charted at number 86 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

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. In July 2009, designer Jane Siskin created a Walmart fashion line inspired by True Jackson, VP, with all the designs being approved by Palmer. She also played the lead role in the 2008 film The Longshots. True Jackson, VP ended in 2011.