- 21 hours ago
On a new episode of The Rolling Stone interview, writer CT Jones sits down with 'I Love Boosters' star Keke Palmer. At 32 years old, Palmer has spent more than half her life in the public eye after breaking out as the star of the film 'Akeelah and the Bee' at just 11 years old. She was a child star with both Nickelodeon and Disney, and has since added numerous jobs beyond acting to her lengthy resume: R&B singer, talk-show host, podcaster, producer, content creator, and most importantly, single mother to her three-year-old son, Leodis. Here, Palmer reflects on the lessons she’s learned from growing up in the church, being her family’s primary breadwinner, working to the point of "disembodiment," and more — plus, how she’s redefining what success can look like in the next decades of her career.
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00:00I actually do have a problem, C.T.
00:02I actually do.
00:03I actually do.
00:04It literally gets to the point where I'm writing in my journal,
00:07Lauren has 24 hours in a day.
00:08If 4% of her day is one hour, how many more hours?
00:12Like, it gets to the point where I'm doing calculations
00:14on how I can spread my energy out and make sure I make it through.
00:27Hi, I'm C.T. Jones.
00:28I'm a culture writer at Rolling Stone.
00:31And we have with us Kiki Palmer.
00:33Welcome to the Rolling Stone interview.
00:34Oh, thank you for having me.
00:36We've got our business boss lady, our mogul, our actress, our performer.
00:41You've been in the industry since you were nine years old.
00:45What was the first instinct that showbiz might be for you?
00:48I don't know if it was like that I knew showbiz immediately,
00:51but just performing on stage, like performing on stage,
00:55even just in church or in like the school plays.
00:57I was like, I'm cool with this.
00:59Like this big conversation with the audience, I'm into that vibe.
01:03Now, what was your first big audition?
01:06My first big audition, I would probably say it was,
01:09it's so hard to say because big is so relative.
01:12You know, like my first big audition, I would say it's Barbershop 2.
01:15But then like my first big, big audition in California when we moved
01:19was for a movie with William H. Macy that we did for TNT that got me a SAG nomination.
01:24But then like if we're talking about, you know, leading role breakout moment,
01:28Akilah and the B would be my biggest audition, I think.
01:32Talk to me a little bit about Barbershop.
01:33Barbershop, because that was one of your first, I feel like, breakout roles,
01:37where I feel like if I watch a film, I'm like, and that's Kiki Palmer.
01:41Yes, yes, especially the first time that we're seeing that attitude.
01:44Absolutely.
01:45You know what I mean?
01:45Yeah, so Barbershop 2, they didn't want me to audition at first because I hadn't done much.
01:50I didn't have any credentials, honestly.
01:52They said maybe you can be one of the extras in the movie,
01:54and my mom had contacted Sharon Davis, who was the casting director.
01:58And my mom and I had come up with this plan that even though they didn't want me to audition
02:01for the role,
02:02I should do a video of me doing the lines and like, you know,
02:06singing a bit of like Be a Lion from The Wiz and then send it in and see what happens.
02:12And so my mom sent it in, and they called us back like a month later,
02:15like we haven't found that girl, but we loved your daughter's tape.
02:18Would you like to bring her in to audition for the movie?
02:20But it's going to be with Ice Cube in the room, and, you know, it's going to be a big
02:23deal.
02:24So is she ready for that?
02:25And I just remember, like, I had to be ready for that.
02:28Like, I had to be ready for that.
02:29Yeah.
02:29Had you lived in Hollywood for long at that point?
02:32No, so that was actually in Chicago.
02:34Oh, okay.
02:35They actually filmed Barbershop 2 in Chicago, so that was like a perfect opportunity.
02:40But after that, we realized that there weren't many things coming to Chicago.
02:44So if I wanted to actually be a kid entertainer professionally, I was going to have to move to California.
02:49Now, how many siblings do you have?
02:51I have three.
02:51So I have an older sister, she's four years older than me.
02:54Her name is L'Oreal, and then I have a younger brother and sister.
02:56They're twins, and they are 25.
02:59Yeah.
02:59Now, with that in mind, like, you're not an only kid, right?
03:02You guys decide, we think Hollywood's in the future.
03:05How do you make that decision as a family to say, we think Kiki's got it.
03:09We're going to uproot our lives.
03:11I mean, that is really a question truly for my parents as well, because even I, as Kiki Palmer,
03:16I'm like, why did y'all do that?
03:18You know what I mean?
03:19I'm like, what made y'all know?
03:21But my parents are, like, so, like, faith-based folks.
03:25And so my mom always talks about how, like, I sat, but I kneeled down beside my toilet,
03:32and God had brought the moment to me.
03:34And I just said, God, do I need to bring Kiki to California?
03:36And I felt a calm come over me.
03:39She tells a story the same every time.
03:40So I'm like, yeah.
03:42My parents really believed.
03:43They always said that, you know, they looked, and they saw what I was doing,
03:47and they felt like it deserved to be seen.
03:50I think they felt like there cannot be a crime in her having something that's worth sharing
03:55and us helping to support her to share it.
03:58And that's what they followed.
04:00Now, your apostrophe kid, PK, for those in the know.
04:05Yes, I am indeed.
04:06Where do you see those PK instincts kind of pop up when you were young?
04:11Girl, all through my life, everything, trying to be so, like, I saw a picture of me the other
04:15day on Facebook, like, an old picture from when I was a teenager.
04:18You're on Facebook still?
04:19Girl, I'm definitely that one that's on Facebook talking to the aunties.
04:22You know, that's the way that the family communicates now.
04:24I understand.
04:24That's like the relative.
04:26You've got to stay in the know.
04:27Yes, exactly.
04:28So I was up on Facebook, and I just looked at my old stuff.
04:31I was, like, having a blazer on at, like, a kid party.
04:35Like, I was always trying to be so pulled together.
04:37Because, you know, growing up as a, my dad's a deacon, so growing up in the church and just
04:41in that type of environment, it's always put your best foot forward, know how to behave,
04:46and just, you know, be on point, and be, everything was so serious.
04:49So I was, like, a very, like, little serious child.
04:51Like, always trying to be so on point, like, too much.
04:55Do you feel like that instinct has followed you a little bit in the adulthood?
04:58Yeah.
04:59Girl.
05:00Absolutely.
05:01Still very much, like, I got to show up.
05:03I got to show up and make sure I do, you know, I got to hold it down.
05:06And always just feeling like you have this lineage behind you.
05:09I think that's how I grew up, too.
05:10Like, thinking about community, you know, my church community, the community of my family,
05:15of my neighborhood.
05:16My parents always talk about where we came from.
05:18There was such a great sense of, like, pride, discipline, and, like, integrity, and just,
05:23like, being black folks.
