Keke Palmer Says Being a Child Star ‘Flipped’ Her Family Life ‘Upside Down’

Keke Palmer has seamlessly transitioned from child star to adult actor. This is a challenging feat for many actors who start out as children.

The star, whose real name is Lauren Keyana Palmer, began singing at church as a child. She has gone on to star in major movies such as Hustlers with Jennifer Lopez in 2019, and Jordan Peele’s Nope in 2022.

Palmer has been on Broadway, hosted talk shows, and was named one of Time Magazine’s most influential people in the world in 2019. However, before all that, she began as the star of a major movie at just 11 years old.

Keke Palmer as a child star

Palmer grew up in Illinois but her parents moved the family to California for their daughter’s career. Her acting debut was in 2004’s Barbershop 2: Back in Business. It didn’t take long after that for the young actress to appear in TV series and movies.

Her breakthrough role came at age 11 when she starred in the title role in Akeelah and the Bee alongside powerhouse actors Angela Bassett and Lawrence Fishbourne.

She went on to appear in other films but soon became a household name to preteens everywhere when she starred as the title character in True Jackson, VP on Nickelodeon. The show revolves around a 15-year-old girl who a fashion designer hires to be the Vice President of his fashion line’s youth division.

When the series ended, her career did not.

How did Keke Palmer’s career affect her family?

Keke Palmer attends the 2022 CFDA Awards I Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Palmer has an older sister and younger twin siblings (brother and sister). When the family moved to California, the actress became the family’s breadwinner because her mom needed to be on set with her and her dad needed to be there for the other children.

“So it was like, all of our roles were switched,” she told the LA Times. “I became the financial breadwinner because my career was bringing in the most money, and my parents wanted to support me but they couldn’t have their own jobs because their own jobs would not even allow them to really be able to sustain a stable household.”

“So everybody’s positions were flipped upside down, which is why some years after that, I did start to feel pressure. I started to realize that I was the financial breadwinner, and that if I didn’t have a job, who would have a job? ” she added.

She went on to say that she was “making the kind of money that many people never make,” so it put her in a “crazy position.”

Keke Palmer is now a mom

On December 3, 2022, Palmer hosted Saturday Night Live, and it was during her monologue that she announced her pregnancy.

“It was so much fun to say it during my monologue. That’s something my kid can have forever,” she told Vanity Fair.

The actor and Darius Jackson welcomed their first child together in February 2023.

“Hey Son!!!!” Palmer wrote on Instagram, adding, “Born during Black History Month, with a name to match! LEODIS ANDRELLTON JACKSON, welcome to the world baby Leo.”

She recently posted a photo with baby Leo in his stroller as they walked along the water in New York. “Mommy’ing is coming along if you were looking for an update,” Palmer said. “I have juggled quite a few careers but this is my greatest gig of all.”

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