Keke Palmer Reflects on Viral Memes and Her Journey Beyond Child Stardom

Keke Palmer is opening up about her evolution from child star to multi-hyphenate entertainer — and how internet culture helped shape her second act.

In a new interview with People magazine, the actress, who recently starred in The Pickup alongside Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson, spoke about the viral moments that have kept her in the spotlight.

Palmer first rose to fame in 2006 with Akeelah and the Bee and went on to star in True Jackson, VP in 2008. “That was kind of, like, the peak,” she said. “Then I was no longer a child star, and I had to reexamine what kind of artist I wanted to be.”

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She credits social media and content creation for helping her reinvent herself. “I found my voice in reinvention through social media… and ultimately becoming a producer and taking my traditional roots into something that allowed me to have a little bit more control,” she explained.

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One of Palmer’s most famous internet moments came in 2019 during Vanity Fair’s lie detector test segment, when she was shown a photo of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and quipped, “I don’t know who this man is. Sorry to this man.” The clip went viral, cementing her status as a meme queen.

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“That’s when we’ve seen this era where I’ve become a meme,” Palmer said, adding that her role in Jordan Peele’s 2022 hit Nope and other unexpected projects further fueled her cultural relevance.

“I was just following my heart and my creativity,” she reflected. “Having the second wave of what that is, knowing what it’s like to go through the ebbs and flows of this industry… none of the excitement always lasts forever.”