05:24You know what I'm saying?
05:25Absolutely.
05:25And so I always have felt that pride.
05:28And so being a performer and being on stage or being a representation in any regard, that
05:34has always been a weight that I've carried, but that I've always tried to hold responsibly
05:39and intentionally.
05:40Knowing that I'm not perfect, but really taking it, like, is something that I don't
05:45want to be frivolous with.
05:47Yeah.
05:47You're not trying to be flippant.
05:48Yeah.
05:49Yeah.
05:49Yeah.
05:49It's a great word.
05:50With that in mind, kind of, you have this legacy that, in some cases, really holds you
05:55up, right?
05:55You can look back and say, like, these are the people that I'm standing on.
05:57These are the shoulders that I'm standing on, right?
05:59These are the people who have my back.
06:00Yeah.
06:01When does that pressure get to be a little much?
06:04Does it ever?
06:05Do you ever feel like a burden?
06:08Especially when we're talking about, there's a difference between a dream, right?
06:12Yeah.
06:12And all of a sudden, you're making money in Hollywood, right?
06:15Yeah.
06:15Was there ever a pressure about making that next paycheck?
06:21Absolutely.
06:22Absolutely, there's a pressure.
06:23Especially when you come from, I came from poverty.
06:25You know, not the kind where it's, like, necessarily, we're, you know, it's crazy.
06:28It's just like, we didn't have it.
06:29You know what I mean?
06:29We just didn't have it.
06:30We didn't overthink not having it.
06:32We may do what we had.
06:33You know, we had a great sense of love and community, but we didn't have it.
06:36And so once you see what having it is, that becomes a difficult thing to even think about
06:43going back to.
06:44Your first thought is like, oh, no, I have to reach a point of stability.
06:49And what's so interesting is that even when you reach that point of stability, when you're
06:53working from that mindset and you're having that pressure, you don't know when it's over.
06:59And so that's always been something that I've worked on and that I've tried to always,
07:03I think when I became aware of it, which probably, I want to say, trinkles of it was when I
07:09was
07:09like, 16, 17, hey, something feels a little too much.
07:13You know what I mean?
07:13And maybe I should go to therapy.
07:15Or then 18, 19, 20, I don't know if I can hold this weight.
07:19I have to figure out a way to kind of expand and do something different that allows me to
07:25feel a little bit more free, a little less, you know, bent into this shape.
07:28And then as I got older, I became more and more clear of what it is you just described, which
07:32is just that I kind of was in this position where I was holding up a lot, you know, and
07:36it was just kind of systemically what happened.
07:39It wasn't anything that me and my family planned, but it just became this thing because I got
07:43so successful.
07:44We, you know, found ourselves in this new world, in this new position.
07:48And it reaches a point where it's like, okay, you do have to redefine what success is for
07:57you and give yourself an opportunity to like relish in that instead of always worrying
08:01about the next thing.
08:04Absolutely.
08:04You know?
08:04Now, how did that impact your relationship with your parents?
08:08Having to be the person who all of a sudden is like, am I the breadwinner here?
08:12Yeah.
08:12Yeah.
08:12It really impacted us a lot.
08:14I mean, my parents and I talk about it all the time, even more clearly now with the
08:17language and the experience being, you know, so much behind us or the initial impact of
08:22the experience, you know, famous traumatic, the money thing is traumatic.
08:26Like it's traumatic in the regard of the way that everything is flipped up on his head.
08:30It's a blessing, right?
08:31It's a blessing that I'm achieving my goals.
08:32It's a blessing that my family is able to be a part of that and receiving that.
08:36And also my family is supporting and making that happen.
08:38Like when we moved, my dad gave up his job.
08:41He took out his pension.
08:42My mom gave up every, you know, everybody, my sister, she no longer missed her.
08:46She missed her first, you know, freshman year of high school.
08:49The twins were learning how to use the bathroom in our Dodge caravan.
08:53You know what I mean?
08:53Like, so everybody sacrificed.
08:54And over the years, it was continuous sacrifice.
08:57My mom would be on the road with me.
08:58You know, they would take turns.
08:59So, you know, many times we were raised like with one parent, even though we always had
09:04two in the home.
09:04So there were a lot of things that we did to make this work as a family.
09:08But we always talk about, especially, like I said, when I was around 16 or 17 and it'd be,
09:13you know, we started getting resources to therapy and talking through so many things that it
09:17wasn't a normal situation.
09:18It doesn't mean it was a bad situation, but it wasn't normal and nobody could prepare
09:22you for it.
09:23And for us to all be able to see each other clearly and learn how to move forward with
09:29the understanding of, you know, what we went through, what we experienced, the great parts
09:33of it, but the parts that may have been difficult, you know.
09:36So with that in mind, are there ever aspects of your childhood that you wish, like, I wish
09:42I could do over a little normal?
09:43Yeah.
09:44I mean, sure.
09:44It's hard sometimes as I get older to know what I missed, especially when everybody that
09:48I talked to was like, girl, you didn't miss nothing.
09:50I'm like, what the hell was so bad about high school for y'all to be saying that like
09:53that?
09:54You know, I only know high school from my experiences on TV shows and then the shows
09:59that I watch.
10:00So it's like, it was given Degrassi or Dawson's Creek or it was given Moesha or it was given
10:05one-on-one or it was given probably, you know, I don't know exactly what it was like.
10:09So in my mind, based off of those TV shows, would I want to go back?
10:13Sure.
10:13Or just to get into a little Raven Baxter, you know, seeing into the future.
10:16I would love that vibe.
10:18But also I had a lot of great experiences on set.
10:22I mean, I remember running around to Everybody Hates Chris set, you know, from True Jackson
10:26VP, sneaking into the Glee set, sneaking into Dr. Phil, playing around with the golf carts,
10:31you know what I mean, with Ashley and Matt.
10:33And so we had a lot of great memories too with that.
10:36So it's like, you know, I do wish sometimes that I had the experience of socialization
10:39in a, you know, more standard environment.
10:43You know, I've also learned to appreciate the childhood I had, even though it was working,
10:49you know, long hours and all that kind of stuff, tutoring, you know, by yourself or with
10:52one other castmate.
10:54It also had its unique moments that I do hold dear.
10:57Now, if we're describing sets as both this playground and this kind of intense learning
11:03experience, let's talk Akilah and the Bee.
11:05When was the last time you watched it?
11:08Oh my gosh, that's such a good question.
11:09You know, I don't know when the last, it has to have been years ago, but whenever they're
11:14like, cause you know, I'll see moments of it somewhere, I'll be playing.
11:17I'm like, oh my gosh, that's crazy.
11:19I, the message of the movie becomes so much deeper for me as I get older.
