Keke Palmer Says She Felt 'Trapped' by Nickelodeon Fame: 'Like I Was Walking Around in a SpongeBob Suit'
Keke Palmer starred in her first Disney Channel movie Jump In at age 12 before playing the title role in Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011
keke palmer
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty
Published on November 17, 2022 11:52 AM
Not all of Keke Palmer's memories from her as a child star are positive ones.
The Nope star explained why being on Nickelodeon boxed her in as an actress who could make a name for herself.
Palmer, now 29, specifically remembers being offered an all-expenses-paid vacation on the (now defunct) Nickelodeon Cruises at age 15. Though she understood the trip would require her to spend a few hours signing autographs, Palmer thought the cruise would offer a mostly carefree opportunity to bond with her family. Instead, Palmer spent the majority of the trip in her hotel room.
"I felt like I was walking around in a SpongeBob suit that I couldn't take off," Palmer told The Hollywood Reporter.
"I was trapped," said Palmer, who starred in the title role of the 2008–2011 series True Jackson, VP. "I couldn't leave my room without someone coming up to me calling me True Jackson. What you are, to everyone, is just a character … just part of their experience."
Keke Palmer
Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
It's safe to say Palmer is a season veteran when it comes to fame — she's been a working actress since starring in the the 2007 Disney Channel original movie Jump Inwhen she was 12 years old.
But her experience feeling objectified as a result of her career has carried into adulthood as she's taken on more mature projects including Alice, Hustlers and Masters of Sex. And the way fans approach her continues to strike her as odd.
"A couple of weeks ago, I was in Arizona with my boyfriend and his dad for an Eagles game," she added. "We ended up at a Dave & Buster's and somebody was like, 'What are you doing here?' Same reason as you, dude! Playing games and winning tickets. Where else do you expect me to do that?"
She's also spoken out about being compared to other actresses who've followed a similar career trajectory — specifically, she addressed the implicit racial bias of some viewers likening her to Euphoria (and former K.C. Undercover) star Zendaya.
"A great example of colorism is to believe I can be compared to anyone," she tweeted in July, touching on colorism in Hollywood. "I'm the youngest talk show host ever. The first Black woman to star in her own show on Nickelodeon, & the youngest & first Black Cinderella on broadway. I'm an incomparable talent. Baby, THIS, is Keke Palmer."
Keke Palmer starred in her first Disney Channel movie Jump In at age 12 before playing the title role in Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011
keke palmer
Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty
Published on November 17, 2022 11:52 AM
Not all of Keke Palmer's memories from her as a child star are positive ones.
The Nope star explained why being on Nickelodeon boxed her in as an actress who could make a name for herself.
Palmer, now 29, specifically remembers being offered an all-expenses-paid vacation on the (now defunct) Nickelodeon Cruises at age 15. Though she understood the trip would require her to spend a few hours signing autographs, Palmer thought the cruise would offer a mostly carefree opportunity to bond with her family. Instead, Palmer spent the majority of the trip in her hotel room.
"I felt like I was walking around in a SpongeBob suit that I couldn't take off," Palmer told The Hollywood Reporter.
"I was trapped," said Palmer, who starred in the title role of the 2008–2011 series True Jackson, VP. "I couldn't leave my room without someone coming up to me calling me True Jackson. What you are, to everyone, is just a character … just part of their experience."
Keke Palmer
Chris Pizzello/AP/Shutterstock
It's safe to say Palmer is a season veteran when it comes to fame — she's been a working actress since starring in the the 2007 Disney Channel original movie Jump Inwhen she was 12 years old.
But her experience feeling objectified as a result of her career has carried into adulthood as she's taken on more mature projects including Alice, Hustlers and Masters of Sex. And the way fans approach her continues to strike her as odd.
"A couple of weeks ago, I was in Arizona with my boyfriend and his dad for an Eagles game," she added. "We ended up at a Dave & Buster's and somebody was like, 'What are you doing here?' Same reason as you, dude! Playing games and winning tickets. Where else do you expect me to do that?"
She's also spoken out about being compared to other actresses who've followed a similar career trajectory — specifically, she addressed the implicit racial bias of some viewers likening her to Euphoria (and former K.C. Undercover) star Zendaya.
"A great example of colorism is to believe I can be compared to anyone," she tweeted in July, touching on colorism in Hollywood. "I'm the youngest talk show host ever. The first Black woman to star in her own show on Nickelodeon, & the youngest & first Black Cinderella on broadway. I'm an incomparable talent. Baby, THIS, is Keke Palmer."
