Keke Palmer Opened Up About An Uncomfortable Comment Her Former Manager Made About Her Mom When She Was 12

Keke Palmer is reflecting on the moments from her past that helped mold her into the woman she is today, and that includes both good and bad experiences.

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The 31-year-old multi-hyphenate star kicked off her career in Hollywood as a child actor and went on to build an empire beyond the screen, including stints on Broadway, authoring multiple books, directing and producing, creating an entertainment media network, and more. They don’t call her Keke “Stay with a job” Palmer for nothing!

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Although Keke is known for generally having a positive disposition, she’s still faced her fair share of challenges throughout her life, especially as she was learning the ins and outs of the industry. In a new interview from the Cut, she opened up about being the breadwinner for her family at such a young age.

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From 2008 to 2011, Keke starred as the titular character in the hit Nickelodeon series True Jackson, VP as an independent, creative teen who landed her dream job as a vice president at a fashion company. Keke saw similarities between herself and her character that mimicked her drive and unconventional pressure from people twice her age.

“She was making it happen for herself independently in the world,” Keke said. “Growing up with that character — it bled over into how I wanted to show up, how I want to deal with life.”

“I hated my parents for a long time,” she continued. “There was so much pressure to rise to the occasion for my community, for my parents, for my siblings, for their sacrifices. They weren’t saying it, but that was the reality. Because I’m the one that we all came [to LA] for.”

Keke’s budding career quickly became her family’s main source of income, which in turn meant there was a need for her to consistently book roles. Despite being a child at the time, she was now being forced to make adult decisions and take on the position of financial caregiver.

The One of Them Days star remembered being pushed into situations she was too young to handle, like when she was 12 years old, and her former manager reportedly told Keke that if her mom didn’t lose weight, her mother would die.

“That really, really traumatized me and stressed me out,” she added. “It got me thinking she was going to die, thinking about things like medical bills. It was just too much.”

But worrying about providing for her family wasn’t her only concern. Keke was also aware of the limitations being placed on her despite having a successful Nickelodeon show. She was being left out of conversations involving her peers like Victoria Justice and Miley Cyrus.

“I wasn’t necessarily in the same conversations as Victoria Justice, or Selena Gomez, or Miley Cyrus at that time. It was very much, ‘That’s the Black show’ or ‘That’s Keke Palmer, the Black girl on the network.’”

“There is a loss of innocence that comes with the awareness that you’re treated differently that I’d accepted a long time ago. I don’t compare myself to anyone. But I definitely don’t compare myself to any white person.”

Comparing herself to others was something that never really interested Keke, and it makes sense because she’s in a league of her own. To learn more about the entertainer, be sure to read her full interview with the Cut.

You can also check out her new memoir Master of Me out now, as well as her upcoming buddy comedy with SZA, One of Them Days, which hits theaters Jan. 17.