11:23And just the way that I look at language, how words allow you to express yourself, even
11:30just Akilah and her, you know, on the surface, we're looking at a young girl's spelling, but
11:34also we're seeing a young woman with extremely incredible pattern recognition.
11:39You know, she has a real skill of being able to predict what comes next with these words.
11:44Like she has an actual gift.
11:46And so like understanding that, you know, the science behind that and then the words and
11:50the way that that's all, you know, it's a sports movie and she's killing it.
11:53And it's just like, and she has the words to say, I don't, uh, truculent, dictatorial,
11:58super silly as garden.
11:59Like she read him down.
12:00Like all of those things hit me so much differently as a grown woman and as a mom, you know?
12:06Yeah.
12:06I mean, we are in a literacy crisis.
12:08I do think Akilah and the Bee coming back could fix it.
12:13Oh my gosh.
12:14Akilah, Akilah needs to come back as a professor.
12:17Absolutely.
12:17It's teaching now.
12:19Who are we calling for this?
12:20Okay.
12:20So you described earlier Akilah and the Bee being this kind of first big audition for
12:25you as like the lead, right?
12:26Yeah.
12:27That's, that's your movie.
12:28Yes.
12:28Tell me a little bit about the first time you heard about Akilah and the Bee and what
12:32interested you in her character?
12:33Well, my mom read the script and she, I'll be honest, as a kid, I was not really knowing
12:38how to really read scripts at that point in time.
12:40So my mom was always reading the material and then seeing if it was something she felt that
12:44I should do because she was very big on like what you perform and how it speaks to you,
12:49especially me growing up.
12:50She really was specific about the kind of material she would even want me a part of.
12:54And so when she read Akilah and the Bee, I just remember her walking into the room,
12:57you gotta do this movie.
12:59Kiki gotta do this movie.
13:01And we were like, are you okay?
13:02She was like, yes, this movie is Akilah and the Bee.
13:05It's Akilah and the Bee.
13:06We're like, what is it about?
13:07Is this the animation?
13:08You know what I mean?
13:09Like what it seemed, she was so dramatic, but the name was so not.
13:13It was like Akilah and the Bee, she's in tears.
13:15What is this?
13:16And so she's like, we gotta sit down as a family and we gotta read this movie together.
13:20And so we all like play roles and did pretty much a family table read of Akilah and the Bee.
13:25And we all got really emotional at the end because it was just, even as a kid, I understood
13:32what it was like to see this little girl go for her goals and her dreams because I was
13:38actually doing the same thing through, you know, for Akilah it was spelling, but for me
13:41it was performance art.
13:42You know, I was understanding characters and emotions and, you know, learning my lines
13:47and having to memorize monologues.
13:49And I related to her relationship to spelling in the same way that I related to this, my
13:54own craft.
13:55And then the support that you needed to achieve it.
13:58So, you know, that was me and my family, my mother, my father, my brother, my sisters,
14:03they would all come together just like doing that table read to help me to, you know, to
14:07achieve my goals.
14:08So I, I related to that even at a young kid of just the emotion behind how it takes community
14:14and how it takes people believing in you and you believing in yourself and you owning
14:19your, your, your, your dreams to be able to get to where you want to go.
14:23I wanted to play it because I felt that it was an inspiring character and one of a kind,
14:27something that we had not seen before.
14:28That's for sure.
14:29I mean, she stands the test of time, but when I think about Akilah and the Bee and I'm thinking
14:35about your career, you book consistently after Akilah and the Bee enough that makes me wonder,
14:41was there something about the experience that you feel like kind of transformed you as an
14:46actor, like gave you courage?
14:47I think so.
14:48Without a doubt.
14:48That's a great question.
14:50That's like such a good question.
14:51It's so true because I believe that, I believe this is why my mom was so critical about the kinds
14:56of roles that she would allow me to play, especially as a kid, because there's something
15:00that is affirmative about these things at a certain point, you know, especially at a
15:04young age when you're not able to really differentiate your boundary line from you and your character.
15:08That's something that's critical in general as an actor is being able to leave it at work
15:12or if you're more method, leave it once the movie's done.
15:16You know what I mean?
15:17And that balance, it can wrap you up and you can find yourself in habits and doing things
15:22that ain't even you.
15:23It's just the role that you played.
15:24And so as a kid, she was very critical because I was still discovering who I was.
15:28So she wanted to be careful with what she was exposing me to and what words I was saying
15:33and how it was affirming my life.
15:34So when we think about the speech where, you know, she's with Dr. Larrabee and he says,
15:39you know, who are we not to be?
15:40You were born to make manifest, you know, all of that stuff.
15:43Having those things in my mind at a very young age, believing that I can win, you know,
15:49that I can go for my goal and I can make it to that, I can make it to that
15:52next step.
15:53You know, believing that I have people that want to see me win, that I have support,
15:56that I have a community that's behind me.
15:58All of that thinking and being a part of that.
16:01And then what came after that, like what being in that movie opened up my world to,
16:06you know, I think 100% was a part of the trajectory of my life for sure.
16:11But after we have all of these great roles and then I feel like you get to be one of
16:16the few people
16:17who you were like, I was a Nick star and a Disney star.
16:22Talk to me about being a part of those two huge kind of brands and what you think that did
16:27for your career.
16:28Well, being able to work with Disney and Nick was huge for my career because I was able to work,
16:34you know, like independently, you know what I mean?
16:36And to be able to have access to both of, you know, their productions, their audiences, just all around.
16:43It was a really, it's also the way that I think that I still work in this industry
16:47is I'm always trying to work from a point of being an entrepreneur and a creator
16:51and, you know, collaborating with the brand or collaborating with the company
16:55or collaborating with the studio because it allows me to, it's not just, just,
17:00I don't want to make it sound like it's just about, I'm free,
17:03but it's, it's also about like, how do I put it into words?
17:07It's kind of one of these things where it's like,
17:08I just believe in this world where we are not constantly putting in employee mindset,
17:15but we're able to actually work side by side and make sure that the things that we are working with
17:21are also going along with the goals that we have set for ourselves.
17:25And I think for a young, at a young age, my mom made me look at it that way.
17:28Even if I was looking at a big brand like a Disney or Nickelodeon,
17:31and she said, this is a, is this company serving you too?
17:34And if they can only service you in this one category,
17:37then work with them in this category and then work with them in this other category.
17:40And that's still how I believe in how I work.
17:42I think it's fair because it's like, yeah, I want to work and collaborate with anybody,
17:46but it's a give and a take.
17:47And I think a lot of times we're put in a position, especially as talent,
17:50or especially if we're working with a major company or something,
17:53that we don't have a voice in that regard.
17:54And I think you got to be clear about what you have leverage on and how you can do things,
17:58but you should always be able to say, well, this isn't, I don't know if it's all the way this,
18:02but I can get down with this.
18:04And that's what my relationship was with Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
18:07For years, you know, I never was with a TV show with any of them.
18:10You know, it can be different when you start getting into a TV show, right?
18:13Once I did my TV show, True Jackson VP, it was like I was with Nickelodeon.
18:16I had kind of made my choice of who I was getting married to.
18:19But before then, it's like, if you want to do a movie, then we just doing a movie.
18:22If you want to do a soundtrack, we just doing a soundtrack.
18:25You know what I mean? Until something steps up to what I feel is comparable.
18:29And so, yeah, I look back on those journeys and I think about all the great skill sets
18:33that I learned from both of those companies.
18:36Working with Disney taught me how to be very much a Vaude villain.
18:40You know, I grew up with my mom talking about Judy Garland and, you know, Shirley Temple,
18:44Mickey Rooney, you know, all the OGs that were, you know, singers, dancers, actors, hosts, everything.
18:49And so I really feel lucky to have worked at Disney at the time that I did growing up
18:54because it was very much like MGM.
18:56You know, they were very much churning out little stars.
19:00The content wheel.
19:01Yeah, the content wheel.
19:02And so the things that people see me do today, you know, so much of that I really was watching
19:07and learning and, you know, kind of the early days doing with Disney
19:12and then even more so with Nickelodeon.
19:14I think behind your words is what, at least what I'm hearing is I had to be in the room
19:20and I had to be like, True Jackson's not doing that.
19:22What are some choices that you feel like show up in the final product,
19:26whether we're talking about True or even maybe jump in?
19:28What are some instances where you're like, I made a choice and I was like, I'm not doing that
19:33or I think this is a better option instead?
19:35I wish that I could remember specific ones because I know that I did that.
19:39I know that I did that because I've always been the kind of person
19:42to not necessarily try to challenge, but I really have to understand anything that I'm doing.
19:46And so there's always some point where I'm like, well, what do you mean by that?
19:50You know, and how does that pertain to actually what we're going to be doing?
19:54Like, and so what, you know, so I would imagine that I was doing that at an early age on
19:58those shows.
19:59I can't say exactly what scene or what moment or what thing,
20:01but I will say like I was always thinking about making sure that there was integrity with what I did.
20:08And I think I would often have to be maybe even thinking about that a little bit more as a
20:12person of color
20:13because I'm always like, how is this being seen?
20:14And I think that's a pressure that you have as a person of color.
20:17It's just like, how is this being seen?
20:18Is this going to be da-da-da?
20:20Is this da-da-da?
20:20So I always did have a little bit of that stress, you know,
20:24because I was like nobody else is going to be thinking about it in that regard
20:27because they don't, why would they?
20:28You know what I mean?
20:29Many times I was the only black person even on my own show.
20:32And so I was often just thinking about like, how do I make sure that I am aware of this
20:38in a way that other people around me simply could not, other than my family, of course.
20:42They were in the room.
20:43They were like, they were watching.
20:44My mom was like, no, that's good.
20:45That's good.
20:46Well, ask if you need a question.
20:48There's something so interesting about talking with an actress,
20:51talking to an actress with your caliber because there were so many, many projects
20:55to kind of poke out and talk about.
20:58I, as you know, rags supremacy all the way down.
21:02You know rags is my movie.
21:04Okay, put your heart to a little bit of this.
21:06We know rags is my movie.
21:07Same for Joyful Noise.
21:09Oh my gosh, the taste is tasty.
21:11I love.
21:12Tell me, what's a project that you feel like didn't get its flowers at the time?
21:16Oh my gosh.
21:17Well, I think the two you named are really good reference points.
21:21Like rags, I mean, I guess people did love rags at the time,
21:23but I feel like it still is like one of those things that the girls who get it, get it.
21:27You know what I mean?
21:28And I think Joyful Noise is similar as well, where it's like the girls that get it, get it.
21:33The other one that is surprising to people is Akilah and the Bee.
21:35When Akilah and the Bee first came out, not a box office hit at all.
21:39And then it becomes this classic film, you know, and especially with DVDs,
21:44and then people were always licensing it or putting on their network.
21:47Disney would play it like every single year, multiple times a year.
21:50That one, I love bringing up its story because a lot of people think it was just so immediate,
21:56and it wasn't.
21:57It was like one of those things that had impact as it lived on.
22:00Tell me a little bit about what you get out of stretching the muscles as a host as well.
22:05Oh, I love, I love, love, love hosting it.
22:07I love to talk to people.
22:10I love to, I love structure, I think, too.
22:13Like I like the idea of like, this is what I got to say.
22:16This is what I'm doing.
22:17This is, you know, in many ways you're holding the show together.
22:20And I think there's something that is really just like, ah, you know, that I live for the gag of
22:24it all.
22:25Like, let's get it, you know, let's move this, let's do the, I love the fun of that.
22:28I can get really creative, you know, being a host.
22:31Like, you know, with Password, I get really creative in the character of a host
22:34because of the nature of the show and the fact that it's been around for so many generations
22:38and really doing a nod to those early days of the show when it first came out,
22:42but then also bringing a little bit of current, you know, contemporary vibes to it
22:46with my comedy, my humor, my style.
22:48And then a lot of times when I'm just doing my own stuff, you know, like with maybe just Kiki
22:52Palmer
22:52or when I host at the Met Gala, it's just being in these spaces, they can be so heightened.
22:57And I feel like I'm always wanting to just bring it down.
23:00You know what I mean?
23:01Like, like, like, and not for any other reason other than it's hard up there, you know, to be so.
23:08So whenever I get an opportunity to curate a space or a vibe that's like, we good, you know,
23:15and you good over here and we ain't got to do too much and ain't nothing too crazy.
23:19And let's just, any time that I can do that, especially in my industry where it can be like,
23:26I think it's just, it's fun for me, you know, and it allows me to be in the vibe that
23:30I prefer,
23:30which is just like, hey, let's have fun.
23:32Let's be cool.
23:32Let's be chill.
23:33And I don't think it's a coincidence that in a lot of those hosting gigs, or at least
23:37what you're describing is these kind of off the cuff, chill moments are the ones people
23:42love the most.
23:44I mean, do you have a favorite viral moment?
23:46I do love the one that they were like, because I like everything that they put to it.
23:51Mm, this one has a little sweetness to it.
23:53Like, I love, and honestly, you know, you don't think that would be the thing.
23:58And it's so funny, because it's like they put so many different storylines to it.
24:03Before you know it, it's this whole copypasta slot.
24:06Now, we've established you're busy.
24:09What makes music important to you as something to kind of continually keep up?
24:13Well, you know, I think it's one of the things that I love.
24:15It's one of the things that I love to do.
24:17So, and it's interesting, just like with movies or TV shows, it all is about what the vibe
24:24is at the moment.
24:25So, I'll go through something where it's like, oh, I just want to, you know, especially
24:28this over the last couple of years, I really wanted to focus on comedy work.
24:31And I had done some really dramatic stuff.
24:33Like, I did a movie Pimp, and I did a movie called Alice, and they required a lot of emotional
24:39weight from me.
24:39And so, I kind of got to a place where I was like, I only feel like really doing more
24:42of my sketch stuff, more of my comedy stuff, more of my hosting stuff, where I can kind
24:46of breathe and get out of a little bit of that heavy weight.
24:48And I think it's the same thing with music.
24:49When I've gone so deep on doing a character or doing a role, then I want to do maybe more
24:55hosting, more singing, something that allows me to showcase what's going on in my internal
24:59world, allows me to speak to kind of just who I am as a person.
25:03I think that's what music really allows.
25:05You know, it's you, as opposed to a role you're playing.
25:09And obviously, as an artist, there is some element, right, of performance nature, you know,
25:13that you put into it.
25:13But your fans, it's like a wink and a nod.
25:15Because your fans know, it's like, oh, she's getting into her era, she's doing her vibe.
25:19But they know when they listen to the music, that this is you speaking to them.
25:23And this is what matters to you.
25:24And so, I think that's why I like it.
25:26Because it makes sure that I'm always having that tether, both personally, obviously, but
25:31also professionally.
25:32Like, it's in my work, too.
25:34Now, with that in mind, kind of like nodding or speaking to your fans, who are some musical
25:40inspirations that you feel like you have, who have careers that you want to emulate?
25:43Are there people that you're taking inspiration from?
25:45Careers that I want to emulate, that is really a tough one.
25:48The reason why it's hard to say is because it's a few different types of people.
25:52You know what I mean?
25:53This strictly by what they've accomplished.
25:55I don't know everybody personally.
25:57You never know when people say, oh, she want to be like, that's not what I said.
26:01I said I like their career.
26:03You know what I mean?
26:04Don't, I don't know what they did in 1955.
26:08Please, leave me out of it.
26:10But if I'm just thinking about the people that I think of, I think about brand, and then
26:16I think about people that have platformed things or concepts or, you know what I mean,
26:21given opportunities or created something.
26:23So I think about people like Steve Jobs, just in terms of him being a visionary, creating
26:28something that has allowed access for other people.
26:30You know, just taking a small idea and making it big.
26:34I think about what I want to do with Key TV and what I've done with myself as Kiki Palmer
26:39and use that as a platform for other people to help them build their brands, to tell their
26:44stories, to understand what it means to distill who they are as an artist and how to share
26:48that with the world without being extracted from when it comes to working with institutions
26:52or big companies.
26:53And so I think about stuff like being a builder.
26:55And then I also think about like people that have built incredible brands like Omnichannel,
27:01like Oprah Winfrey, you know, Martha Stewart, you know, those people impress me because they
27:07have something for you and they're meeting their audience wherever their audience is.
27:11And it feels like it's just their life too, right?
27:14Like I think that's also what excites me as a creator, as an entrepreneur, as an artist is
27:19being able to touch many different access points.
27:22And that in touching those different access points, I'm also able to bring other people
27:26with me.
27:27That makes sense to me because I feel like everything that you were vocal about is you
27:31want to be in the room where it happens, right?
27:32Okay!
27:34You want to be in the room where it happens.
27:36I'm at the table!
27:37You're sitting down.
27:39You have a say.
27:41Does that pressure ever become exhausting?
27:44I mean, you're describing, you just listed moguls, right?
27:48You're not like, I want to be Mariah.
27:50You're like, I'd like to have the turtleneck.
27:53I want to be Steve Jobs.
27:54Okay, I'm Steve.
27:56Hello, it's Mr. Jobs.
27:57I don't know how you talk.
27:59Is that not tiring?
28:00Guys, yeah, I actually do have a problem, Cece.
28:03I actually do.
28:05I actually do.
28:06It literally gets to the point where I'm writing in my journal, Lauren has 24 hours in
28:10a day.
28:10If 4% of her day is one hour, how many more hours?
28:13It gets to the point where I'm doing calculations on how I can spread my energy out and make
28:17sure I make it through what I'm trying to do.
28:20So it is important that, you know, I have breaks.
28:25And I think the way that I'm able to remind myself or force, I don't want to say force
28:29myself, but you know how sometimes you can be so, it's like the memes you see online
28:32where you're like in the bed, but your mind doesn't turn off.
28:35Absolutely.
28:35You know, that's me.
28:37And I'm sure it's probably, I imagine as a creator, you too.
28:40And I have to tell myself every time, like, guess what's going to make me better if I
28:46get this rest tonight?
28:48Guess what's going to make me better if I take that two-week vacation?
28:52Guess what's going to make me better if I just call off for the day?
28:55And that's really what helps me because, you know, when you're an ambitious person, which
28:59I don't think is a bad thing, a lot of times because we live in such a hustle culture and
29:02a work culture and everybody feels so forced to do the same thing, we have a weird reaction
29:07to that.
29:07But I don't think everybody needs to be very ambitious.
29:11If it's not for you, it's not for you.
29:13But to the people that are very ambitious, you can feel kind of, you know, because like,
29:17am I wrong for wanting to get it done?
29:19Am I wrong for having big dreams?
29:20Am I wrong for the, you know, you're not wrong, but you got to be, we got to be real
29:24with ourselves and we got to have balance because if you really are ambitious, if you really
29:28want to get to your goals, if you really love what you do, take a break.
29:32You have to, only because it's going to make you better.
29:35And that's something that I've learned both in experience and the hard way.
29:40You know what I mean?
29:41So that's a big part of my life now.
29:43It's literally like just as important as the work and it's changed.
29:47I was talking to my publicist the other day about it.
29:49I said, I'm starting to get scared of myself, girl, because I'm starting to say no to everybody.
29:53I ain't never used to say no like this.
29:56But ever since I started to honor this, my life has changed.
30:01What was that hard way?
30:02Being disembodied, not being present in the moment, just being on autopilot.
30:08You know what I mean?
30:08Actually like being so impressively hyper-functioning that it's like, I ain't even had to be in the
30:14room, but I was in the room, you know?
30:17That can be impressive, but it's not fun because you're not there.
30:22You're not enjoying it.
30:24You know what I mean?
30:25I'm not actually creating with the room.
30:28You know, I'm kind of just in on my way.
30:32You know what I mean?
30:33And that's the hard way is that you realize that, oh shit, did I do that yesterday?
30:38Oh, wait a minute.
30:39What do you mean that was completed?
30:41We don't even be knowing half the time that that's the sign.
30:44You know, the sign is lack of recall.
30:47The sign is, I thought I put that in my drawer.
30:51It was in your pocket.
30:52It's small stuff like that.
30:54Your memory.
30:55You know what I mean?
30:56And so when you start looking at that, then it starts to say, well, wait a minute, wait
30:59a minute.
31:00If I really care about what I'm doing, if I really care about what I've got going on,
31:03then I've got to, I got to honor myself and I got to make sure I'm honoring rest as a
31:09part of the program.
31:09And when you rest, you turn out these phenomenal performances that it's very clear that you
31:16have your heart in them.
31:17Talk to me a little bit about Nope.
31:19Working with Jordan Peele, what was that like?
31:21It was really great.
31:22It was really great.
31:23It was life-changing as well, that experience working with him.
31:25He was so embracing to me.
31:29He really saw me.
31:30And when I think about the role, the nuances of that character, how many conversations that
31:37we had where he wasn't leading me, but he was looking at the full picture and he was
31:44encouraging me to follow what I knew.
31:47It was, I think the first time that I really understood how much autonomy I had as an actor
31:53and that as an actor, it's a really big part of my job, just as much as it is of
31:58the directors
31:59to tell him who the character is.
32:02And I think the way that he worked with me really, really changed the way that I moved
32:07as an actor because he let me know that that was important.
32:11And then I seen how it was, how it changed and enhanced the project.
32:16You know, when I really knew that I had a voice that was worth being heard.
32:20And so when I look at that scenario and then I think about the work that I've also done
32:24after that film, it was, it's very much a checkpoint, you know?
32:28Yeah.
32:28Now, if nope is a yes that worked out, what's a project that you said no to that you were
32:33like, I feel like I maybe should have said yes to that?
32:37You know, I don't know that I regret.
32:40I can't do everything, you know?
32:42So it's like one of those things.
32:43But I remember when I watched The Blackening, I was like, damn, I would have loved to be in
32:46there, you know?
32:47Because it didn't work out, me doing it.
32:49But when I watched it, I was like, now this shit is funny.
32:51I could have had some fun up in there and gagged with the kids real quick, you know?
32:56But I mean, there's so many things that either I didn't get or I couldn't do that didn't
33:01work out, you know, that you just, you know, it's like, what could you do?
33:06Yeah.
33:06How are you thinking about legacy as an actor?
33:10Only as an actor?
33:11And you know what?
33:12That's the problem right there.
33:13But that was a good question, though, because I was like, only as an actor, I would say
33:15I was going to have some for you.
33:17No, tell me how you're thinking about legacy as an actor.
33:20And then tell me about how you're thinking about legacy overall.
33:24Okay.
33:24So legacy as an actor.
33:26You know, it's interesting because I feel that now that my legacy is so interesting, I
33:32never thought of this as a kid because I was always doing so many dramatic roles and
33:36getting applause for like dramatic roles, you know what I mean?
33:39But then obviously I started doing comedy with Nickelodeon and True Jackson VP or Disney or
33:44whatever.
33:44And so even more so now in this new or this most recent phase of my career, everybody's
33:50like, she's a comedian.
33:51You know, she's a comedian.
33:53You know what I mean?
33:54Hollywood is so funny because when I was a kid, it was always the next Angela Bassett.
33:58She's the next Angela.
33:59They wanted to see you cry.
34:00They wanted to see me cry.
34:01A girl, they wanted to be, duh.
34:03You know what I mean?
34:04Now it's like, she's a comedian.
34:06Like, she's the next, you know, and so I don't, when I think about the legacy as an
34:09actor, I don't know, man.
34:12I just would hope that they see me as a, you know, a character actor, somebody that can
34:18play any role, that can give you drama, that can give you comedy, that can give you unique,
34:22you know, perspectives and just did interesting work that also like sparked conversation.
34:28I think I always want to do stuff or I do things that are at least interesting to me
34:33that I have something to say about.
34:34And then when I'm thinking about legacy overall, like, I mean, if I was going to be thinking,
34:39and again, I'm not saying I'm like this person, but you know, when you think about the legacy
34:43of people like, I don't even want to say this person.
34:49You've got to say it.
34:50Now you've got to say it.
34:51Because it is like, girl, you ain't no damn.
34:53You're thinking about the audience.
34:55We're right here.
34:56Tell me about it.
34:57You know how people feel about Quincy Jones.
34:59I'm not a composer, but you know what I mean?
35:02You know how people feel like he's, we feel like he's our family member.
35:04Absolutely.
35:05You know what I mean?
35:05You feel like he was a part of a lot of storylines.
35:08And he was a supporting person in somebody else's stardom, too.
35:13Yes.
35:13I think I love that.
35:14That's why I said Quincy Jones, because I love the fact that like Quincy Jones, he was
35:17his own thing.
35:18But also Quincy Jones was who, he was the one that Michael was working with to make Thriller.
35:22You know what I'm saying?
35:22A cultural fixture.
35:23Yes.
35:24Yes.
35:25Girl, you better pull those words out of that school.
35:29She said a cultural fixture.
35:32Girl, that cultural fixture took me out.
35:34Stop.
35:34I'll cry.
35:35That's so funny.
35:35Girl, that gave me life.
35:36Yes.
35:37You nailed it.
35:38But that's, that's, that's, that's, yes.
35:40I think that's so, a cultural fixture, that's so important.
35:43Like, you know, it's like, I want to be able to like, we making a table together.
35:46Mm-hmm.
35:47And you sitting there, and you sitting there, and we're sitting there, and we're making something.
35:50You know what I mean?
35:51That's so, yeah.
35:52I love boosters.
35:54Talk to me about Corvette and the Velvet Gang.
35:58Yes!
35:58Love these girls.
36:00Love Boots Riley.
36:01Love the way that he can take something that is, you know, similar to, you know, we think
36:05about the anti-heroes of Set It Off.
36:07You know, these women that were ultimately really fighting against the system that deserved
36:10to fight, but fighting in the only way they knew how that ultimately cost them their
36:14lives.
36:14And we look at a movie like I Love Boosters that takes a similar tale of women taking matters
36:18into their own hands.
36:19Mm-hmm.
36:20But it's told through this way that allows you to feel more liberated than you do feel
36:25like, what's the point?
36:26But it also is realistic in the same way saying that, hey, I also don't know that all the
36:31problems can be solved, but here's a way that we could talk about it.
36:36It's so great that we're talking about so much now, but also we don't know where to put
36:40it.
36:40So it's kind of like we end up carrying this weight all day, all of us.
36:43You know what I mean?
36:43I mean, especially the millennials, Gen Z, we're all becoming the new adults, which
36:47is a crime.
36:50And it's like, we're like, what did y'all leave us with?
36:53What did y'all leave us with?
36:54And we, and it's like, but so we got to figure out like, it's like, okay, we know what we're
36:57left with.
36:58How do we move forward though?
37:00Once we stop crying, once we wipe our, you know, when men all fell on the ground, we get
37:04up, we dust our shoulders off.
37:06How do we move forward?
37:07And so I think we got to get, we got to start having more of those conversations, which some
37:11of us obviously are having, but like, how can we do it in a way that every, that the
37:14people can feel encouraged and not like they're always putting their lives on the line.
37:17I feel like this movie for me, we're seeing these women have that experience and we're
37:22seeing the danger, the reward.
37:28And then we're also asking ourselves, what really is value and where does community truly
37:34live for you in that?
37:35We can't obviously talk about legacy in any capacity without talking about your legacy.
37:42Tell me about motherhood.
37:44How's it been?
37:44Oh my gosh, girl.
37:46You know, I'll talk about him all day.
37:48Yeah.
37:48You know, I'll talk about him all day.
37:50Literally.
37:52You know that's the cutest baby I've ever seen in my life.
37:53Girl, he's the bomb.
37:55I just can't with him.
37:57Literally, my son has changed my life.
37:58He's the everything to me in my world.
38:00And honestly, he's really like a very cool kid.
38:04Like, he actually is very like, Mom, you bother me.
38:07You bother me.
38:07You know, he's like, I want to go to school by myself.
38:10You know, like, he's so, like this little Leo B.O.
38:13He's the coolest, funnest kid ever.
38:16And he's so smart.
38:18And just, I don't know, man.
38:20I think it's like, motherhood I thought was going to be dope.
38:22But it's, like, really way better than I could ever describe.
38:26It really is.
38:27And it's not for everybody.
38:28But I think it really was always for me.
38:31You know what I mean?
38:31It really was.
38:32And I feel that every day that I get the opportunity to see my son, wake up with my son,
38:38hang out with my son, that, I mean, God really loves me.
38:42That's what I feel.
38:42I feel that God really loves me.
38:44Man, thank you, God, because I get to see this person be a part of their lives and support them
38:49as they become who they're meant to be.
38:52It's just the coolest thing.
38:53That's so beautiful.
38:54What are the parts that are kicking your ass?
38:56Girl.
38:58Well, first of all, my son's mean as hell.
39:00He's not nice.
39:01I left that part out.
39:02He's actually, you know, and he's the kind of, my son told me the other day, I came back from
39:07the Pilates.
39:07I'm going to Start Academy, getting my certification as a Pilates instructor.
39:12Didn't we just talk about you doing too much?
39:13I know.
39:14Here we go again.
39:16So my son, I come in the house, and my son said, Mommy, you stink.
39:21I said, excuse me.
39:22He said, you stink.
39:24I'm like, well, I just came from the Pilates.
39:25That's why I'm trying to get in the shower.
39:27So he follows me into the bathroom while I'm taking my shower, and he keeps peeking in, and then says,
39:31you're throwing water on me.
39:33And I said, well, son, I told you that you need to get your little ass up out of here,
39:37but you decided to come up in.
39:38You told me I was stinking.
39:39Then I came in to get a shower.
39:40Then you're trying to tell me that I'm getting water on you because you don't know how to close the
39:44door and let me have my privacy.
39:46And I get out the shower.
39:50Mommy, I didn't really like it, how you was throwing water on me because you were stinking.
39:55And then that was crazy, and I don't know why you was stinking.
39:57And that was really bad, Mommy.
39:58You should have been stinking.
40:01The hell is wrong with you?
40:02He's off the chain.
40:04Off the chain.
40:05And it's so funny because you don't want to hit him.
40:07You know, you don't want to pop that.
40:08You know, we trying to be better than the generation before.
40:11So it's like, how the hell do I do this gentle parent thing?
40:13Because you about to get, you know what I mean?
40:14It's like, you trying to so hard to, you're going to get popped.
40:18You know what I mean?
40:19It's like so hard to keep it all together, especially because my son, I don't know what he was doing.
40:23We were in the airport.
40:24You know, I was trying to get on his head.
40:25I was like, you need to, and he turned around.
40:26I was doing it from, he was in the back.
40:28So I'm like standing in his back, and I'm like, you need to, and he said.
40:33I said, what is you, a lizard?
40:36I said, what is, who am I raising?
40:39I don't know, girl.
40:40I don't know.
40:41Who's your village right now?
40:43Oh my gosh.
40:44Well, I have my mom.
40:45So me and my sisters live together.
40:46My oldest sister, L'Oreal, she has three kids.
40:49They come back and forth between our house and their dad's house.
40:52And then my baby sister, she lives with, we live together as well.
40:56And then my mom is always there, you know.
40:58And then I also have supportive nannies.
41:00So, you know, for me, it's like the village is large.
41:03You know what I mean?
41:03I don't know what I would be able to do without all the help that I have.
41:07You know what I mean?
41:07To keep doing what I'm doing for my career, for my family, for my community.
41:12But then also being there with them and enjoying our time together as a family.
41:19Now, we can't talk about motherhood without talking about Vegas.
41:23I'm sorry, Kiki.
41:24We've got to get into it.
41:26OMG.
41:27The quote from your ex, Darius Jackson, you were serenaded by Usher, which I think is
41:33probably heaven, right?
41:35It's got to be a lifetime achievement.
41:39He goes off on Twitter and he says, quote, it's the outfit, though.
41:42You a mom.
41:44Your facial expression, as you're saying, is killing me.
41:47You know I'm at.
41:47Anyway, when did you first see it?
41:49What was your initial reaction?
41:50I was in L.A. doing the cut cover and everybody was looking just crazy on my team.
41:56They were just like, what the hell is wrong with them?
42:00You know, why are they looking so weird?
42:02And then, you know, you check socials and you check pop culture, as you always do, and
42:05then I see that it's me today.
42:07It's always crazy when it's you that day.
42:09It could be good.
42:10It could be bad.
42:11It could be, eh.
42:12I think I was in shock.
42:14That's the main thing.
42:15I really was, like, in shock because one thing that I don't like to do is I see, I
42:21don't want to say I only see the internet as this way, but I kind of see my career and
42:25being a public-facing person, like, it's always like I'm at the office.
42:28You know, so I'm, like, I think there's a certain level to it that feels like I'm at
42:33the office when I post something online or when I'm out in public as a public figure.
42:38So for me, I was just kind of like, this doesn't belong at work.
42:42You know what I mean?
42:43It felt like something private that got made public.
42:47Yeah, yeah.
42:47So I was kind of like, I felt like that clip of that, that meme of that lady, that black
42:53lady that's on the divorce court or whatever, she's like, like, I felt stuck because I was
42:57like, I can't say anything about this.
42:58One of the frustrating things about being a public figure is then that the breakup and
43:02the subsequent legal filings were also in some way public.
43:06How does that complicate what is already a difficult time?
43:09I mean, you, in a filing, accuse him of abuse.
43:13And then obviously because of the legality of everything, you can't really talk about
43:17this online.
43:17But how does being a public figure and kind of being in the public eye during these times
43:22complicate the emotions around it?
43:24It just makes it public.
43:25And it shouldn't be.
43:26You know, and there's not much you can do about it.
43:28So a lot of times people feel like that you're saying it to them, you know, when you're saying
43:34it to the court, you know?
43:36And so then it becomes something where they expect you to speak on it, but it really wasn't
43:39for them to see to begin with.
43:41But it kind of comes with the territory, you know, of being an entertainer.
43:44So it's just like one of those things where it's like, you know, this really wasn't no
43:48shade, but this really wasn't for you.
43:50I hate that you found out.
43:52And I'm going to handle my life and do what I need to do to move forward in good faith.
43:59You know what I mean?
44:00But it's just one of those things where it's kind of like a dream that you showed up and
44:03you got no pants on.
44:04What could you do other than pull your pants up and move on?
44:07And you've said in later articles and later interviews that you two are in a better place
44:12now.
44:13And how do you get there once, like you're describing, your dirty laundry becomes public,
44:18whether you like it or not?
44:19I mean, there's no easy way to say it, you know, but I can't say that it wasn't, it
44:26didn't have anything to do with God, you know, because it did.
44:28You know, I feel like God does incredible things.
44:31And whether people believe in God or not, you know, or how they see God in their lives,
44:36some people see it as time, some people see it as a universe, some people see it as all
44:40of the above.
44:40For me, I see it as the thing that allows for the impossible to happen, things that you
44:46didn't imagine to happen.
44:47If you just keep living and keep being true to yourself, I feel like for me, that's all
44:54that I've been trying to do in my life.
44:56And especially after having my son is just be true.
44:58Do what's going to be right for me.
45:00Do what's going to be right for my son and trusting God that everything is going to work
45:03out.
45:03You know what I mean?
45:04I never wanted any bad negative drama.
45:06I never want anything to be left on a bad note.
45:08I'm always trying to leave things with a positive vibe.
45:10And so sometimes that means distance.
45:12You know what I mean?
45:13And God will heal the rest.
45:15Time will do the rest.
45:16But all I can do is really focus on my son.
45:18And I think that's where I kept it.
45:19Focusing on my son.
45:21Focusing on making sure I was in the best position I could be in so that I could be focused
45:25and be good for my son.
45:26And then I let God do the rest.
45:28And, you know, God did his thing.
45:31How are you approaching dating now?
45:33You know, ain't nobody interesting.
45:36I'm open.
45:37You know what I mean?
45:39I'm open.
45:39I don't know what I give off.
45:41I feel that I give very close.
45:42You know, I don't know because ain't nobody coming.
45:45You're saying they're scared.
45:46They're scared.
45:47They're scared.
45:47I mean, this suit is quite fearful.
45:50Are you looking for a relationship out of the public eye?
45:53Are you looking for a partner that's not in showbiz?
45:56Or do you want one who's in showbiz so they can understand?
45:58I've never been into the public eye.
46:00I've never been into it.
46:01You know, I try it every now and then.
46:03You know, you'll get into a relationship.
46:04As a public figure, you'll often get into a relationship with somebody that wants to
46:08be a part of your public life.
46:10Otherwise, they feel like they're being hidden.
46:11So it's like a hard thing to deal with.
46:14But it's never anything I've wanted to do, you know, even if I've had moments of trying
46:18to appease.
46:18So I don't feel like that's me, you know, to necessarily be like, this is my man.
46:24I'm a Virgo.
46:24Anybody that's a Virgo know that we are very like, this is my man.
46:30Go.
46:31You know, I don't know why we're like so pinched and spooked about everything like that.
46:37Vulnerability.
46:38Ah.
46:39I'm not very into that.
46:40I have been more open to people in the industry in my mind because I do feel that it's cool
46:46that you get it.
46:47You know, I think when I was younger, especially, I used to always be like, I don't want anybody
46:50in this business.
46:51I don't want anybody.
46:51Because you see a lot in this business.
46:53And it's a lot of crazies up over here.
46:55But, you know, I realize this crazies everywhere.
46:57And so I'm more open, I think, to entertainers or people that are in my industry than I was
47:02in the past.
47:02But I'm giving more Miss Congeniality than Michelle Pfeiffer.
47:07You know what I mean?
47:07She ends up with a guy at the end of Miss Congeniality.
47:10Yeah, but you see how it happened, though.
47:11It was very like, oh.
47:12It's a little quirk.
47:13Oh, so it's a little quirked out.
47:14Yeah, it's a little too much.
47:16You need a meet cute.
47:19What's a meet cute?
47:20A meet cute is like in a rom-com when, you know, like the girl like stumbles or she trips.
47:26And then, or you have like a funny way of like introducing each other.
47:30And then you have a fun story.
47:31You need a meet cute.
47:32That's me.
47:32Everything is so gaggy and everything is so kitschy and everything is so witty.
47:36And it's all so much.
47:38I don't know why I think I'm always in a gag.
47:40I'm always in like some type of bit.
47:42It's too much.
47:43The DMs are open, it's basically.
47:44Now, last question for you.
47:47What does it mean to be Kiki Palmer to you?
47:49I mean, Kiki Palmer is an observer of culture.
47:54You know, she is somebody that really is inspired by her generation, inspired by our creativity,
48:08all of our creativity.
48:10And I just want to reflect it back the best way possible.
48:13You know, whether that's through conversations on my podcast, through the characters that
48:17I play, through the music that I perform.
48:19That's how I feel about creating my work is reflecting all the beauty from every corner
48:25of our culture around us in all different avenues.
48:29That's really what drives me.
48:31That really is what, that's what inspires me.
48:32I go online.
48:33I go into places where I go to where my sister's school is.
48:37I'm showing up to FAMU.
48:38I'm watching how the kids are dressing.
48:39I'm, what are y'all listening to?
48:40And what, what's happening and what's the conversations?
48:43And it forms into something that I can make a story or an art piece.
48:47You know what I mean?
48:48I think about people like, like Basquiat or I think about Andy Warhol and I think about
48:51how they were doing the thing, but not the thing, yet observing the thing and also authoring
48:57the thing.
48:58And I find that in pop culture, in pop art, like I find that to be what I really like
49:03also relate to.
49:04You want to do it all.
49:05I'm going to do it all.
49:07So, so much.
49:08It's so good to see you.
49:09Good to see you too.
49:10Good to see you too.
49:46Good to see you.
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